Abstract
The biogeochemical characteristics of tidal drying in the estuary of the small Pilema River in the Onega Bay of the White Sea are considered based on observations made in October 2023. Here, mesotidal conditions are observed with a mean tidal range of 2.4 m at the entrance to the river mouth. Along the eastern shore of the estuary, anomalously high suspended sediment loads (356–692 mg/L) were observed due to stormy weather, but the estuarine section of the river, which is closed to developed wind disturbance, had relatively low suspended sediment loads (6–21 mg/L). The upper tidal drying zone was characterized by low values of benthic abundance, biomass and biodiversity, low projective cover of the bottom by algae, and insignificant concentrations of heavy metals such as cadmium, copper, lead and zinc. This situation is mainly due to active lithodynamic processes observed in this zone.
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