Colloidal transport of carbon and metals by western Siberian rivers during different seasons across a permafrost gradient

Abstract

In contrast to fairly good knowledge of dissolved (<0.45 µm) and particulate (>0.45 µm) fluxes of carbon, nutrients and metals from the land to the ocean, colloidal (1 kDa−0.45 µm) forms of solutes are rarely quantified. This is especially true for Siberian rivers draining into the Arctic Ocean: because of organic-rich soils, colloidal fractions of elements are high and may sizably impact coastal biological processes. However, the main environmental parameters such as seasons, river size, climate, permafrost distribution and landscape parameters of the watershed controlling colloidal distribution of organic carbon (OC) and metals remain totally unknown. Here we used on-site centrifugation combined with ultrafiltration via 3, 30 and 100 kDa pore size membranes and 1 kDa dialysis to characterize colloidal size fractionation of OC and metals in 32 western Siberian rivers, ranging in size from 10 to 150,000 km2 watershed area, across a climate and permafrost gradient (from absent to continuous permafrost). The dominant forms of OC and metals was low molecular weight LMW< 3 kDa fraction and medium molecular weight (MMW3 kDa-30 kDa) colloids. The LMW< 3 kDa fraction of OC increased in the order spring < autumn < summer, following progressive replacement of allochthonous medium and high molecular weight colloids in spring by autochthonous LMW organic ligands in summer; the latter possibly occurred due to exometabolites of plankton and periphyton. The LMW OC fraction became low again in autumn, presumably due to appearance of allochthonous DOM washed out by autumn rains from peat soil at maximum thawing depth. The size of the watershed had subordinate influence on colloidal distribution compared to seasons. The effect of landscape parameters of the watershed on the colloidal status of solutes was subordinate to seasonal and permafrost-zone controls. Overall, the ongoing environmental changes in WSL will likely decrease the proportion of mineral (Fe, Al – bearing) colloids of C and trace metals exported by rivers to the Kara Sea. As a result, the flux of dissolved C, micro-nutrients and metal toxicants may become increasingly bioavailable to coastal aquatic biota.