Composition and genesis of the organic matter in the bottom sediments of the East Siberian Sea

Abstract

The chemical composition of organic matter (C org , N org , δ 13 C , δ 15 N, and n -alkanes) was studied in the top layer of bottom sediments of the East Siberian Sea. Possible ways were proposed to estimate the amount of the terrigenous component in their organic matter (OM). The fraction of terrigenous OM estimated by the combined use of genetic indicators varied from 15% in the eastern part of the sea, near the Long Strait, to 95% in the estuaries of the Indigirka and Kolyma rivers, averaging 62% over the sea area.