Research Article| May 01, 1998 Control on sediment and organic carbon delivery to the Arctic Ocean revealed with space-borne synthetic aperture radar: Ob' River, Siberia Laurence C. Smith; Laurence C. Smith 1Department of Geography, University of California, Los Angeles, Box 951524, Bunche Hall, Los Angeles, California 90095-1524 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Douglas E. Alsdorf Douglas E. Alsdorf 2Department of Geological Sciences, Cornell University, Snee Hall, Ithaca, New York 14853-1504 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Geology (1998) 26 (5): 395–398. https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(1998)026<0395:COSAOC>2.3.CO;2 Article history first online: 02 Jun 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share MailTo Twitter LinkedIn Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation Laurence C. Smith, Douglas E. Alsdorf; Control on sediment and organic carbon delivery to the Arctic Ocean revealed with space-borne synthetic aperture radar: Ob' River, Siberia. Geology 1998;; 26 (5): 395–398. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(1998)026<0395:COSAOC>2.3.CO;2 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGeology Search Advanced Search Abstract An important control on river biogeochemistry and sediment load is the process of water exchange between primary channels and the flood plain, particularly in low-relief areas containing lakes, ephemeral channels, and other aquatic ecosystems. Flood-plain exchange may be a dominant process on the lowland rivers of Arctic Russia, which are among the world's largest in water discharge yet are strikingly deficient in their delivery of sediment to the Arctic shelf. Temporal synthetic aperture radar (SAR) amplitude and interferometric images of the Ob' River, Siberia, reveal a time-varying limnological network controlling water, sediment, and nutrient exchange between flood-plain wetlands and the main channel. The amount of hydrologic exchange decreases by one order of magnitude from June to September, enhancing sedimentation over as much as 90% of the flood plain and enriching channel waters with colloidal organic carbon. This observation, combined with Russian field measurements of water discharge and sediment load, indicates that a major sediment sink on the lower Ob' flood plain may be responsible for the low amount of sediment delivery by the Ob' River to its estuary and the Kara Sea. This content is PDF only. Please click on the PDF icon to access. First Page Preview Close Modal You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.