Southeastern Laptev Sea Research Articles

Geochemistry and Mineralogy of Rare-Earth Elements in Ferruginous Deposits and Bottom Sediments of the Laptev Sea

Abstract —The geochemical and mineralogical aspects of the distribution of rare-earth elements (REE) in ferruginous deposits (FD) and bottom sediments of the southeastern Laptev Sea are analyzed. The FD are dominated by biomorphs developed after polychaete tubes. The REE patterns depend on the proportion of ore and non-ore substances. The ore substance is represented mainly by iron hydroxides (limonite). It is a product of suboxic diagenesis enhanced by bioturbation and determines the slight enrichment of FD in MREE and cerium deficiency (Cean = 0.94). The non-ore substance comes from terrigenous sediments and has an (alumino)silicate composition. It controls the scandium content and is the source of REE mineral grains, among which monazite-(Ce) prevails. The sediments demonstrate a common similarity in REE patterns to shales and suspended material transported to the Laptev Sea by the Lena River, with elevated LREE and MREE contents and the value of Ce anomaly almost equal to unity (Cean = 1.06). In the sediments, REE minerals occur mostly in the silt fraction (<63 μm in size). The high content of organic matter (Corg of up to 2.15%) of predominantly terrigenous origin (OMter of up to 85%) in the sediments explains the oxygen deficiency and weak diagenetic mineral formation with low accumulation of trace elements, including REE, in the FD. The total REE content in the FD is lower than that in the sediments (on average, 173 ppm against 206 ppm).

Biogeochemical structure of the Laptev Sea in 2015-2020 associated with the River Lena plume

The discharge of rivers and the subsequent dispersion of their plumes play a pivotal role in the biogeochemical cycling of the Arctic Ocean. Based on the data collected during annual transects conducted in the autumn period (September-October) from 2015-2020, this study explores the effect of River Lena plume dispersion on the seasonal and interannual changes in the hydrophysical and biogeochemical structure of the southeastern Laptev Sea. The temperature-salinity relationship (T-S), Redfield ratio and multiparameter cluster analysis were used to investigate variations in the water mass structure along the transect. The results revealed that the plume’s interannual and seasonal spreading patterns play a crucial role in regulating the local physical, biogeochemical, and biological processes in the southern Laptev Sea. During September-October, the hydrochemical water mass structure along the transects shifted from highly stratified to unstratified as the plume’s mixing intensity increased. Anomalous hydrochemical distributions were observed due to coastal upwelling, which was primarily characterized by high total alkalinity and nitrate levels, and low organic phosphorus, nitrite, and ammonia levels in the seawater. Wind and cold weather conditions drive deep vertical mixing of seawater, causing the resuspension of bottom sediment and the subsequent enrichment of bottom water by nutrients. Multi-parameter cluster analysis is used to describe the details of water mass structures in the highly dynamic southern Laptev Sea, with water mass structures typically undergoing significant changes within two weeks between September and October. The migration and transformation of water masses throughout the seasons are influenced by the volume of river discharge, fall-winter cooling, and atmospheric circulation patterns. Furthermore, the general atmospheric circulation is confirmed to be the primary cause of the interannual variation in the spread of the Lena River plume over the southeast Laptev Sea.

Nutrient and Silicon Isotope Dynamics in the Laptev Sea and Implications for Nutrient Availability in the Transpolar Drift

AbstractRealistic prediction of the near‐future response of Arctic Ocean primary productivity to ongoing warming and sea ice loss requires a mechanistic understanding of the processes controlling nutrient bioavailability. To evaluate continental nutrient inputs, biological utilization, and the influence of mixing and winter processes in the Laptev Sea, the major source region of the Transpolar Drift (TPD), we compare observed with preformed concentrations of dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) and phosphorus (DIP), silicic acid (DSi), and silicon isotope compositions of DSi (δ30SiDSi) obtained for two summers (2013 and 2014) and one winter (2012). In summer, preformed nutrient concentrations persisted in the surface layer of the southeastern Laptev Sea, while diatom‐dominated utilization caused intense northward drawdown and a pronounced shift in δ30SiDSi from +0.91 to +3.82‰. The modeled Si isotope fractionation suggests that DSi in the northern Laptev Sea originated from the Lena River and was supplied during the spring freshet, while riverine DSi in the southeastern Laptev Sea was continuously supplied during the summer. Primary productivity fueled by river‐borne nutrients was enhanced by admixture of DIN‐ and DIP‐rich Atlantic‐sourced waters to the surface, either by convective mixing during the previous winter or by occasional storm‐induced stratification breakdowns in late summer. Substantial enrichments of DSi (+240%) and DIP (+90%) beneath the Lena River plume were caused by sea ice‐driven redistribution and remineralization. Predicted weaker stratification on the outer Laptev Shelf will enhance DSi utilization and removal through greater vertical DIN supply, which will limit DSi export and reduce diatom‐dominated primary productivity in the TPD.

Winter sea ice export from the Laptev Sea preconditions the local summer sea ice cover and fast ice decay

Abstract. Ice retreat in the eastern Eurasian Arctic is a consequence of atmospheric and oceanic processes and regional feedback mechanisms acting on the ice cover, both in winter and summer. A correct representation of these processes in numerical models is important, since it will improve predictions of sea ice anomalies along the Northeast Passage and beyond. In this study, we highlight the importance of winter ice dynamics for local summer sea ice anomalies in thickness, volume and extent. By means of airborne sea ice thickness surveys made over pack ice areas in the south-eastern Laptev Sea, we show that years of offshore-directed sea ice transport have a thinning effect on the late-winter sea ice cover. To confirm the preconditioning effect of enhanced offshore advection in late winter on the summer sea ice cover, we perform a sensitivity study using a numerical model. Results verify that the preconditioning effect plays a bigger role for the regional ice extent. Furthermore, they indicate an increase in volume export from the Laptev Sea as a consequence of enhanced offshore advection, which has far-reaching consequences for the entire Arctic sea ice mass balance. Moreover we show that ice dynamics in winter not only preconditions local summer ice extent, but also accelerate fast-ice decay.

Discovery and characterization of submarine groundwater discharge in the Siberian Arctic seas: a case study in the Buor-Khaya Gulf, Laptev Sea

Abstract. It has been suggested that increasing terrestrial water discharge to the Arctic Ocean may partly occur as submarine groundwater discharge (SGD), yet there are no direct observations of this phenomenon in the Arctic shelf seas. This study tests the hypothesis that SGD does exist in the Siberian Arctic Shelf seas, but its dynamics may be largely controlled by complicated geocryological conditions such as permafrost. The field-observational approach in the southeastern Laptev Sea used a combination of hydrological (temperature, salinity), geological (bottom sediment drilling, geoelectric surveys), and geochemical (224Ra, 223Ra, 228Ra, and 226Ra) techniques. Active SGD was documented in the vicinity of the Lena River delta with two different operational modes. In the first system, groundwater discharges through tectonogenic permafrost talik zones was registered in both winter and summer. The second SGD mechanism was cryogenic squeezing out of brine and water-soluble salts detected on the periphery of ice hummocks in the winter. The proposed mechanisms of groundwater transport and discharge in the Arctic land-shelf system is elaborated. Through salinity vs. 224Ra and 224Ra / 223Ra diagrams, the three main SGD-influenced water masses were identified and their end-member composition was constrained. Based on simple mass-balance box models, discharge rates at sites in the submarine permafrost talik zone were 1. 7 × 106 m3 d−1 or 19.9 m3 s−1, which is much higher than the April discharge of the Yana River. Further studies should apply these techniques on a broader scale with the objective of elucidating the relative importance of the SGD transport vector relative to surface freshwater discharge for both water balance and aquatic components such as dissolved organic carbon, carbon dioxide, methane, and nutrients.

Mechanisms of fast-ice development in the south-eastern Laptev Sea: a case study for winter of 2007/08 and 2009/10

Accurate representation of fast ice in numerical models is important for realistic simulation of numerous sea-ice and ocean variables. In order to simulate seasonal and interannual variability of fast-ice extent, the mechanisms controlling fast-ice development need to be thoroughly understood. The objective of this paper is to investigate mechanisms contributing to the advance of fast-ice edge to its winter location in the south-eastern Laptev Sea. The study is based on time series of synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imagery for winter 2007/08 and 2009/10. A detailed examination of SAR-based ice drift showed that several grounded ice features are formed offshore prior to fast-ice expansion. These features play a key role in offshore advance of the fast-ice edge and serve as stabilizing points for surrounding pack ice as it becomes landfast. Electromagnetic ice thickness measurements suggest that the grounded ice ridges over water depths of ca. 20 m water might be responsible for interannual variations in fast-ice edge position. Contrary to previous studies, we conclude that grounding is a key mechanism of fast-ice development in the south-eastern Laptev Sea.

Seasonal and interannual variability of fast ice extent in the southeastern Laptev Sea between 1999 and 2013

AbstractAlong with changes in sea ice extent, thickness, and drift speed, Arctic sea ice regime is characterized by a decrease of fast ice season and reduction of fast ice extent. The most extensive fast ice cover in the Arctic develops in the southeastern Laptev Sea. Using weekly operational sea ice charts produced by Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute (AARI, Russia) from 1999 to 2013, we identified five main key events that characterize the annual evolution of fast ice in the southeastern Laptev Sea. Linking the occurrence of the key events with the atmospheric forcing, bathymetry, freezeup, and melt onset, we examined the processes driving annual fast ice cycle. The analysis revealed that fast ice in the region is sensitive to thermodynamic processes throughout a season, while the wind has a strong influence only on the first stages of fast ice development. The maximal fast ice extent is closely linked to the bathymetry and local topography and is primarily defined by the location of shoals, where fast ice is likely grounded. The annual fast ice cycle shows significant changes over the period of investigation, with tendencies toward later fast ice formation and earlier breakup. These tendencies result in an overall decrease of the fast ice season by 2.8 d/yr, which is significantly higher than previously reported trends.

Interannual variations in river water content and distribution over the Laptev Sea between 2007 and 2011: The Arctic Dipole connection

AbstractFive years of oxygen isotope and hydrological surveys reveal interannual variations in the inventory and distribution of river water over the Laptev Sea. In 2007, 2009, and 2010 relatively low amounts of river water (≤1500 km3) were found and were mostly located in the southeastern Laptev Sea. In 2008 and 2011, high amounts of river water (~1600 km3 and ~2000 km3) were found, especially in the central and northern part of the shelf, suggesting a northward export of this water. This temporal pattern is coherent with the summer Arctic Dipole index that was higher in 2008 and 2011. Our results suggest that the Arctic Dipole might influence the export of river water from the Laptev Sea. Moreover, the river water inventory in the Laptev Sea seems related to the freshwater content of the Arctic Ocean with a 2 years lag.

Variability and trends in Laptev Sea ice outflow between 1992–2011

Abstract. Variability and trends in seasonal and interannual ice area export out of the Laptev Sea between 1992 and 2011 are investigated using satellite-based sea ice drift and concentration data. We found an average total winter (October to May) ice area transport across the northern and eastern Laptev Sea boundaries (NB and EB) of 3.48 × 105 km2. The average transport across the NB (2.87 × 105 km2) is thereby higher than across the EB (0.61 × 105 km2), with a less pronounced seasonal cycle. The total Laptev Sea ice area flux significantly increased over the last decades (0.85 × 105 km2 decade−1, p > 0.95), dominated by increasing export through the EB (0.55 × 105 km2 decade−1, p > 0.90), while the increase in export across the NB is smaller (0.3 × 105 km2 decade−1) and statistically not significant. The strong coupling between across-boundary SLP gradient and ice drift velocity indicates that monthly variations in ice area flux are primarily controlled by changes in geostrophic wind velocities, although the Laptev Sea ice circulation shows no clear relationship with large-scale atmospheric indices. Also there is no evidence of increasing wind velocities that could explain the overall positive trends in ice export. The increased transport rates are rather the consequence of a changing ice cover such as thinning and/or a decrease in concentration. The use of a back-propagation method revealed that most of the ice that is incorporated into the Transpolar Drift is formed during freeze-up and originates from the central and western part of the Laptev Sea, while the exchange with the East Siberian Sea is dominated by ice coming from the central and southeastern Laptev Sea. Furthermore, our results imply that years of high ice export in late winter (February to May) have a thinning effect on the ice cover, which in turn preconditions the occurence of negative sea ice extent anomalies in summer.

Peculiar features of the thermohaline and hydrochemical water structure in the southeastern Laptev Sea

The thermohaline and hydrochemical characteristics of the Lena River’s estuarine zone were investigated in the Buor-Khaya Bay and the southeastern Laptev Sea in September of 2005. A tongue of river water with high nutrient content and increased turbidity was identified in the bay. It is shown that the two-layer structure in the bay is disturbed by warm freshwater lenses. The strong vertical stratification in the shelf zone results in sharply contrasting characteristics of the surface and bottom waters. It is established that the concentrations of biogenic elements regularly change depending on the thermohaline characteristics of the waters and their stratification degree. Stagnant bottom waters with low dissolved oxygen contents and high concentrations of phosphates, nitrates, and ammonium are recorded in the eastern part of the bay. The bottom waters have different hydrochemical characteristics due to their different origin.

Wind-driven diversion of summer river runoff preconditions the Laptev Sea coastal polynya hydrography: Evidence from summer-to-winter hydrographic records of 2007–2009

This paper examines the role of atmospheric forcing in modifying the pathways of riverine water on the Laptev Sea shelf, using summer-to-winter hydrographic surveys from 2007 to 2009. Over the two consecutive winter seasons of 2007–2008 and 2008–2009 in the area of the winter coastal polynya, our data clearly link winter surface salinity fields to the previous summer conditions, with substantially different winter salinity patterns preconditioned by summer atmospheric forcing. In the summer of 2007, dominant along-shore westerly winds in the cyclonic regime force the Lena River runoff to flow eastward. In contrast, in the summer of 2008, dominant along-shore easterly winds over the East Siberian Sea and on-shore northerly winds over the Laptev Sea in the anticyclonic regime lock the riverine water in the vicinity of the Lena Delta. Over the coastal polynya area in the southeastern Laptev Sea these patterns precondition a surface salinity difference of 8–16 psu between the winters of 2008 and 2009. Overall, this indicates a residence time of at least half a year for riverine water on the Laptev Sea shelf. Future climate change associated with an enhanced summer cyclonicity over the eastern Arctic may turn more riverine water eastward along the eastern Siberian coast, resulting in weaker vertical density stratification over the Laptev Sea shelf, with possible impact on the efficiency of vertical mixing and polynya dense water production.

Observations of supercooling and frazil ice formation in the Laptev Sea coastal polynya

This paper examines a hydrographic response to the wind‐driven coastal polynya activity over the southeastern Laptev Sea shelf for April–May 2008, using a combination of Environmental Satellite (Envisat) advanced synthetic aperture radar (ASAR) and TerraSAR‐X satellite imagery, aerial photography, meteorological data, and SBE‐37 salinity‐temperature‐depth and acoustic Doppler current profiler land‐fast ice edge‐moored instruments. When ASAR observed the strongest end‐of‐April polynya event with frazil ice formation, the moored instruments showed maximal acoustical scattering within the surface mixed layer, and the seawater temperatures were either at or 0.02°C below freezing. We also find evidence of the persistent horizontal temperature and salinity gradients across the fast ice edge to have the signature of geostrophic flow adjustment as predicted by polynya models.

Linear model estimates of potential salt rejection and theoretical salinity increase in a standardized water column of recurrent Arctic flaw leads and polynyas

Abstract A primitive linear model is applied to quantify potential salt rejection and theoretical salinity increase in the standardized water column of 46 individual circum-Arctic flaw leads/polynyas based on intermediate salinities, seasonal ice production rates, and flaw lead/polynya size. Analysis shows that open water with low initial salinity may not reject enough salt to produce enhanced salinities despite high ice formation rates. Conversely, flaw leads/polynyas with higher initial salinities in combination with moderate to high ice formation rates produce sufficient salt to increase flaw lead/polynya salinities. Flaw leads/polynyas with maximum potential for theoretical salinity increase and dense brine formation are located along the Beaufort Sea coast, where both initial salinities and ice formation rates are high. Salinity increase is generally moderate to high in Chukchi Sea flaw leads/polynyas, and widely moderate in the East Siberian, Kara, and Barents Seas. Southern central and southeastern Laptev Sea flaw leads/polynyas show weak potentials for salt rejection, theoretical salinity increase and dense brine formation due to extremely low salinities and ice formation rates. Though the formation of dense brines on Arctic shelves is a complex process in nature, the simplified model provides a suitable and quick (graphic) tool for Arctic marine geologists and biologists or cold region engineers to compare individual flaw lead/polynya sections in terms of freeze-related potential salt rejection and theoretical salinity increase.

A 12-year study of the seasonal and interannual dynamics of mesozooplankton in the Laptev Sea: Significance of salinity regime and life cycle patterns

Over a 12-year period (1989–2000) the spatial and temporal distribution of zooplankton in the Laptev Sea (Arctic Siberia) has been investigated. A total number of 111 taxa from 10 phyla were found. Sixteen species are reported from this region for the first time. The distribution and abundance of zooplankton on the Laptev Sea shelf is dependent on the main direction of river water spread, which varies between years. While the western and northeastern Laptev Sea shelf is dominated by a marine–neritic fauna, the central part is inhabited by a transitional brackish–marine assemblage. A brackish–neritic community characterizes the eastern and southeastern regions, where lowest salinities usually prevail. Closer to estuaries the summer zooplankton consists of both freshwater and brackish-water species, whereas in winter brackish-water species are dominant. Average zooplankton abundance varies seasonally and interannually, particularly in the southeastern Laptev Sea. The amplitude of these variations mainly depends on the state of the populations of the most common Copepoda species, the intensity of their reproduction, and their success in overwintering. Two seasonal abundance maxima were found, at the end of winter and at the end of summer. During the period of highest reproduction in summer the abundance may be 50 times greater than during overwintering. The average population abundance can vary by the factor of 2 in summer and in winter from year to year.

Zonation of the Laptev Sea landfast ice cover and its importance in a frozen estuary

The interaction between river water and landfast sea ice was investigated through synthetic aperture radar (SAR) remote sensing, ice-growth modeling, and ground-based ice-core and hydrographic studies in the Laptev Sea, Siberian Arctic, in 1996/1997 and 1998/1999. Ice-core data in conjunction with ice-growth and SAR backscatter modeling demonstrated that the contrasts in dielectric and microstructural properties between freshwater/brackish (salinity < 1‰) and sea ice allow a mapping of the distribution of freshwater and brackish ice as influenced by Lena River discharge. This brackish zone (surface water salinities < 5) extended over 2000–3000 km 2 inshore of the 10-m isobath and exhibited distinct SAR backscatter coefficients and image texture. In the nearshore zone, bottomfast ice growth could be identified and tracked over the growth season. Occupying up to 250 km 2 along the Lena Delta, bottomfast ice was not as widespread as previously hypothesized, possibly due to ice being thinner by 10–20% relative to the long-term mean. In SAR and ERS-2 scatterometer data, Laptev Sea landfast ice exhibits the lowest backscatter signatures of any ice type in the Arctic Ocean, due to the lack of major deformation features. Stable-isotope data show that the landfast ice is composed of about 62% of river water, locking up 24% of the total annual Lena and Yana discharge. From ice-growth/isotopic-fractionation modeling and ice-core analysis, time series of surface water salinity have been derived, indicating freshening of under-ice waters during winter and north-/northeastward spreading of the river plume with under-ice spreading rates of 1.0–2.7 cm s − 1. A river freshwater budget for the inner Laptev shelf indicates flushing times of a year or more with cross-shelf export of 627 km 3 during the winter of 1998/1999. Based on these findings, the southeastern Laptev Sea can be considered an open, seasonally frozen estuary. This system contrasts with North American shelf environments, which show a different response to climate variability and change.

Seasonal variability of trace metals in the Lena River and the southeastern Laptev Sea: Impact of the spring freshet

The distribution of dissolved and particulate trace metals (Fe, Mn, Cu, Ni, Zn, and Pb) was studied for the first time during the spring high flow period of the Lena River (Arctic Siberia). The results show that concentrations of dissolved metals in the river Lena during the spring high flow in June 1996 (spring freshet) were significantly higher than those reported for the rest of the year. For example the measured average concentration of dissolved Fe (6349 ± 2122 nM) during the high flow is approximately 7 times higher than previously published concentrations measured during the summer months. Dissolved Fe concentrations in the freshwater (salinity < 1) are positively correlated with the amount of suspended particulate matter (SPM) ( p < 0.01), but negatively correlated with the Fe concentrations in SPM ( p < 0.01). The data showed that the aluminium-normalized concentrations of particulate Fe, Mn, Pb, Ni, and Zn in the freshwater are negatively correlated with SPM. This suggests that the mobilization of metals from suspended particulate matter is the driving force for the observed high concentrations of dissolved Fe, Mn, Zn and Pb in the water of the Lena River during the spring freshet. During the high flow period in June about 35% of the total annual flow of the river Lena flows into the Laptev Sea. Previously published metal budgets for the river Lena that did not incorporate data from the spring high flow period, therefore, underestimate the fluxes of dissolved trace metals from the Siberian rivers to the Arctic Ocean. For instance, the estimated input of dissolved Fe in June 1996 is approximately 4.5 times higher than the average annual dissolved Fe input calculated on the basis of summer data. The results of this study demonstrate that the previous evaluations of the trace metal flux of the Lena river–which are based on data obtained from August to October–may underestimate the total riverine input of dissolved trace metals to the Arctic Ocean.

A Holocene pollen record from the Laptev Sea shelf, northern Yakutia

Holocene shelf deposits from the Laptev Sea shelf (northern Yakutia) were investigated with palynological means. Data were obtained from a 467-cm-long sediment sequence from the southeastern Laptev Sea (74°30 N/136°00 E). The chronology of the core reaches back to 9.4 calendar years (cal. ka), yielding an average sample resolution of ∼100 years. The temporal changes in pollen and spore spectra of the marine record are primarily the result of variations of transport mechanisms, i.e., the large rivers draining into the shelf sea, the atmospheric circulation, and the coastal erosion. Because of the close land-shelf linkage due to riverine connections, the trends observed in the shelf data seem to be in good agreement with the Holocene vegetational evolution of the coastal hinterland. An enhanced transfer of tree pollen onto the shelf during the middle Holocene began around 7.5 cal. ka and is interpreted as the result of the northernmost occurrence of the treeline between 9 and 3.8 cal. ka. A similar time-coeval accordance between land and shelf pollen records is observed for the late Holocene climatic cooling trend in Arctic Siberia. In the shelf record, this cooling is characterized by increasing abundance of herbaceous pollen that commenced after 2.7 cal. ka, which is about 1 cal. ka later than on land.

Plankton and Primary Production in the Lena River Estuary and in the South-eastern Laptev Sea

Primary production in the lower Lena River and its delta was high (50–160 mg Cm −3 day −1), while its integral values were moderate (0·1–0·3 g Cm −2 day −1) because of a low water transparency. In the river itself, phytoplankton was dominated by diatoms and picocyanobacteria with a biomass of 400–500 mg m −3. In waters of the Lena Estuary (Buor-Haya Bay) with surface salinity of 2–7, the surface primary production ranged from 75 to 640 mg Cm −3 day −1. The bulk of the surface primary production was contributed by the symbiotic ciliate Mesodinium rubrumwhich attained a biomass of 500–1500 mg m −3, together with a biomass of algae of about 100 mg m −3. In the open South-east Laptev Sea, influenced by the Lena and Yana Rivers, primary production at the surface was 37–98 mg Cm −3 day −1. To the west, off the Novosibirsk Islands, primary production was mod-erate; 11–23 mg C m −3 day −1, decreasing at the shelf edge to 3–6 mgC m −3 day −1. The total number of bacteria in the River and Estuary was over 1·5×10 6cells ml −1, the wet biomass was over 150 mg m −3, and daily production of bacteria was 10–50 mg m −3. In the more saline waters of the open Laptev Sea, the microbial biomass was 5–10 times less than in the Estuary. The planktonic protozoa were represented by zooflagellates (biomass 70–100 mg m −3), by Strombidiumand Tintinnopsis, genera of heterotrophic ciliates (biomass 10–70 mg m −3), and by the phototrophic symbiotic ciliate M. rubrum(biomass 300–1500 mg m −3). The mesozooplankton was scarce in the Lena River (20–60 mg m −3) while, in the brackish estuarine waters, its biomass rose to 300–1700 mg m −3. In the open Laptev Sea influenced by rivers, mesozooplankton biomass was also high; 300–400 mg m −3. The influence of river drainage upon the pelagic ecosystem of an arctic estuarine basin is discussed in the present paper.