Alexander P Lisitzin

Heavy metals in aerosols over the seas of the Russian Arctic

A review of the data on heavy metals in aerosols over the seas of the Russian Arctic is presented. Results of heavy metal studies in aerosols obtained during 11 research expeditions in summer/autumn period from 1991 to 2000, and at Severnaya Zemlya and Wrangel Island in spring, in 1985-1989 are discussed. Concentrations of most heavy metals in the atmosphere in the marine boundary layer in the Russian Arctic are nearly of the same order as literature data from other Arctic areas. The content of heavy metals in the aerosols over the seas of the Russian Arctic shows an annual variation with maximal concentrations during the winter/spring season. In the summer/autumn period increased concentrations of heavy metals could be explained, in most cases, by natural processes (generation of sea salt aerosols, etc.). In some cases, aerosols from Norilsk and Kola Peninsula were detected. Particular attention was paid to estimation of horizontal and vertical fluxes of atmospheric heavy metals. We estimated annual variations in long-range transport of heavy metals into the Russian Arctic in 1986-1995. In winter and spring, up to 50% of the average air pollutant concentrations in the Russian Arctic are due to the Arctic atmospheric pollution itself. Moreover, the monthly and annual averaged fluxes of six anthropogenic chemical elements (arsenic, nickel, lead, vanadium, zinc and cadmium) onto the surface in the Arctic were estimated, and the values obtained were in reasonable agreement with the literature data available.

The Composition of the Coarse Fraction of Aerosols in the Marine Boundary Layer over the Laptev, Kara and Barents Seas

During the 49-th cruise of R/V Dmitry Mendeleev in August-October 1993 and PFS Polarstern cruise ARK XI/1 in July-September 1995, 22 samples of aerosols were collected in the Laptev, Kara and Barents Seas. Aerosols were studied for particle size, morphology, and composition. New results of this work are presented in this paper. The average size of particles in samples collected by meshes in different areas differ insignificantly (4.18 to 5.54 μm). In most samples mineral particles and organic matter (fibers of vegetation, pollens, diatoms) were the main components, organic carbon content was 17.6% in average. The individual anthropogenic combustion spheres with diameter from 1 to 10 μm mostly consist of: (1) Si, Al, K, and Fe in the South-Western Laptev Sea; (2) Si, Al, Fe, and K in the Central Kara Sea; (3) Fe, Ni, and Si in the Southern Kara Sea, and (4) Si, Al, Fe, and Ni in the Southern Barents Sea.

Aeolian and Ice Transport of Matter (Including Pollutants) in the Arctic

The results of black carbon (BC) studies in the marine boundary layer over the White, Barents and Kara seas in August–September 2007, snow, ice and under-ice water were studied in the vicinity of the North Pole during the Pan-Arctic Ice Camp Expedition (PAICEX) In April 2008 and modeling of transport of air masses and pollution in the Russian Arctic are presented in this chapter. It is shown that aeolian and ice transport of matter plays an important role in the fate of black carbon, heavy metals and other contaminants in the Arctic.

Investigations of microphysical and chemical composition of aerosol in near-water layer of the atmosphere over the White Sea

The peculiarities of spatial-temporal variability of the submicron aerosol number density NΣ (cm-3), particle size distribution in the diameter range 0.4 to 10 μm, mass concentration of submicron aerosol Ma (μg/m3) and the mass concentration of black carbon (soot, BC) Ms (μg/m3), as well as chemical composition of particles (ion composition of aerosol soluble fraction) in different regions of White Sea are considered in this paper. The effect of continental and marine sources on formation of the near-water aerosol characteristics is estimated.

Dispersed Sedimentary Matter of the Atmosphere

In this chapter we summarize results of aerosol studies over the White Sea and its coasts; we also analyze contribution of different anthropogenic constituents from European industrial cities and areas into studied aerosol composition. We estimated the degree of anthropogenic influence of these sources on the atmosphere and the terrestrial environment in this region. Data on airborne heavy metal accumulation in natural archives (snow cover, lichens, lake sediments) are generalized. The most significant source regions for some anthropogenic components depositing on the White Sea surface from atmosphere are revealed. Annual average (for 2000s) fluxes of anthropogenic Cu, Ni, Pb, Fe, Al, and black carbon incoming to the White Sea waters from various regions are evaluated. Studied element concentrations in the White Sea aerosols are generally on the level typical for other Arctic regions. In the Kandalaksha Bay, we traced the air mass arrival from metallurgical facilities of Murmansk Region. Elevated concentrations of heavy metals and black carbon were found in vicinity of industrial urban agglomeration of Arkhangelsk. For the first time, we assess contribution of Kostomuksha field (Karelia Republic) surface mining into Fe and Al fluxes (these elements are of both lithogenic and anthropogenic origin) on the White Sea surface which are comparable to contribution of the other source regions.

Paleochannels on the Northern Slope of the Derbent Basin, Caspian Sea

The results of studies in the paleochannel of the Volga River, which was discovered earlier on the northwestern slope of the Derbent Basin, Caspian Sea, are presented. Seismoacoustic profiling in the paleochannel, combined with placement of submerged buoy stations equipped with current gauges, water temperature gauges, and sediment traps showed that the channel is not silted and cold heavy water is transported along it to the deep sea part of the sea, avoiding the general water transit along the western coast of the Central Caspian Sea. The preliminary calculations show that water discharge through the channel to the near-bottom part of the sea can be about 8–10 km3/yr.

First Data on the Geochemical Speciation of Trace Metals in the Vertical Fluxes of Dispersed Sedimentary Matter in the White Sea

The contribution of different geochemical processes in the accumulation of metals in dispersed sedimentary matter collected by ADOO was estimated for the first time for the White Sea system. The contents of Al, Fe, Cr, Ni, Со, and Мо (from 60 to 90% of the total content) are mainly controlled by terrigenous processes. The group of geochemically mobile elements includes Mn, Cu, Pb, and Cd; the sum of their forms 1–3, which include the contribution of absorption−desorption and formation of authigenic hydroxides and organic compounds, accounts for, on average, from 52 to 83 Mn %. With increasing water depth, the fraction of the lithogenic form remains either constant or increases insignificantly. In contrast, Mn shows a sharp increase in geochemically mobile forms, heavy metals (Pb, Cu, Mo, Co, and Cd) of which are associated with.

Isotopic Indications of Meromixis in Separated Lakes on the White Sea Coast

Studies of lakes at different stages of separation from the sea have been carried out on the northwestern coast of Kandalaksha Gulf of the White Sea. At the end of the winter period, from March 16 to 29, 2013, the lakes Kislo–Sladkoe, Trekhtzvetnoe, Nizhnee Ershovskoe, Ermolinskaya Bay and snow near the pier of Pertsov White Sea Biological Station of Moscow State University (WSBS MSU) were studied. The isotope characteristics of the water of lakes, ice and snow, the distribution of salinity, temperature, and hydrogen sulfide content were studied.

Vertical Fluxes of Suspended Sedimentary Matter in Arctic Sedimentogenesis of Intracontinental Seas

Based on long-term studies of a small sea in the Arctic Ocean, new regularities in the sedimentary process under the conditions of Arctic sedimentogenesis were established. The quantitative transition of particulate sedimentary materials into the concentrated forms (bottom sediments) in the White Sea follows the linear dependence with a local maximum in the deep nepheloid layer. Marginal filters (Severnaya Dvina River, etc.), which are areas of ultrarapid sedimentation, were distinguished. The long-term data on the concentration of suspension and fluxes of particulate sedimentary material clearly indicate stable annual nepheloid layers, i.e., the distribution of particulate forms of sedimentary material (suspension) in the water column proceeds by new regularities, which may be distinguished ever more clearly.

Relationship between acoustic backscattering field and suspended matter distribution in the Kara Sea and Ob and Yenisei estuaries

During the 49th cruise of the RV DMITRY MENDELEEV, remote ADCP measurements of ultrasonic backscattering coefficients (BC) at 215 kHz were made together with biological sampling and sedimentological station deployment. It was found that the structure of the BC field on the Ob–Yenisei Delta is closely connected with the processes of fast sedimentation in the region of fresh‐water influence. The BC field in the west basin of the Kara Sea is formed on the background of weakly sound scattering Arctic water under the influence of the intrinsic mezoplankton distribution, cost erosion, tidal mixing processes, and refreshed water transport from the Ob–Yenisei Delta. The present study demonstrates that ADCP is a very powerful tool for investigation of suspended matter distribution and transport in the marginal seas with river plumes.