N. V. Politova

On the elemental composition of suspended matter of the Severnaya Dvina River (White Sea region)

New data on the elemental composition of the Severnaya Dvina River, the largest one in the White Sea region, are presented. The elemental composition of the river water in May, the period of the snowmelt flood, is similar to the upper layer of the Earth’s continental crust due to the active erosion of the earth material in the catchment area. In August, the period of the summer low water, the impact of biogenic components increases and elevated concentrations of Cd, Sb, Mn, Zn, Pb, and Cu are observed. At other times, no significant pollution by heavy and rare-earth elements is registered.

Dispersed organic matter and its fluxes in oceans and seas from the example of the White Sea: Results of a 12-year study

Annual and long-term quantitative estimations of the vertical fluxes of sedimentary matter in the White Sea are the basis for direct calculations of the gain of chemical components and minerals and diverse pollution of the surface layer of the bottom sediments. The White Sea, one of six Russian Arctic seas, may be considered as a megapolygon for further modern study using the new mechanisms of Arctic sedimentogenesis discovered. This work is directed at elaboration of new technologies of complex study of seas using submarine sedimentation and regular vessel observatories. The first priority task is year-round monitoring along the Northern Sea route.

Studying the biogenic and abiogenic parts of suspended particulate matter in the Volga delta during spring flood of May 2008

Multidisciplinary studies of the dispersed sedimentary matter (suspended particulate matter) were carried out in the Volga delta during spring flood in two areas of the Astrakhan State Biosphere Reserve (Obzhorovskii and Damchikskii), allowing the authors to reveal some regularities in sedimentation conditions. Considerable differences were found to exist in the supply of sedimentary material into the sea through the branches and arms of the eastern and western parts of the river delta. Typical of the eastern part are appreciably higher concentrations of suspended particulate matter, biogenic components, and phytopigments, as well as greater phytoplankton abundance and biomass, and sedimentary material fluxes. A relationship was found to exist between the concentration of suspended particulate matter and the phytopigments under consideration. In May, almost entire chlorophyll “a” in suspended particulate matter was concentrated in the cells of small diatom algae, where it was distributed in proportion to diatom biomass. Overall, the suspended matter of the delta is mostly represented by mineral detrital particles (quartz and carbonates) with a relatively small share of clay materials against the background of a huge amount of diatom cells and biogenic detritus.

Distribution and composition of suspended particulate matter in the Atlantic Ocean: Direct measurements and satellite data

The main purpose of this work is to study the real distribution and spatial–temporal variations of suspended particulate matter and its main components in surface waters of the Atlantic Ocean on the basis of direct and satellite measurements for development of new and perfection of available algorithms for converting satellite data. The distribution fields of suspended particulate matter were calculated and plotted for the entire Atlantic Ocean. It is established that its distribution in the open ocean is subordinate to the latitudinal climatic zonality. The areas with maximum concentrations form latitudinal belts corresponding to high-productivity eutrophic and mesotrophic waters of the northern and southern temperate humid belts and with the equatorial humid zone. Phytoplankton, the productivity of which depends primarily on the climatic zonality, is the main producer of suspended particulate matter in the surface water layer.

Chlorophyll a in suspended particulate matter of the Caspian Sea as an indicator of biogenic sedimentation conditions

The conditions of biogenic sedimentation (concentration of chlorophyll a (chl a), particulate organic carbon (POC), and its isotope composition (δ13СPOC)), as well as the quantitative characteristics of phytoplankton, and the total concentration of suspended particulate matter have been studied in the Caspian Sea in May and June 2012. The vertical (from the surface layer to bottom) distribution and precipitation of the biogenic component of suspended particulate matter have been determined. It was found that only 5% of the particulate matter and around 3% of POC reached the Middle Caspian after passing through a marginal filter (Volga River delta–Northern Caspian). The subsurface chl a maximum layer (around 20–60 m) with a cold-water phytoplankton community was revealed in the Middle and Southern Caspian. The subsurface region of accumulation of chl a and phytoplankton in the subthermocline layer has been extended from the southern periphery of the Derbent Depression to the Absheron Sill.

Dynamics of the main components of fluxes of sedimentary matter in the White Sea

The results of long-term investigations in a small sea of the Arctic Ocean served as a basis for revealing new regularities characteristic of the sedimentary process in the Subarctic and Arctic zones. The monthly, seasonal, and multiyear dynamics of the main components of dispersed sedimentary matter fluxes are analyzed by defining the marine sedimentation stage. It is shown that the biogenic constituent of the flux decreases by an order of magnitude at its transition from dispersed to concentrated forms. The average values of the vertical flux are calculated including the total sedimentary matter and the contribution of main biogenic and terrigenous components per m2 of the bottom and the entire deep area of the White Sea.

Stable Isotopic Composition of Particulate Organic Carbon in the Caspian Sea

The data on the isotopic composition of particulate organic carbon (δ13CPOC) in the Caspian Sea water in summer–autumn 2008, 2010, 2012, and 2013 are discussed in the paper. These data allowed as to reveal the predominant genesis of organic carbon in suspended particulate matter of the active seawater layer (from 0 to 40 m). The δ13CPOC =–27‰ (PDB) and δ13CPOC =–20.5‰ (PDB) values were taken as the reference data for terrigenous and planktonogenic organic matter, respectively. Seasonal (early summer, late summer, and autumn) variations in the composition of suspended particulate matter in the active sea layer were revealed. A shift of δ13CPOC towards greater values was seen in autumn (with a slight outburst in the development (bloom) of phytoplankton) in comparison with summer (with large accumulations and an extraordinary phytoplankton bloom confined to the thermocline area). The seasonal dynamics of autochthonous and allochthonous components in the suspended particulate matter of the Middle and Southern Caspian Sea was studied with the use of data on the concentration of particulate matter and chlorophyll a, the phytoplankton biomass and the POC content.

Aerosols in the Near-Water Surface Layer of the Caspian Sea

The first data on the concentrations, fluxes, and mineral and chemical compositions of aerosols from the near-water surface layer of the Caspian Sea are presented. It is shown that the aerosol fluxes onto the sea surface are comparable to the fluxes of a lithogenic substance in a water column. The mineral and chemical compositions of aerosols depend on the carrying air masses that pass through different regions. The coefficients of enrichment of aerosols with chemical elements relative to the upper lithosphere and their correlation relationships are studied.

Geological research in the North Atlantic on cruise 51 of the R/V Akademik Ioffe

A. A. Klyuvitkina, *, N. V. Politovaa, A. N. Novigatskya, E. A. Novichkovaa, A. S. Savvichevb, N. V. Kozinaa, D. P. Starodymovaa, A. V. Tikhonovaa, A. K. Ambrosimova, D. F. Budkoa, S. M. Isachenkoc, and A. V. Bulokhova aShirshov Institute of Oceanology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia bWinogradsky Institute of Microbiology, Federal Research Center Fundamentals of Biotechnology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia cAtlantic Branch, Shirshov Institute of Oceanology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Kaliningrad, Russia

Occurrence forms of trace metals in recent bottom sediments from the White and Barents Seas

For the first time based on determination of the geochemical occurrence forms of trace metals the main processes that control the accumulation of elements (Al, Mn, Fe, Mo, Cr, Ni, Co, Cu, Pb, Cd, and As) in the recent sediment cores from the White Sea and Barents Sea were quantified. A high-resolution study of the bottom sediment cores allowed us to estimate the short-term variations (periodicity of 10–15 years) in the accumulation of metals to reveal the periods of maximum Fe and Mn contents in the amorphous hydroxides fraction, which serve as effective adsorbents of the trace elements majority, including heavy metals. The Mn/Fe ratio in the amorphous hydroxides phase can be considered as geochemical indicators of early diagenesis.