Biogeochemistry of dissolved carbon, major, and trace elements during spring flood periods on the <scp>O</scp>b <scp>R</scp>iver

Vorobyev, Sergey N.; Pokrovsky, Oleg S.; Kolesnichenko, Larisa G.; Manasypov, Rinat M.; Shirokova, Liudmila S.; Karlsson, Jan; Kirpotin, Sergey N.

doi:10.1002/hyp.13424

Cited by 31 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 84 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…The Ob River, which is the largest Arctic river in terms of its watershed area (2,975,000 km 2 ), is an important vector of carbon, nutrients and major and trace element transfer to the Kara Sea [10,11]. It drains highly vulnerable discontinuous and sporadic permafrost (20% in average), which is extremely rich in organic C (OC) due to the dominance of peat soils [12].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Landscape, Soil, Lithology, Climate and Permafrost Control on Dissolved Carbon, Major and Trace Elements in the Ob River, Western Siberia

Kolesnichenko

Vorobyev

et al. 2021

Water

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In order to foresee possible changes in the elementary composition of Arctic river waters, complex studies with extensive spatial coverage, including gradients in climate and landscape parameters, are needed. Here, we used the unique position of the Ob River, draining through the vast partially frozen peatlands of the western Siberia Lowland and encompassing a sizable gradient of climate, permafrost, vegetation, soils and Quaternary deposits, to assess a snap-shot (8–23 July 2016) concentration of all major and trace elements in the main stem (~3000 km transect from the Tom River confluence in the south to Salekhard in the north) and its 11 tributaries. During the studied period, corresponding to the end of the spring flood-summer baseflow, there was a systematic decrease, from the south to the north, of Dissolved Inorganic Carbon (DIC), Specific Conductivity, Ca and some labile trace elements (Mo, W and U). In contrast, Dissolved Organic Carbon (DOC), Fe, P, divalent metals (Mn, Ni, Cu, Co and Pb) and low mobile trace elements (Y, Nb, REEs, Ti, Zr, Hf and Th) sizably increased their concentration northward. The observed latitudinal pattern in element concentrations can be explained by progressive disconnection of groundwaters from the main river and its tributaries due to a northward increase in the permafrost coverage. A northward increase in bog versus forest coverage and an increase in DOC and Fe export enhanced the mobilization of insoluble, low mobile elements which were present in organo-ferric colloids (1 kDa—0.45 µm), as confirmed by an in-situ dialysis size fractionation procedure. The chemical composition of the sampled mainstream and tributaries demonstrated significant (p < 0.01) control of latitude of the sampling point; permafrost coverage; proportion of bogs, lakes and floodplain coverage and lacustrine and fluvio-glacial Quaternary deposits of the watershed. This impact was mostly pronounced on DOC, Fe, P, divalent metals (Mn, Co, Ni, Cu and Pb), Rb and low mobile lithogenic trace elements (Al, Ti, Cr, Y, Zr, Nb, REEs, Hf and Th). The pH and concentrations of soluble, highly mobile elements (DIC, SO4, Ca, Sr, Ba, Mo, Sb, W and U) positively correlated with the proportion of forest, loesses, eluvial, eolian, and fluvial Quaternary deposits on the watershed. Consistent with these correlations, a Principal Component Analysis demonstrated two main factors explaining the variability of major and trace element concentration in the Ob River main stem and tributaries. The DOC, Fe, divalent metals and trivalent and tetravalent trace elements were presumably controlled by a northward increase in permafrost, floodplain, bogs, lakes and lacustrine deposits on the watersheds. The DIC and labile alkaline-earth metals, oxyanions (Mo, Sb and W) and U were impacted by southward-dominating forest coverage, loesses and eluvial and fertile soils. Assuming that climate warming in the WSL will lead to a northward shift of the forest and permafrost boundaries, a “substituting space for time” approach predicts a future increase in the concentration of DIC and labile major and trace elements and a decrease of the transport of DOC and low soluble trace metals in the form of colloids in the main stem of the Ob River. Overall, seasonally-resolved transect studies of large riverine systems of western Siberia are needed to assess the hydrochemical response of this environmentally-important territory to on-going climate change.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Landscape, Soil, Lithology, Climate and Permafrost Control on Dissolved Carbon, Major and Trace Elements in the Ob River, Western Siberia

Kolesnichenko

Vorobyev

et al. 2021

Water

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Spring thaw and late‐summer rain events (referred as peak events in the following) are two key periods for lateral transport of soil constituents to Arctic rivers (Beel et al., 2021). According to the pulse‐shunt model (Raymond et al., 2016), the spring snowmelt and summer rain events are the periods when DOC can be flushed directly from soils into Arctic rivers (Finlay et al., 2006; Koch et al., 2013; Kutscher et al., 2017; Mann et al., 2012; Raymond et al., 2007; Rember & Trefry, 2004; Spencer et al., 2009; Wickland et al., 2012) accompanied by high riverine concentrations of mineral elements (Bagard et al., 2011; Krickov et al., 2019; Pokrovsky, 2016; Pokrovsky et al., 2010; Vorobyev et al., 2019). However, what is not known is how the changes in soil hydrology in response to permafrost degradation will modulate the transfer of mineral element‐bound DOC during peak events at the soil‐river interface.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Seasonal Changes in Hydrology and Permafrost Degradation Control Mineral Element‐Bound DOC Transport From Permafrost Soils to Streams

Hirst

Mauclet

Monhonval

et al. 2022

Global Biogeochemical Cycles

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Mineral elements bind to dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in permafrost soils, and this may contribute to the stabilization or the degradation of organic carbon along the soil to river continuum. Permafrost thaw enlarges the pool of soil constituents available for soil to river transfer. The unknown is how changes in hydrology upon permafrost degradation affect the connection between soil‐derived mineral element‐bound DOC and headwater streams. Here, we study Al, Fe, Ca, and DOC concentrations in water from a headwater stream at Eight Mile Lake, Alaska, USA (colloidal [0.22 μm–1 kDa] and truly dissolved [<1 kDa] fractions) and in soil pore waters sampled across a gradient of permafrost degradation at the same location. We target the peak flow to base flow transition to show that there is a narrow window of mineral element‐bound DOC colloid transport from soils to streams. We show that during spring thaw and maximum thaw there is an enhanced lateral transfer of mineral element‐bound DOC colloids in extensively degraded sites compared to minimally degraded sites. This is explained by a more rapid response of hydrology at peak flow to base flow transition at degraded sites. Our results suggest that ongoing permafrost degradation and the associated response of soils to changing hydrology can be detected by targeting the composition and size of mineral element‐DOC associations in soil waters and headwater streams during peak flow‐baseflow transitions.

show abstract

“…The Ob River, which is the largest Arctic river in terms of its watershed area (2,975,000 km²), is an important vector of carbon, nutrients, major and trace element transfer to the Kara Sea [10,11]. It drains highly vulnerable discontinuous and sporadic permafrost (20% in average), which is extremely rich in organic C (OC) due to the dominance of peat soils [12].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Landscape, Soil, Lithology, Climate and Permafrost Control on Dissolved Carbon, Major and Trace Elements in the Ob River, Western Siberia

Kolesnichenko¹,

Kolesnichenko²,

Vorobyev³

et al. 2021

Preprint

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Assuming that climate warming in the WSL will lead to a northward shift of the forest and permafrost boundaries, a “substituting space for time” approach predicts an increase in concentration of DIC and labile major and trace elements and a decrease of the transport of DOC and low soluble trace metals in the form of colloids in the main stem of the Ob River. However, an unknown factor is the change in hydrochemistry of the largest southern tributary, the Irtysh River, which is impacted by permafrost-free steppe and forest-steppe zone. Overall, seasonally-resolved transect studies of large riverine systems of western Siberia are needed to assess the hydrochemical response of this environmentally-important territory to on-going climate change.

show abstract

Biogeochemistry of dissolved carbon, major, and trace elements during spring flood periods on the Ob River

Cited by 31 publications

References 84 publications

Landscape, Soil, Lithology, Climate and Permafrost Control on Dissolved Carbon, Major and Trace Elements in the Ob River, Western Siberia

Landscape, Soil, Lithology, Climate and Permafrost Control on Dissolved Carbon, Major and Trace Elements in the Ob River, Western Siberia

Seasonal Changes in Hydrology and Permafrost Degradation Control Mineral Element‐Bound DOC Transport From Permafrost Soils to Streams

Landscape, Soil, Lithology, Climate and Permafrost Control on Dissolved Carbon, Major and Trace Elements in the Ob River, Western Siberia

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About