Colloidal organic carbon and trace elements in peat porewaters across a permafrost gradient in Western Siberia

Raudina, Tatiana V.; Loiko, Sergey V.; Kuzmina, Daria; Shirokova, Liudmila S.; Kulizhskiy, Sergey P.; Golovatskaya, E. A.; Pokrovsky, Oleg S.

doi:10.1016/j.geoderma.2021.114971

Cited by 41 publications

(50 citation statements)

References 63 publications

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“…As a result of this enhanced input of Fe and DOC to the Ob River, its waters are likely to contain a high concentration of colloids. However, this aspect has never been tested for the Ob River, although organic and organo-mineral colloids can be important carriers of a number of trace elements, as is known in small rivers [27] and surface waters [28,29] across western Siberia.…”

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

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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.

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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

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“…In boreal and permafrost-affected aquatic environments, the most important colloidal carriers of trace elements are dissolved organic matter (DOM) and Fe/Al hydroxides stabilized by DOM, as follows from ex-situ and in-situ fractionation results [53,60,[64][65][66][67][68]. Based on correlations between element concentration in both the main stem and Lena's tributaries (Table S3), three main group of trace solutes were distinguished.…”

Section: Possible Carries Of Trace Elements In the Lena River Basin Based On Elementary Correlations And Pcamentioning

confidence: 99%

Testing Landscape, Climate and Lithology Impact on Carbon, Major and Trace Elements of the Lena River and Its Tributaries during a Spring Flood Period

Vorobyev

Kolesnichenko

Korets

et al. 2021

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Transport of carbon, major and trace elements by rivers in permafrost-affected regions is one of the key factors in circumpolar aquatic ecosystem response to climate warming and permafrost thaw. A snap-shot study of major and trace element concentration in the Lena River basin during the peak of spring flood revealed a specific group of solutes according to their spatial pattern across the river main stem and tributaries and allowed the establishment of a link to certain landscape parameters. We demonstrate a systematic decrease of labile major and trace anion, alkali and alkaline-earth metal concentration downstream of the main stem of the Lena River, linked to change in dominant rocks from carbonate to silicate, and a northward decreasing influence of the groundwater. In contrast, dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and a number of low-soluble elements exhibited an increase in concentration from the SW to the NE part of the river. We tentatively link this to an increase in soil organic carbon stock and silicate rocks in the Lena River watershed in this direction. Among all the landscape parameters, the proportion of sporadic permafrost on the watershed strongly influenced concentrations of soluble highly mobile elements (Cl, B, DIC, Li, Na, K, Mg, Ca, Sr, Mo, As and U). Another important factor of element concentration control in the Lena River tributaries was the coverage of the watershed by light (for B, Cl, Na, K, U) and deciduous (for Fe, Ni, Zn, Ge, Rb, Zr, La, Th) needle-leaf forest (pine and larch). Our results also suggest a DOC-enhanced transport of low-soluble trace elements in the NW part of the basin. This part of the basin is dominated by silicate rocks and continuous permafrost, as compared to the carbonate rock-dominated and groundwater-affected SW part of the Lena River basin. Overall, the impact of rock lithology and permafrost on major and trace solutes of the Lena River basin during the peak of spring flood was mostly detected at the scale of the main stem. Such an impact for tributaries was much less pronounced, because of the dominance of surface flow and lower hydrological connectivity with deep groundwater in the latter. Future changes in the river water chemistry linked to climate warming and permafrost thaw at the scale of the whole river basin are likely to stem from changes in the spatial pattern of dominant vegetation as well as the permafrost regime. We argue that comparable studies of large, permafrost-affected rivers during contrasting seasons, including winter baseflow, should allow efficient prediction of future changes in riverine ‘inorganic’ hydrochemistry induced by permafrost thaw.

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“…In boreal and permafrost-affected aquatic environments, the most important colloidal carriers of trace elements are dissolved organic matter (DOM) and Fe/Al hydroxides stabilized by DOM, as follows from ex-situ and in-situ fractionation results [54,61,[65][66][67][68]. Based on correlations between element concentration in both the main stem and Lena's tributaries (Table S3), three main group of trace solutes were distinguished.…”

Section: Possible Carries Of Trace Elements In the Lena River Basin Based On Elementary Correlations And Pcamentioning

confidence: 99%

Testing Landscape, Climate and Lithology Impact on Carbon, Major and Trace Elements of the Lena River and Its Tributaries During a Spring Flood Period

Vorobyev¹,

Kolesnichenko²,

Korets³

et al. 2021

Preprint

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Transport of carbon, major and trace element by rivers in permafrost-affected regions is one of the key factor of circumpolar aquatic ecosystem response to climate warming and permafrost thaw. While seasonal and annual export fluxes (yields) of carbon (C) and inorganic solutes are fairly well known for all large Arctic rivers, spatial variations in elementary concentration along the river length and among its tributaries remain poorly understood. Moreover, the landscape factors controlling riverine element concentration in permafrost-affected regions are still poorly constrained. This is especially true for the largest river of Eastern Siberia, the Lena River, which drains through continuous permafrost zones with highly variable lithology and vegetation. Here we present the results of C, major and trace element measurements over a 2600-km transect of the Lena River main stem (upper and middle reaches) including its 30 tributaries, conducted at the peak of the spring flood. There were two main group of solutes in the main stem depending on their spatial pattern: i) elements that decreased their concentrations downstream, from SW to NE (Cl, SO4, DIC, Li, B, Na, Mg, K, Ca, As, Sr, Mo, Sb, Ba and U), which probably reflected a decrease in the proportion of carbonate rocks in the watershed and the degree of groundwater feeding, and ii) elements that increased their concentrations downstream (Al, Ti, Cr, Fe, Ga, Rb, Y, Zr, Nb, Cs, REEs, Hf and Th), which was tentatively linked to an increase in organic C stock in soils, larch forest coverage and enhanced mobilization of lithogenic elements from silicate soil minerals. Based on landscape parameters of Lena tributaries, we tested the impact of major environmental factors on major and trace element spatial pattern. Among all the variables, the proportion of sporadic permafrost on the watershed strongly controlled concentrations of soluble highly mobile elements (Cl, B, DIC, Li, Na, K, Mg, Ca, Sr, Mo, As and U). Another important factor of element concentration control in the Lena River tributaries was the coverage of watershed by light (B, Cl, Na, K, U) and deciduous (Fe, Ni, Zn, Ge, Rb, Zr, La, Th) needle-leaf forest (pine and larch). The latter, however, could also reflect the DOC-enhanced transport of low-soluble trace elements in the NW part of the basin. This part of the basin is dominated by silicate rocks and continuous permafrost, as compared to carbonate rock-dominated and groundwater-affected SW part of the Lena River basin. Overall, the impact of rock lithology and permafrost on major and trace solutes of the Lena River basin during the peak of spring flood was mostly detected at the scale of the main stem. Such an impact for tributaries was much less pronounced, because of the dominance of surface flow and lower hydrological connectivity with deep groundwater in the latter. Future changes in the river water chemistry linked to climate warming and permafrost thaw at the scale of the whole river basin are likely to be linked to changes in spatial pattern of dominant vegetation, rather than to the permafrost regime. We argue that comparable studies of large, permafrost-impacted rivers during most contrasting seasons, including winter baseflow, should allow efficient prediction of future changes in riverine ‘inorganic’ hydrochemistry induced by permafrost thaw.

show abstract

Colloidal organic carbon and trace elements in peat porewaters across a permafrost gradient in Western Siberia

Cited by 41 publications

References 63 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

Testing Landscape, Climate and Lithology Impact on Carbon, Major and Trace Elements of the Lena River and Its Tributaries during a Spring Flood Period

Testing Landscape, Climate and Lithology Impact on Carbon, Major and Trace Elements of the Lena River and Its Tributaries During a Spring Flood Period

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