Elemental composition and bacterial occurrence in sediment samples on two sides of Brøggerhalvøya, Svalbard

Abstract

The present study was conducted to determine the elemental concentration and bacterial presence in the ocean on the two sides of Brøggerhalvøya, a peninsula in Svalbard. Sediments from 25 different locations were collected and subjected to elemental analysis using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICPMS). In total, 21 elements were analysed. The elements in their decreasing order of concentrations on the Kongsfjorden side of Brøggerhalvøya were Fe> Mn> Ba > V > Zn > Sr > Rb > Cr > Li > Ni > As > Pb > Cu > Co > Cs >Ag > Be > U> Bi >Tl > Cd while that for Forlandsendet side of Brøggerhalvøya they were Fe > Ba >Mn > V> Sr > Zn > Rb > Cr > Li > Ni > Pb > Cu > As > Co > Cs > Be > U> Tl > Bi > Cd. On the other hand, at a coastal outcrop, elements in their decreasing order of concentration were Fe > Mn > Cr > Sr > Ba > Rb > Cr > Zn > V > Rb > Ni > Li > Co > Cu > As > Pb > Cs > Be > Cd > Tl > U > Bi. AMS dates confirmed the age of outcrop sediment to be 12,496 to 42,500 BP. The crustal enrichment factor calculated for all the elements with reference to Fe values, demonstrates that the elements have derived from a crustal source. Total bacterial counts ranged from 3.30 × 105 to 3.02 × 106 per gm soil sediment. Culturable bacterial counts in these sediments were between 2.00 × 102 to 2.09 × 105 CFU's per gm. Overall comparison showed high Fe and Mn concentrations around Brøggerhalvøya, due to the presence of specific bacteria which play key roles in metal cycling and carry out biogeochemical transformations.

Elemental Composition and Freezing Tolerance in High Arctic Fishes and Invertebrates

“…Uranium values were below the quantification in all the fishes, while the lowest concentration was detected in invertebrates. The values of lithophiles were much lower than the values reported from the sediments of Kongsfzorden [25][26][27], lichens, and glacier cryoconites [1,29] of Svalbard. The chalcophile elements were in a higher concentration in the fishes than the lithophiles (Table 3).…”

“…The freeze-dried, powdered, and weighed (0.25 g) samples (fish, Brittle star, Sea Urchin, and Worm sample) were kept in PTFE TFM vessels for microwave digestion following the standard method [1,26,27]. With the completion of the digestion program, the vessels were cooled, and the digested solution transferred into a 25 mL volumetric flask with deionized water.…”

“…Blank samples were also prepared using the same procedure of samples, and the values obtained were subtracted from the samples. The individual samples were subjected to analysis of elements following the standard method using ICPM [1,26,27]. Elemental concentrations were measured in triplicates and were recorded in mg/kg.…”

“…Hicks and Isaksson [24] assessed the source areas of pollutants in Svalbard snow and ice. Recently, studies on the elemental chemistry of Kongsfjord sediments [25,26], ice cores [27], permafrost [28], lichens [29], and radionuclides [30] have been carried out.…”

Insights into the Psychrophilic and Sea Ice-Specific Lifestyle of Marinobacter sp. Strain AC-23: a Genomic Approach

“…Recently, the genome of Cryobacterium sp. strain MLB-32 from glacier ( 2 ) and the elemental composition of the sediments of fjords ( 3 ) have been contributed from Svalbard. AC-23, a Gram-negative, rod shaped, and psychrophilic bacterial isolate, was obtained from 29,370 ± 640-year-old sediments of Kongsfjorden.…”