Siberian Arctic black carbon sources constrained by model and observation.

Black carbon (BC) in haze and deposited on snow and ice can have strong effects on the radiative balance of the Arctic. There is a geographic bias in Arctic BC studies toward the Atlantic sector, with lack of observational constraints for the extensive Russian Siberian Arctic, spanning nearly half of the circum-Arctic. Here, 2 y of observations at Tiksi (East Siberian Arctic) establish a strong seasonality in both BC concentrations (8 ng⋅m-3 to 302 ng⋅m-3) and dual-isotope-constrained sources (19 to 73% contribution from biomass burning). Comparisons between observations and a dispersion model, coupled to an anthropogenic emissions inventory and a fire emissions inventory, give mixed results. In the European Arctic, this model has proven to simulate BC concentrations and source contributions well. However, the model is less successful in reproducing BC concentrations and sources for the Russian Arctic. Using a Bayesian approach, we show that, in contrast to earlier studies, contributions from gas flaring (6%), power plants (9%), and open fires (12%) are relatively small, with the major sources instead being domestic (35%) and transport (38%). The observation-based evaluation of reported emissions identifies errors in spatial allocation of BC sources in the inventory and highlights the importance of improving emission distribution and source attribution, to develop reliable mitigation strategies for efficient reduction of BC impact on the Russian Arctic, one of the fastest-warming regions on Earth.

The East Siberian Arctic Shelf: towards further assessment of permafrost-related methane fluxes and role of sea ice.

Sustained release of methane (CH(4)) to the atmosphere from thawing Arctic permafrost may be a positive and significant feedback to climate warming. Atmospheric venting of CH(4) from the East Siberian Arctic Shelf (ESAS) was recently reported to be on par with flux from the Arctic tundra; however, the future scale of these releases remains unclear. Here, based on results of our latest observations, we show that CH(4) emissions from this shelf are likely to be determined by the state of subsea permafrost degradation. We observed CH(4) emissions from two previously understudied areas of the ESAS: the outer shelf, where subsea permafrost is predicted to be discontinuous or mostly degraded due to long submergence by seawater, and the near shore area, where deep/open taliks presumably form due to combined heating effects of seawater, river run-off, geothermal flux and pre-existing thermokarst. CH(4) emissions from these areas emerge from largely thawed sediments via strong flare-like ebullition, producing fluxes that are orders of magnitude greater than fluxes observed in background areas underlain by largely frozen sediments. We suggest that progression of subsea permafrost thawing and decrease in ice extent could result in a significant increase in CH(4) emissions from the ESAS.

Lithological and granulometric data for the upper sedimentary layer of the Chaun Bay, East Siberian Sea.

The article provides a data on 160 samples of bottom sediments obtained from 48 stations during 60th cruise of R/V Akademik Oparin in the East Siberian Sea in Autumn 2020 (26 September - 11 November). It contains mean diameter of the particles, sorting coefficient, standard deviation, skewness, and kurtosis, values of percentiles (p5, p10, p16, p25, p50, p75, p84, p90, p95), lithology and mass percentage of >2 mm, 1-2 mm, 0.5-1 mm, 250-500 µm, 125-250 µm, 63-125 µm, 31-63 µm, 10-31 µm, 2-10 µm, and <2 µm fractions. The bottom sediments have been sampled in Chaun Bay of the East Siberian Sea from 9 to 21 October 2020 with Ekman (0.25 m2) and Van Veen (0.05 m2) samplers. The grain size data was obtained from laser diffraction method using a SHIMADZU SALD 2300 particle analyser. The data provides an overview on lithology and grain size properties of bottom sediments that will be useful to understand risks for climate changes in the Arctic. The data will help the researchers who work on the Arctic to assess a relationship between grain size properties of the bottom sediments and it sorption potential. A principal component analysis (PCA) can be performed to identify key parameters of the bottom sediments in assessment of sedimentation rates and it changes in the Arctic. Additionally, the data can be used in mapping a spatial distribution of above mentioned parameters for better understanding sedimentation rate changes in the East Siberian Sea and adjacent seas as well.

Radioactivity of anthropogenic and natural radionuclides in marine sediments of the Chaun Bay, East Siberian Sea.

Natural radioactive isotopes serve as a useful proxy of geological and geochemical processes in marine environment, while radiocesium serves as an indicator of man-made contamination. Monitoring of natural and anthropogenic radioactivity under conditions of the climate changes in the Arctic region is of high importance in investigations of this natural system. For the first time, we report the data on spatial distribution of natural (232Th, 226Ra, 40K) and anthropogenic (137Cs) radionuclide activities in the marine sediments from Chaun Bay (East Siberian Sea). The measured activity concentrations varied in the range 23.7-77.9 (mean 39.2) Bq kg-1 for 232Th, 16.5-39.3 (mean 26.6) Bq kg-1 for 226Ra, 535-991 (mean 726) Bq kg-1 for 40K, and 0.5-4.7 (mean 2.0) Bq kg-1 for 137Cs. The radiocesium level in the sediments showed no local sources of anthropogenic pollution in the Chaun Bay, while the average activity concentration of 40K was 1.8 times higher than worldwide.

The influence of sedimentation regime on natural radionuclide activity concentration in marine sediments of the East Siberian Arctic Shelf.

Transport and accumulation of radionuclides in the Arctic depends on many biogeochemical processes, which are changing at accelerated rates due to climate change and human economic activity. We present the results of a study on the features distribution of some natural radionuclides in the marine sediments on the East Siberian Arctic Shelf collected during several expeditions from 2008 to 2019. Average activity concentration of 232Th, 40K and 226Ra under the influence of different sedimentation regime increases from 40.7, 418 and 30.8 Bq/kg to 41.6, 423 and 34.9 Bq/kg respectively from coastal shelf marine sediments (<50% clay) to outer shelf marine sediments (>50% clay). Sediment particle size has a greater impact on radionuclides in the coastal shelf. An increase in the activity concentrations of 232Th and 226Ra with the increasing clay particles were found. On the outer shelf with a change in the sedimentation regime, the influence of the size composition decreased, at the same time, there is a correlation between the organic carbon concentration and the radionuclide activity concentration. Absolute maximums of natural radionuclide activity concentration (232Th = 70.9, 226Ra = 70.4, 40K = 591 Bq/kg) were detected in the Chaun Bay. The highest activity concentration of 226Ra was found in paleo-river valleys marine sediments. A low 232Th/226Ra activity concentration ratio indicates the enrichment of paleo-river valleys marine sediments with 226Ra. In the deep-sea sediments of the shelf slope on the contrary paleo-river valleys, this ratio is greatly increased.

Current rates and mechanisms of subsea permafrost degradation in the East Siberian Arctic Shelf.

The rates of subsea permafrost degradation and occurrence of gas-migration pathways are key factors controlling the East Siberian Arctic Shelf (ESAS) methane (CH4) emissions, yet these factors still require assessment. It is thought that after inundation, permafrost-degradation rates would decrease over time and submerged thaw-lake taliks would freeze; therefore, no CH4 release would occur for millennia. Here we present results of the first comprehensive scientific re-drilling to show that subsea permafrost in the near-shore zone of the ESAS has a downward movement of the ice-bonded permafrost table of ∼14 cm year-1 over the past 31-32 years. Our data reveal polygonal thermokarst patterns on the seafloor and gas-migration associated with submerged taliks, ice scouring and pockmarks. Knowing the rate and mechanisms of subsea permafrost degradation is a prerequisite to meaningful predictions of near-future CH4 release in the Arctic.