Geochemistry of west Siberian streams and their potential response to permafrost degradation
[1] Measurements of solute concentrations from previously unstudied watersheds throughout west Siberia suggest that warming and permafrost degradation will likely amplify the transport of dissolved solids to the Kara Sea and adjacent Arctic Ocean. We present concentrations of Ca2+, K+, Mg2+, Na+, Si...
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ftclarkuniv:oai:commons.clarku.edu:faculty_geography-1246 2023-09-05T13:17:07+02:00 Geochemistry of west Siberian streams and their potential response to permafrost degradation Frey, Karen E. Siegel, Donald I. Smith, Laurence C. 2007-01-01T08:00:00Z application/pdf https://commons.clarku.edu/faculty_geography/247 https://doi.org/10.1029/2006WR004902 https://commons.clarku.edu/context/faculty_geography/article/1246/viewcontent/GeogFacWorks_Frey_Geochemistry_2007.pdf unknown Clark Digital Commons https://commons.clarku.edu/faculty_geography/247 doi:10.1029/2006WR004902 https://commons.clarku.edu/context/faculty_geography/article/1246/viewcontent/GeogFacWorks_Frey_Geochemistry_2007.pdf Geography Geochemistry Hydrology text 2007 ftclarkuniv https://doi.org/10.1029/2006WR004902 2023-08-14T06:16:39Z [1] Measurements of solute concentrations from previously unstudied watersheds throughout west Siberia suggest that warming and permafrost degradation will likely amplify the transport of dissolved solids to the Kara Sea and adjacent Arctic Ocean. We present concentrations of Ca2+, K+, Mg2+, Na+, Si, Cl-, SO 42-, HCO3-, inferred alkalinity, and total inorganic solutes (TIS) from 94 streams and rivers within the Ob'-Irtysh, Nadym, and Pur river drainage basins. The sampled sites span ∼10 6 km2, a large climatic gradient (∼55°-68°N), and 39 permafrost-influenced and 55 permafrost-free watersheds. The solute composition of our samples is strongly influenced by carbonate mineral dissolution. Furthermore, our results show that TIS concentrations of waters in permafrost-free watersheds average ∼289 mg L-1, in contrast to only ∼48 mg L-1 in permafrost-influenced watersheds. This sixfold difference likely occurs because permafrost forms a confining barrier that inhibits the infiltration of surface water through deep mineral horizons and restricts mineral-rich subpermafrost groundwater from reaching surface water pathways. A principal components analysis-based end-member mixing analysis supports the premise that mineral-rich groundwater is the primary source of solutes to streams in permafrost-free watersheds, whereas mineral-poor peat surface water is the primary source in permafrost-influenced watersheds. With climate warming and subsequent permafrost thaw this region may transition from a surface water-dominated system to a groundwater-dominated system. Additionally, should permafrost in the region completely disappear, we estimate that TIS export from the west Siberian region to the Kara Sea would increase by ∼59% (from its current value of ∼46 Tg yr-1 to ∼73 Tg yr -1). Such an increase in dissolved solid delivery to the Kara Sea could have important implications for future biological productivity in arctic Eurasian shelf waters and the Arctic Ocean basin interior. Copyright 2007 by the American Geophysical Union. Text Arctic Arctic Ocean Kara Sea permafrost Siberia Clark University: Clark Digital Commons Arctic Arctic Ocean Kara Sea Nadym ENVELOPE(72.517,72.517,65.533,65.533) Water Resources Research 43 3 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Clark University: Clark Digital Commons |
op_collection_id |
ftclarkuniv |
language |
unknown |
topic |
Geochemistry Hydrology |
spellingShingle |
Geochemistry Hydrology Frey, Karen E. Siegel, Donald I. Smith, Laurence C. Geochemistry of west Siberian streams and their potential response to permafrost degradation |
topic_facet |
Geochemistry Hydrology |
description |
[1] Measurements of solute concentrations from previously unstudied watersheds throughout west Siberia suggest that warming and permafrost degradation will likely amplify the transport of dissolved solids to the Kara Sea and adjacent Arctic Ocean. We present concentrations of Ca2+, K+, Mg2+, Na+, Si, Cl-, SO 42-, HCO3-, inferred alkalinity, and total inorganic solutes (TIS) from 94 streams and rivers within the Ob'-Irtysh, Nadym, and Pur river drainage basins. The sampled sites span ∼10 6 km2, a large climatic gradient (∼55°-68°N), and 39 permafrost-influenced and 55 permafrost-free watersheds. The solute composition of our samples is strongly influenced by carbonate mineral dissolution. Furthermore, our results show that TIS concentrations of waters in permafrost-free watersheds average ∼289 mg L-1, in contrast to only ∼48 mg L-1 in permafrost-influenced watersheds. This sixfold difference likely occurs because permafrost forms a confining barrier that inhibits the infiltration of surface water through deep mineral horizons and restricts mineral-rich subpermafrost groundwater from reaching surface water pathways. A principal components analysis-based end-member mixing analysis supports the premise that mineral-rich groundwater is the primary source of solutes to streams in permafrost-free watersheds, whereas mineral-poor peat surface water is the primary source in permafrost-influenced watersheds. With climate warming and subsequent permafrost thaw this region may transition from a surface water-dominated system to a groundwater-dominated system. Additionally, should permafrost in the region completely disappear, we estimate that TIS export from the west Siberian region to the Kara Sea would increase by ∼59% (from its current value of ∼46 Tg yr-1 to ∼73 Tg yr -1). Such an increase in dissolved solid delivery to the Kara Sea could have important implications for future biological productivity in arctic Eurasian shelf waters and the Arctic Ocean basin interior. Copyright 2007 by the American Geophysical Union. |
format |
Text |
author |
Frey, Karen E. Siegel, Donald I. Smith, Laurence C. |
author_facet |
Frey, Karen E. Siegel, Donald I. Smith, Laurence C. |
author_sort |
Frey, Karen E. |
title |
Geochemistry of west Siberian streams and their potential response to permafrost degradation |
title_short |
Geochemistry of west Siberian streams and their potential response to permafrost degradation |
title_full |
Geochemistry of west Siberian streams and their potential response to permafrost degradation |
title_fullStr |
Geochemistry of west Siberian streams and their potential response to permafrost degradation |
title_full_unstemmed |
Geochemistry of west Siberian streams and their potential response to permafrost degradation |
title_sort |
geochemistry of west siberian streams and their potential response to permafrost degradation |
publisher |
Clark Digital Commons |
publishDate |
2007 |
url |
https://commons.clarku.edu/faculty_geography/247 https://doi.org/10.1029/2006WR004902 https://commons.clarku.edu/context/faculty_geography/article/1246/viewcontent/GeogFacWorks_Frey_Geochemistry_2007.pdf |
long_lat |
ENVELOPE(72.517,72.517,65.533,65.533) |
geographic |
Arctic Arctic Ocean Kara Sea Nadym |
geographic_facet |
Arctic Arctic Ocean Kara Sea Nadym |
genre |
Arctic Arctic Ocean Kara Sea permafrost Siberia |
genre_facet |
Arctic Arctic Ocean Kara Sea permafrost Siberia |
op_source |
Geography |
op_relation |
https://commons.clarku.edu/faculty_geography/247 doi:10.1029/2006WR004902 https://commons.clarku.edu/context/faculty_geography/article/1246/viewcontent/GeogFacWorks_Frey_Geochemistry_2007.pdf |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1029/2006WR004902 |
container_title |
Water Resources Research |
container_volume |
43 |
container_issue |
3 |
_version_ |
1776198421868183552 |