Forms of metals in the littoral sediments in Kandalaksha Bay of the White Sea in the Russian Arctic

According to the results of the comparative study performed of the littoral sediments sampled in small inlets of Kandalaksha Bay (the White Sea in the Russian Arctic), the metals (Fe, Mn, Cu, Zn, Pb, Cr, and Li) occur mainly in a biogeochemical-stable mineral-incorporated form, which comprises 77–99% of the total metal content. The ratio of the liable form, which is easily extracted by a weak acid, is on average 3.2% for the total Fe, 2.0% for Mn, 1.7% for Cr, 5.6% for Pb, 5.8% for Zn, 6.5% for Cu, and is negligible for Li. The concentrations of the most studied trace metals are below the threshold level according to the environmental quality guidelines (the sediment analysis). The ratio of the metal forms evidences the natural origin of the elevated concentrations of both Zn and Cr in the sediments.     

Harpacticoida taxocen diversity in the silty-sandy littoral zone of Kandalaksha Bay of the White Sea

The fauna composition, ecological groups, and life forms of Harpacticoids of soft littoral grounds from 15 sites off the Karelian coast in Kandalaksha Bay of the White Sea were studied. Six types of harpacticoid taxocens with different sets of dominating species are described. On silty sands with clear signs of desalination, the Stenchelia palustris taxocen is common; medium-grained sands are characterized by the Heterolaophonte minuta, Paraleptastacus kliei — Huntemannia jadensis, and Amphiascoides nanus — Scottopsyllus minor taxocens; while on coarse sands, the Ameira parvula and Ameira scotti — Mesochra lilljeborgi taxocens have developed. The diversity of the taxocens is partly explained by the differences in the grain-size composition and salinity at different sites. In addition, groups of various taxocens dwelling on the same type of the sediments were found in different minor bights of the coastline.     

Dinoflagellate cysts in the surface sediments of the White Sea

Dinoflagellate cysts were studied in 42 samples from the surface sediments of the White Sea. The total concentration of dinocysts varies from single cysts to 25 000 cyst/g of dry sediments, which reflects the biological productivity in the White Sea waters and the regional particular features of the sedimentation processes. The highest concentrations are observed in silts; they are related to the regions of propagation of the highly productive Barents Sea waters in the White Sea. Generally, the spatial distribution of dinocysts species in the surface sediments corresponds to the distribution of the major types of water masses in the White Sea. The cysts of the relatively warm-water species (Operculodinium centrocarpum, Spiniferites sp.) of North Atlantic origin that dominate in the sediments indicate an intensive intrusion of the Barents Sea water masses to the White Sea along with hydrological dwelling conditions in the White Sea favorable for the development of these species during their vegetation period. The cold-water dinocyst assemblage (Islandinium minutum, Polykrikos sp.) is rather strictly confined to the inner parts of shallow-water bays, firstly, those adjacent to the Onega and Severnaya Dvina river mouths.     

Dissipation of baroclinic tidal energy and diapycnal mixing in the White Sea

The modeling results obtained using the original version of the three-dimensional finite-element hydrostatic model QUODDY-4 testify that the spatial distributions of dissipation of baroclinic tidal energy and the related coefficient of diapycnal mixing in the deepwater stratified subdomain of the White Sea (the Basin and Kandalaksha and Dvina bays together) are highly similar to those found for low- and midlatitude oceans. It is in the open part of the sea that their values remain equal to the minimum possible values determined by the molecular kinematic viscosity; at its lateral boundaries (not all boundaries, but only individual segments (sites of mixing)), their values increase. In the shallow homogeneous subdomain of the White Sea, the dissipation of baroclinic tidal energy is considerably larger than in the deep stratified subdomain. Accordingly, the vertical eddy viscosity in the first subdomain is a few orders of magnitude higher than the coefficient of diapycnal mixing in the second subdomain. This is caused by an increased tidal velocity due to reduced depths.     

Mineral composition of the modern bottom sediments of the White Sea

The mineral composition of the modern bottom sediments were studied in the White Sea. The single terrigenous-mineralogical province is defined; it is characterized by the mineral association of amphibole, epidote, garnet, and pyroxene. Five regions are assigned in the White Sea in accordance with the mineral composition of the surface bottom sediments. We argue that the granite-metamorphic rock complexes of the Baltic Shield are the main source of the modern sediments in the White Sea, while the East European Craton (Russian Platform) plays a secondary role.     

Holocene Paleoseismic Deformations on the Islands of the Kuzokotsky Archipelago (Kandalaksha Bay of the White Sea,Eastern Fennoscandia)

Izvestiya, Atmospheric and Oceanic Physics - Detailed paleoseismogeological, morphotectonic, and tectonophysical studies using remote and ground surveys have been carried out on the islands of the...     

Severity of sea ice in the Southern Baltic Sea, Gulf of Finland and Gulf of Bothnia up 21st century

The study focused on the evaluation of probable changes in the severity of sea ice conditions occurring in 3 selected areas of the Baltic Sea: the Gulf of Bothnia, Gulf of Finland and the Southern Baltic Sea up to the year 2100. The areas have been chosen due to the high intensity of marine traffic (the Gulfs??of Bothnia and of Finland) and due to differences in sea ice conditions; winters in the Gulf of Bothnia were characterized as the most severe, whereas in the Southern Baltic were classified as the mildest ones. Consequently, three scenarios were taken into account in the study: A2 (slow rate of global economic development, market scenario), A1B (regional scenario, rapid economic development, with ecological priorities), B1 (sustainable, median economic development with strong ecological priorities), all three constructed on the basis of Special Report on Emissions Scenarios (SRES models of greenhouse gas emission). The probable changes of sea ice conditions expressed as severity index S were calculated from these models. The main results of the investigation are as follows, the variety of sea ice conditions occurring in specific regions of the Baltic will remain stable (i.e. the most severe winter conditions will still occur in Gulf of Bothnia, while the mildest in the Southern Baltic Sea). The most significant changes are likely to occur in the Southern Baltic, where some winters without ice cover in the Vistula Lagoon may happen. Nonetheless, some extremely severe winters will occur and also within specific seasons more winters with a lower number of days with ice will occur.     

Tidal ice drift in the White Sea: Results of a numerical experiment

The tidal ice drift is considered as an element of the tidal dynamics in a sea covered with ice. The appropriate problem is solved with the use of a combination of a simple viscoelastic continuum model of the tidal ice drift with the QUODDY-4 three-dimensional finite-element hydro-thermodynamical model. The combined model is used for simultaneous calculations of the tidal regime and the tidal ice drift in the White Sea. The calculated distributions of the characteristics of the semidiurnal (M₂ wave) tidal ice drift such as the ice drift velocity and the tidal variations of the ice concentration and the pressure of the ice compression are discussed. The distributions are used for detecting the zones of the quasi-steady tidal compression and extension of ice and regions of ridging of ice floes. Particular attention is paid to the residual tidal ice drift, a phenomenon that has remained almost unnoticed so far.     

杭州湾北岸岸滩冲淤演变浅析

收集了1976～2004年杭州湾北岸的多幅地形图,使用ARCGIS软件进行数字化处理,以这些资料为主要依据对杭州湾北岸岸滩冲淤的历史演变和近期演变特征及其影响因素进行了分析.结果表明:(1) 历史上杭州湾北冲南淤,其北岸经历了先侵蚀后淤涨的过程.(2) 由于圈淤围垦,近30年杭州湾北岸岸线全线外移.(3) 近30多年杭州湾北岸的冲淤演变:1997年前芦潮港至南奉边界岸滩基本处于淤积状态,1997年后基本处于冲刷状态;金山岸滩基本处于稳定状态;金山嘴-金山卫滩涂一直比较稳定;漕泾-金山嘴滩涂经历了一个冲刷-淤积-再冲刷的过程,但冲淤幅度不大;奉贤部分岸滩处于侵蚀状态,1997～2004年0 m等深线以上岸滩进入侵蚀状态,侵蚀带由东向西推进,同时也向岸北侵,使-5 m等深线以下滩坡侵蚀变成-5 m等深线以上滩坡侵蚀.杭州湾北岸岸滩冲淤受多种动力因子的影响,除受潮流和风浪等动力因子的作用外,南汇边滩和杭州湾北岸围垦工程的影响及长江来沙量的减少是造成杭州湾北岸岸滩冲刷的两个重要因素.     

Early diagenesis in recent bottom sediments of the Dvina Bay (White Sea)

Investigations in the water column and bottom sediments including entrapped water were carried out on expeditions of the P.P. Shirshov Institute of Oceanology in the Dvina Bay, the White Sea. We studied the transformation of particulate organic matter at the biogeochemical barrier between the water and bottom and in the underlying Holocene sediments. Low rates of the early diagenesis of sediments caused by low values of primary production in the conditions of high fluxes of terrigenous organic matter were established. The low temperatures of microorganisms habitat play the secondary role.     

Some peculiarities of the Black Sea inertial currents

By treating observations involving long-term buoy moorings, numerical characteristics of the periods, amplitudes, phases and orbits of inertial currents in some Black Sea areas have been obtained. The inertial component's contribution to the total velocity field and turbulent exchange has been determined. As a result, the maximal heights of the internal waves generated by the inertial currents have been estimated. Translated by Vladimir A. Puchkin.     

Phosphorus regeneration and burial in near-shore marine sediments (the Gulf of Trieste, northern Adriatic Sea)

According to bioassay studies and high dissolved nutrient N/P ratios in the seawater column, phosphorus (P) is thought to control marine productivity in the northern Adriatic Sea. P in near-shore marine sediments of the Gulf of Trieste, the northernmost part of the Adriatic Sea, was investigated using pore water P distributions, and benthic P flux studies under oxic and anoxic conditions. The data show that P regeneration is up to three-fold more extensive in sediments overlain by oxygen-depleted waters and proceeds in parallel with Fe and Mn enhanced benthic fluxes. It appears from the incubation experiments that degradation of sedimentary organic matter is the main contribution to the flux of P at the sediment–water interface, while the release of phosphate adsorbed on the iron oxide surface is of minor importance.It appears that about 50% of P in the Gulf of Trieste is retained within in the sediments, probably bonded to clay minerals and carbonate grains or precipitated as fluoroapatite. In these sediments total P (P_tot) is preserved preferentially over organic C (C_org). P regenerated from surficial sediments contributes about 1/3 of the P that is assimilated by benthic microalgae. The phytoplankton P requirement should be entirely supplied from fresh-water sources. These results suggest that oxygen depletion in coastal areas caused by eutrophication enhances P regeneration from sediments, providing the additional P necessary for increased biological productivity. The development of anoxic bottom waters in coastal areas enhances the recycling of P, exacerbating the nutrient requirement in the area. A geochemical record of P burial in a longer sedimentary sequence revealed an increasing trend of P_tot and organic P (P_org) contents occurring approximately 50 years BP (after 1950), probably due to increasing use of inorganic fertilizers and detergents in the area.     

Modeling the tidal ice drift and ice-induced changes in tidal dynamics on the Siberian continental shelf

The tidal ice drift is treated as an element of the three-dimensional tidal dynamics in a sea covered by ice. This dynamics is described by the QUODDY-4 finite-element model, and the tidal ice drift is described by a continuous viscous-elastic approximation. We present the results of modeling not only the tidal ice drift (M ₂ wave) (its velocity, direction, and tidal variations in the concentration and pressure of ice compression) but also ice-induced changes in tidal dynamics and the residual tidal ice drift. The modeling results indicate that the maximum velocity of tidal ice drift, which is determined by a combination of various factors responsible for ice evolution and primarily by the horizontal gradient of the level and local tidal velocity, can be higher or lower than the velocity of the surface tidal current in the ice-free sea. This depends on the sign of deviations of tidal sea level elevations in the sea covered by ice from their values in the ice-free sea. In addition, it has been found that ice cover has a stronger effect on the energetics of tides than on their dynamics: the area-mean relative deviations constitute 1.5% for the density of the total tidal energy, 61.5% for the dissipation, 0.1% for the amplitudes of tidal sea level elevations, and 0.9% for the amplitudes of maximum barotropic tidal velocity. In this sense, the conclusion that the role of sea ice is insignificant in the formation of tides can be justified only partially. The main results of this paper are as follows: (1) the development of a module for tidal ice drift, (2) the inclusion of this module into the three-dimensional finite-element hydrothermodynamic model QUODDY-4 to extend its capabilities, and (3) the reproduction (on the basis of the modified model) of qualitative features of the practically important tidal ice drift and ice-induced changes in the tidal dynamics of marginal seas on the Siberian continental shelf.     

Heavy metals in marine sediments of Taranto Gulf (Ionian Sea, Southern Italy)

Al, Cr, Cu, Fe, Hg, Mn, Ni, Pb, Ti and Zn concentrations have been determined in surface sediment samples collected in the Taranto Gulf (Ionian Sea, Southern Italy) in order to evaluate their levels and spatial distribution in this important area of the Mediterranean Sea. For various metals, the geoaccumulation index has been calculated as a criterion to assess if their concentrations represent contamination levels or can be considered as background levels. The results show that metals concentrations in sediments can be considered near the background levels found in the Mediterranean Sea.Analytical results have been elaborated by using a Geographical Information System (GIS) software to show metals accumulation areas. Using multivariate statistical analysis, we evaluate the possibility to distinguish the sampling stations, in relation to their geographical position. Results have showed metals distribution in the Taranto Gulf is principally influenced by industrial and urban wastes, located mostly in the northern coastal area of the Ionian Sea. Rivers in the Basilicata region and prevailing anticlockwise marine currents are further factors influencing metal accumulation in sediments.     

Short-period variability of hydrophysical fields and internal wave characteristics during a semidiurnal tidal cycle on the White Sea shelf

Experimental data obtained in the summer of 2011 in three White Sea continental shelf areas with different stratification are analyzed. The measurements were conducted using a unified procedure that combines frequent oceanographic stations (scanning) and deployment of moorings. It is shown that the tide-induced variability of the thermohaline fields and internal waves is of different types. A shelf area is detected where intense short-period internal waves are observed during every tidal cycle and their contribution to water mixing is significant.     

Methane in the water and bottom sediments of the mouth area of the Severnaya Dvina River (White Sea)

The mouth area of the Severnaya Dvina River is characterized by a high level of methane in the water (from 1.0 to 165.4 μl/l) and in the bottom sediments (from 14 to 65000 μl/kg), being quite comparable to the productive mouth areas of the rivers in the temperate zone. The maximum methane concentrations in the water and sediments were registered in the delta in the segments of channels and branches with low rates of tidal and runoff currents to which domestic and industrial wastewaters are supplied. In the riverine and marine water mixing zone with its upper boundary situated far into the delta and displaced depending on the phase of the tidal cycle, a decrease of the methane amount with the salinity increase was observed. The prevailing role in the formation of the methane content level in the water of the mouth area pertains to the bottom sediments, which is testified to by the close correlation between the gas concentrations in these two media. The existence of periodicity in the variations of the methane content level in the water of the river downstream caused by the tidal effects was found.     

Study of the ice conditions in the Gulf of Ob

The results of theoretical studies of fracture lines in the ice floes of the Gulf of Ob as a function of the coefficient of internal sliding are presented in this paper. An estimate of the fractal dimensions of the emerging topological structures and the results of the calculation of stresses in the ice cover of the Gulf of Ob are presented as functions of different directions of external forcing caused by the joint action of winds and currents on the ice. The geographical locations of the zones of possible loads are shown, together with the estimates of the hummock sizes in the zones of the maximal compression of the ice floes in the Gulf of Ob.     

Modeling the evolution of snow, snow ice and ice in the Baltic Sea

A numerical 1‐dimensional fine grid sea ice thermodynamic model is constructed accounting specially for: (1) slush formation via flooding and percolation of rain‐ and snow meltwater, (2) the consequent snow ice formation via slush freezing, and (3) the effects of snow compaction on heat diffusion in snow cover. The model simulations from ice winter period 1979–90 are viewed against corresponding observations at the Kemi fast ice station (65 °39.8' N, 24° 31.4' E). The 11‐year averaged model results show good overall consistency with corresponding total ice thickness observations. The model slightly overestimates the snow ice thickness and underestimates the snow thickness in February and March, which is mainly addressed to the model assumption of isostatic balance (i.e., slush formation via flooding), which was probably not fully satisfied at the coastal Kemi fast ice station. Supposing that this assumption is nevertheless generally valid away from the very coastal fast ice zone, an estimate for sea ice sensitivity to changes in winter precipitation rate is produced. Increased precipitation leads to an increase only in snow ice thickness with little change in total ice thickness, while a reduction in precipitation of more than {213}50% causes a significant increase in total ice thickness. The difference in modeled total ice thickness for the case of artificially neglecting snow ice physics is about 25%, which indicates the importance of including snow ice physics in a sea ice model dealing with the seasonal sea ice zone.     

Distribution of metal concentrations in sediments of the coastal zone of the Gulf of Riga and open part of the Baltic Sea

The comparison of spatial and temporal distribution of Hg, Cd, Pb, Cu, Ni, Zn, Mn and Fe concentrations in sediments from the Gulf of Riga and open Baltic Sea along the coastal zone is presented for the first time. There were considerable differences in Pb, Zn, Mn and Fe levels in sediment at various stations of the Gulf of Riga. A significant difference of Cd, Pb, Cu, Ni, Zn levels was found in sediments of various stations in the open Baltic coast. The amount of Cd, Pb, Cu, Ni, Zn and Fe levels also differed significantly in the sediments of the Gulf of Riga in different years. A considerable yearly difference in amount of Hg, Cd, Pb, Cu, Ni and Mn levels was found in sediments in the open Baltic coast. The essential highest values of Pb and Zn in coastal sediments of the open Baltic Sea are stated in comparison with the Gulf of Riga. The concentrations of other metals have only a tendency to be higher in coastal sediments of the open Baltic Sea in comparison with the Gulf of Riga. Natural and anthropogenic factors were proved to play an important role in determining resultant metals concentrations in the regions.