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Seasonal and Annual Fluxes of Nutrients and Organic Matter from Large Rivers to the Arctic Ocean and Surrounding Seas

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Abstract

River inputs of nutrients and organic matter impact the biogeochemistry of arctic estuaries and the Arctic Ocean as a whole, yet there is considerable uncertainty about the magnitude of fluvial fluxes at the pan-Arctic scale. Samples from the six largest arctic rivers, with a combined watershed area of 11.3 × 106 km2, have revealed strong seasonal variations in constituent concentrations and fluxes within rivers as well as large differences among the rivers. Specifically, we investigate fluxes of dissolved organic carbon, dissolved organic nitrogen, total dissolved phosphorus, dissolved inorganic nitrogen, nitrate, and silica. This is the first time that seasonal and annual constituent fluxes have been determined using consistent sampling and analytical methods at the pan-Arctic scale and consequently provide the best available estimates for constituent flux from land to the Arctic Ocean and surrounding seas. Given the large inputs of river water to the relatively small Arctic Ocean and the dramatic impacts that climate change is having in the Arctic, it is particularly urgent that we establish the contemporary river fluxes so that we will be able to detect future changes and evaluate the impact of the changes on the biogeochemistry of the receiving coastal and ocean systems.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the National Science Foundation through grants OPP-0229302, OPP-0519840, OPP-0732522, OPP-0732944, and OCE-0851101. Additional support was provided by the US Geological Survey (Yukon River) and the Department of Indian and Northern Affairs (Mackenzie River). We thank Suzanne Thomas and Kate Morkeski for assistance using Loadest to model constituent fluxes and Rainer Amon, Tim Brabets, Ludmila Boeva, Ludmila Kosmenko, Charlie Couvillon, Elena Dunaeva, Martin Kelly, Dave Milburn, Yana Adreeva, Anna Suslova, and Mikhail Suslov for assistance with sample collection or project coordination. Greg Fiske assisted with GIS analysis and figures and Alexander Shiklomanov provided additional discharge data for the Kolyma River.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. The Woods Hole Research Center, Woods Hole, MA, USA

    Robert Max Holmes & Ekaterina Bulygina

  2. The University of Texas at Austin, Port Aransas, TX, USA

    James W. McClelland

  3. Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, MA, USA

    Bruce J. Peterson & Suzanne E. Tank

  4. Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Zurich, Switzerland

    Timothy I. Eglinton

  5. P. P. Shirshov Institute of Oceanology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia

    Viacheslav V. Gordeev

  6. South Russia Centre for Preparation and Implementation of International Projects, Rostov-on-Don, Russia

    Tatiana Y. Gurtovaya & Alexander V. Zhulidov

  7. Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA

    Peter A. Raymond

  8. Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA, USA

    Daniel J. Repeta

  9. Department of Indian and Northern Affairs, Yellowknife, Canada

    Robin Staples

  10. USGS, Boulder, CO, USA

    Robert G. Striegl

  11. Northeast Science Station, Cherskiy, Russia

    Sergey A. Zimov

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  1. Robert Max Holmes
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  12. Robert G. Striegl
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Holmes, R.M., McClelland, J.W., Peterson, B.J. et al. Seasonal and Annual Fluxes of Nutrients and Organic Matter from Large Rivers to the Arctic Ocean and Surrounding Seas. Estuaries and Coasts 35, 369–382 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12237-011-9386-6

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