Particulate organic matter in the Lena River and its delta: from the permafrost catchment to the Arctic Ocean

Ogneva, Olga; Mollenhauer, Gesine; Juhls, Bennet; Sanders, Tina; Palmtag, Juri; Fuchs, Matthias; Grotheer, Hendrik; Mann, Paul J.; Strauss, Jens

doi:https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-1423-2023

Articles | Volume 20, issue 7

https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-1423-2023

© Author(s) 2023. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-1423-2023

© Author(s) 2023. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Articles | Volume 20, issue 7

Research article

| Highlight paper

|

12 Apr 2023

Research article | Highlight paper |

| 12 Apr 2023

Particulate organic matter in the Lena River and its delta: from the permafrost catchment to the Arctic Ocean

Olga Ogneva, Gesine Mollenhauer, Bennet Juhls, Tina Sanders, Juri Palmtag, Matthias Fuchs, Hendrik Grotheer, Paul J. Mann, and Jens Strauss

Supplement

https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-1423-2023-supplement

Data sets

Total suspended matter, particulate organic carbon and its isotopic composition in the Lena River and its Delta Olga Ogneva, Gesine Mollenhauer, Bennet Juhls, Tina Sanders, Juri Palmtag, Matthias Fuchs, Hendrik Grotheer, Paul James Mann, and Jens Strauss https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.950668

Download

Article (2142 KB)
Full-text XML

Co-editor-in-chief

While the source and fate of particulate organic matter (POM) are better understood in riverine, deltaic, and lake systems, this paper provides an insight on POM dynamics in a permafrost catchment, while combining a multiple proxy approach (particulate organic carbon - POC, total suspended matter - TSM, carbon isotopes - d13C and d14C - in POC). Combined with mixing models, these findings help decipher the potential sources for authochtonous and allochtnonous organic matters, and hence provide important insights in the role of permafrost for the organic carbon mobilization in the Arctic region.

Short summary

Arctic warming accelerates permafrost thaw and release of terrestrial organic matter (OM) via rivers to the Arctic Ocean. We compared particulate organic carbon (POC), total suspended matter, and C isotopes (δ¹³C and Δ¹⁴C of POC) in the Lena delta and Lena River along a ~1600 km transect. We show that the Lena delta, as an interface between the Lena River and the Arctic Ocean, plays a crucial role in determining the qualitative and quantitative composition of OM discharged into the Arctic Ocean.