Articles | Volume 23, issue 9
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-23-3039-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-23-3039-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
06 May 2026
Research article |
| 06 May 2026
| 06 May 2026
Seasonal contrast in rare earth elements concentration in sediment of the Mackenzie Delta
Thomas Bossé-Demers
Département de chimie, Centre d'études nordiques, and Takuvik International Laboratory CNRS/ULaval, Université Laval, 1045 Ave. de la médecine, Québec, QC G1V 0A6, Canada
Bennet Juhls
Permafrost Research Section, Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Potsdam, Germany
Martine Lizotte
Maurice Lamontagne Institute, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, 850 Rte de la Mer, Mont-Joli, QC G5H 3Z4, Canada
Santiago Mareque
Département de chimie, Centre d'études nordiques, and Takuvik International Laboratory CNRS/ULaval, Université Laval, 1045 Ave. de la médecine, Québec, QC G1V 0A6, Canada
Audrey Gaudy
Département de chimie, Centre d'études nordiques, and Takuvik International Laboratory CNRS/ULaval, Université Laval, 1045 Ave. de la médecine, Québec, QC G1V 0A6, Canada
Raoul-Marie Couture
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Département de chimie, Centre d'études nordiques, and Takuvik International Laboratory CNRS/ULaval, Université Laval, 1045 Ave. de la médecine, Québec, QC G1V 0A6, Canada
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Short summary
We measured rare earth element concentrations in sediment of the Mackenzie River Delta during winter and fall to understand how seasons affect their mobility. Winter conditions showed nearly one hundred times more dissolved rare earth elements than fall, driven by organic matter that binds and mobilizes these elements under ice. Since spring floods may flush this winter buildup into the Arctic Ocean, changing ice cover patterns could alter how rivers deliver trace elements to coastal waters.
We measured rare earth element concentrations in sediment of the Mackenzie River Delta during...
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