Dissolved and Particulate Major and Trace Elements in Newly
Formed Ice from the Laptev Sea (Transdrift III, October 1995)
J.A. HOIemann!, M. Schirmacher 2 and A. Prange 2
(1) GEOMAR Forschungszentrum fUr marine Geowissenschaften, Wischhofstrasse 1-3, D 24148 Kiel,
Germany
(2) GKSS Forschungszentrum, Max-Planck-Strasse, D 21502 Geesthacht, Germany
Received 14 February 1997 and accepted in revised form 13 February 97
Abstract - Dissolved and particulate elements were determined in new ice, nilas and young
ice of the Laptev Sea. Sampling was carried out during the autumn freeze-up period in
1995.
The median contents of metals in ice-bound particles are comparable to those found in
unpolluted riverine and marine sediments and, thus, give no indication of anthropogenic
heavy metal pollution.
In contrast, dissolved trace metal concentrations observed in the new ice north of the Lena
delta (Tumatskaya branch) were highly enriched in Mn, Fe, Zn, Cd and Pb in comparison
to average concentrations in freshwater of the Lena river. We suggest that remobilization of
metals from the particulate phase is the cause of elevated dissolved metal concentrations in
the young ice. The release of dissolved metals within the ice should also have an effect on
the ice ecology and the river-sea transport of heavy metals within the Arctic.
The observed spatial variations within the major-element vs. aluminum ratios (e.g Mg/AI,
Ca/AI, K/AI and REE/AI) of ice-rafted sediments could be directly related to the
geochemical signatures of different fluvial sediment sources. These results suggest that
riverine particulate trace elements are effectively incorporated into the ice and so can be used
as tracer for the identification of shelf source areas of ice rafted sediments within the Arctic.
Introduction
Sediments incorporated into newly formed ice can strongly influence the transport and
distribution of trace elements. In particular, particle reactive substances like heavy metals may
adsorb onto organic and inorganic ice-bound particles and, thus, can be effectively transported
from the inner shelf to the Arctic Ocean. As a consequence, the Siberian Arctic shelves,
compared to ice free shelves, are less effective barriers for the land-ocean transport of manmade and natural substances. This fact has consequences also for the pollution assessment of
Siberian river systems and coastal waters and their possible influence on the Arctic ecosystem.
Most recently this aspect has been discussed in several publications mainly focusing on the
transport of radioactive substances by ice (Barrie et aI., 1992; Weeks, 1994; Pfirman et aI.,
1995). However, published data on actual contaminant levels are sparse. As an example, data
on heavy metal concentrations in sea ice are given by Melnikov (1991), but the published data
are only mean values for non-specified regions in the Russian Arctic.
The complex structure and history of sea ice within the Transpolar Drift is another difficulty
for the study of contaminant transport by ice. Atmospheric deposition of metals, depletion and
enrichment processes caused by surface melting and freezing and biological cycling are some of
the processes that make it nearly impossible to differentiate between contaminant sources that
are responsible for the pollution of multi-year pack ice. As a result, the assessment of
contaminant inputs during ice formation can only be made in source areas of the Arctic pack ice
cover.
Recent investigations have shown that the Laptev Sea is one of the key regions for the
understanding of processes connected to the incorporation of sedimentary particles into the ice
In: Kassens, H., H.A. Bauch, I. Dmitrenko, H. Eicken, H.-W. Hubberten, M. Melles, J. Thiede and L. Timokhov (eds.)
Land-Ocean Systems in the Siberian Arctic: Dynamics and History. Springer-Verlag, Berlin, 1999, 101-111.
Formed Ice from the Laptev Sea (Transdrift III, October 1995)
J.A. HOIemann!, M. Schirmacher 2 and A. Prange 2
(1) GEOMAR Forschungszentrum fUr marine Geowissenschaften, Wischhofstrasse 1-3, D 24148 Kiel,
Germany
(2) GKSS Forschungszentrum, Max-Planck-Strasse, D 21502 Geesthacht, Germany
Received 14 February 1997 and accepted in revised form 13 February 97
Abstract - Dissolved and particulate elements were determined in new ice, nilas and young
ice of the Laptev Sea. Sampling was carried out during the autumn freeze-up period in
1995.
The median contents of metals in ice-bound particles are comparable to those found in
unpolluted riverine and marine sediments and, thus, give no indication of anthropogenic
heavy metal pollution.
In contrast, dissolved trace metal concentrations observed in the new ice north of the Lena
delta (Tumatskaya branch) were highly enriched in Mn, Fe, Zn, Cd and Pb in comparison
to average concentrations in freshwater of the Lena river. We suggest that remobilization of
metals from the particulate phase is the cause of elevated dissolved metal concentrations in
the young ice. The release of dissolved metals within the ice should also have an effect on
the ice ecology and the river-sea transport of heavy metals within the Arctic.
The observed spatial variations within the major-element vs. aluminum ratios (e.g Mg/AI,
Ca/AI, K/AI and REE/AI) of ice-rafted sediments could be directly related to the
geochemical signatures of different fluvial sediment sources. These results suggest that
riverine particulate trace elements are effectively incorporated into the ice and so can be used
as tracer for the identification of shelf source areas of ice rafted sediments within the Arctic.
Introduction
Sediments incorporated into newly formed ice can strongly influence the transport and
distribution of trace elements. In particular, particle reactive substances like heavy metals may
adsorb onto organic and inorganic ice-bound particles and, thus, can be effectively transported
from the inner shelf to the Arctic Ocean. As a consequence, the Siberian Arctic shelves,
compared to ice free shelves, are less effective barriers for the land-ocean transport of manmade and natural substances. This fact has consequences also for the pollution assessment of
Siberian river systems and coastal waters and their possible influence on the Arctic ecosystem.
Most recently this aspect has been discussed in several publications mainly focusing on the
transport of radioactive substances by ice (Barrie et aI., 1992; Weeks, 1994; Pfirman et aI.,
1995). However, published data on actual contaminant levels are sparse. As an example, data
on heavy metal concentrations in sea ice are given by Melnikov (1991), but the published data
are only mean values for non-specified regions in the Russian Arctic.
The complex structure and history of sea ice within the Transpolar Drift is another difficulty
for the study of contaminant transport by ice. Atmospheric deposition of metals, depletion and
enrichment processes caused by surface melting and freezing and biological cycling are some of
the processes that make it nearly impossible to differentiate between contaminant sources that
are responsible for the pollution of multi-year pack ice. As a result, the assessment of
contaminant inputs during ice formation can only be made in source areas of the Arctic pack ice
cover.
Recent investigations have shown that the Laptev Sea is one of the key regions for the
understanding of processes connected to the incorporation of sedimentary particles into the ice
In: Kassens, H., H.A. Bauch, I. Dmitrenko, H. Eicken, H.-W. Hubberten, M. Melles, J. Thiede and L. Timokhov (eds.)
Land-Ocean Systems in the Siberian Arctic: Dynamics and History. Springer-Verlag, Berlin, 1999, 101-111.