Increasing discharge from the Mackenzie River system to the Arctic Ocean

2016 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 150-160 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stewart B. Rood ◽  
Sobadini Kaluthota ◽  
Laurens J. Philipsen ◽  
Neil J. Rood ◽  
Karen P. Zanewich
Keyword(s):  
Arctic Ocean ◽  
River System ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
The Arctic Ocean ◽  
Mackenzie River

scholarly journals Preliminary Screening for Microplastic Concentrations in the Surface Water of the Ob and Tom Rivers in Siberia, Russia

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 80
Author(s):  
Yulia A. Frank ◽  
Egor D. Vorobiev ◽  
Danil S. Vorobiev ◽  
Andrey A. Trifonov ◽  
Dmitry V. Antsiferov ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Surface Water ◽  
Arctic Ocean ◽  
River System ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Preliminary Screening ◽  
Freshwater Systems ◽  
Ob River ◽  
The Arctic Ocean ◽  
Abundance And Diversity ◽  
Blank Spot

To date, the largest Russian rivers discharging to the Arctic Ocean remain a “blank spot” on the world map of data on the distribution of microplastics in freshwater systems. This study characterizes the abundance and morphology of microplastics in surface water of the Ob River and its large tributary, the Tom River, in western Siberia. The average number of particles for the two rivers ranged from 44.2 to 51.2 items per m3 or from 79.4 to 87.5 μg per m3 in the Tom River and in the Ob River, respectively. Of the recovered microplastics, 93.5% were less than 1 mm in their largest dimension, the largest group (45.5% of total counts) consisted of particles with sizes range 0.30–1.00 mm. Generally, microfragments of irregular shape were the most abundant among the Ob and Tom samples (47.4%) and exceeded microfibers (22.1%), microfilms (20.8%), and microspheres (9.74%) by average counts. Results from this study provide a baseline for understanding the scale of the transport of microplastics by the Ob River system into the Arctic Ocean and add to currently available data on microplastics abundance and diversity in freshwater systems of differing global geographic locations.

scholarly journals A 50 % increase in the mass of terrestrial particles delivered by the Mackenzie River into the Beaufort Sea (Canadian Arctic Ocean) over the last 10 years

2015 ◽  
Vol 12 (11) ◽  
pp. 3551-3565 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Doxaran ◽  
E. Devred ◽  
M. Babin
Keyword(s):  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Arctic Ocean ◽  
Suspended Solids ◽  
Beaufort Sea ◽  
Freshwater Discharge ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Field Observations ◽  
The Arctic Ocean ◽  
Arctic Rivers ◽  
Mackenzie River

Abstract. Global warming has a significant impact on the regional scale on the Arctic Ocean and surrounding coastal zones (i.e., Alaska, Canada, Greenland, Norway and Russia). The recent increase in air temperature has resulted in increased precipitation along the drainage basins of Arctic rivers. It has also directly impacted land and seawater temperatures with the consequence of melting permafrost and sea ice. An increase in freshwater discharge by main Arctic rivers has been clearly identified in time series of field observations. The freshwater discharge of the Mackenzie River has increased by 25% since 2003. This may have increased the mobilization and transport of various dissolved and particulate substances, including organic carbon, as well as their export to the ocean. The release from land to the ocean of such organic material, which has been sequestered in a frozen state since the Last Glacial Maximum, may significantly impact the Arctic Ocean carbon cycle as well as marine ecosystems. In this study we use 11 years of ocean color satellite data and field observations collected in 2009 to estimate the mass of terrestrial suspended solids and particulate organic carbon delivered by the Mackenzie River into the Beaufort Sea (Arctic Ocean). Our results show that during the summer period, the concentration of suspended solids at the river mouth, in the delta zone and in the river plume has increased by 46, 71 and 33%, respectively, since 2003. Combined with the variations observed in the freshwater discharge, this corresponds to a more than 50% increase in the particulate (terrestrial suspended particles and organic carbon) export from the Mackenzie River into the Beaufort Sea.

The delivery of mercury to the Beaufort Sea of the Arctic Ocean by the Mackenzie River

2007 ◽  
Vol 373 (1) ◽  
pp. 178-195 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel R. Leitch ◽  
Jesse Carrie ◽  
David Lean ◽  
Robie W. Macdonald ◽  
Gary A. Stern ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Arctic Ocean ◽  
Beaufort Sea ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
The Arctic Ocean ◽  
Mackenzie River

Deltaic and Estuarine Controls on Mackenzie River Solute Fluxes to the Arctic Ocean

2020 ◽  
Vol 43 (8) ◽  
pp. 1992-2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lauren E. Kipp ◽  
Paul B. Henderson ◽  
Zhaohui Aleck Wang ◽  
Matthew A. Charette
Keyword(s):  
Arctic Ocean ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Solute Fluxes ◽  
The Arctic Ocean ◽  
Mackenzie River

Mercury Export to the Arctic Ocean from the Mackenzie River, Canada

2013 ◽  
Vol 47 (14) ◽  
pp. 7644-7654 ◽  
Author(s):  
Craig A. Emmerton ◽  
Jennifer A. Graydon ◽  
Jolie A. L. Gareis ◽  
Vincent L. St. Louis ◽  
Lance F. W. Lesack ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Arctic Ocean ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
The Arctic Ocean ◽  
Mackenzie River

scholarly journals Uncertainty in the impacts of projected climate change on the hydrology of a subarctic environment: Liard River Basin

2010 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 3129-3157 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Thorne
Keyword(s):  
Arctic Ocean ◽  
River Discharge ◽  
Annual Runoff ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Climate Projections ◽  
Mountainous Regions ◽  
The Arctic Ocean ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Global Mean ◽  
Mackenzie River

Abstract. Freshwater inputs from the Mackenzie River into the Arctic Ocean contribute to the control of oceanic dynamics and sea ice cover duration. Half of the annual runoff from the Mackenzie River drains from mountainous regions, where the Liard River, with a drainage area of 275 000 km2, is especially influential. The impact of projected atmospheric warming on the discharge of the Liard River is unclear. Here, uncertainty in climate projections associated with GCM structure (2 °C prescribed warming) and magnitude of increases in global mean air temperature (1 to 6 °C) on the river discharge are assessed using SLURP, a well-tested hydrological model. Most climate projections indicate (1) warming in this subarctic environment that is greater than the global mean and (2) an increase in precipitation across the basin. These changes lead to an earlier spring freshet (1 to 12 days earlier), a decrease in summer runoff (up to 22%) due to enhanced evaporation, and an increase in autumn flow (up to 48%), leading to higher annual discharge and more freshwater input from the Liard River to the Arctic Ocean. All simulations project that the subarctic nival regime will be preserved in the future but the magnitude of changes in river discharge is highly uncertain (ranging from a decrease of 3% to an increase of 15% in annual runoff), due to differences in GCM projections of basin-wide temperature and precipitation.

scholarly journals Optical characterisation of suspended particles in the Mackenzie River plume (Canadian Arctic Ocean) and implications for ocean colour remote sensing

2012 ◽  
Vol 9 (8) ◽  
pp. 3213-3229 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Doxaran ◽  
J. Ehn ◽  
S. Bélanger ◽  
A. Matsuoka ◽  
S. Hooker ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Remote Sensing ◽  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Arctic Ocean ◽  
Satellite Data ◽  
Canadian Arctic ◽  
River Mouth ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Ocean Colour ◽  
The Arctic Ocean ◽  
Mackenzie River

Abstract. Climate change significantly impacts Arctic shelf regions in terms of air temperature, ultraviolet radiation, melting of sea ice, precipitation, thawing of permafrost and coastal erosion. Direct consequences have been observed on the increasing Arctic river flow and a large amount of organic carbon sequestered in soils at high latitudes since the last glacial maximum can be expected to be delivered to the Arctic Ocean during the coming decade. Monitoring the fluxes and fate of this terrigenous organic carbon is problematic in such sparsely populated regions unless remote sensing techniques can be developed and proved to be operational. The main objective of this study is to develop an ocean colour algorithm to operationally monitor dynamics of suspended particulate matter (SPM) on the Mackenzie River continental shelf (Canadian Arctic Ocean) using satellite imagery. The water optical properties are documented across the study area and related to concentrations of SPM and particulate organic carbon (POC). Robust SPM and POC : SPM proxies are identified, such as the light backscattering and attenuation coefficients, and relationships are established between these optical and biogeochemical parameters. Following a semi-analytical approach, a regional SPM quantification relationship is obtained for the inversion of the water reflectance signal into SPM concentration. This relationship is reproduced based on independent field optical measurements. It is successfully applied to a selection of MODIS satellite data which allow estimating fluxes at the river mouth and monitoring the extension and dynamics of the Mackenzie River surface plume in 2009, 2010 and 2011. Good agreement is obtained with field observations representative of the whole water column in the river delta zone where terrigenous SPM is mainly constrained (out of short periods of maximum river outflow). Most of the seaward export of SPM is observed to occur within the west side of the river mouth. Future work will require the validation of the developed SPM regional algorithm based on match-ups with field measurements, then the routine application to ocean colour satellite data in order to better estimate the fluxes and fate of SPM and POC delivered by the Mackenzie River to the Arctic Ocean.

scholarly journals A 50% increase in the amount of terrestrial particles delivered by the Mackenzie River into the Beaufort Sea (Canadian Arctic Ocean) over the last 10 years

2015 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 305-344 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Doxaran ◽  
E. Devred ◽  
M. Babin
Keyword(s):  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Arctic Ocean ◽  
Suspended Solids ◽  
Beaufort Sea ◽  
Freshwater Discharge ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Field Observations ◽  
The Arctic Ocean ◽  
Arctic Rivers ◽  
Mackenzie River

Abstract. Global warming has a significant impact at the regional scale on the Arctic Ocean and surrounding coastal zones (i.e., Alaska, Canada, Greenland, Norway and Russia). The recent increase in air temperature has resulted in increased precipitations along the drainage basins of Arctic Rivers. It has also directly impacted land and seawater temperatures with the consequence of melting the permafrost and sea-ice. An increase in freshwater discharge by main Arctic rivers has been clearly identified in time series of field observations. The freshwater discharge of the Mackenzie River has increased by 25% since 2003. This may have increased the mobilization and transport of various dissolved and particulate substances, including organic carbon, as well as their export to the ocean. The release from land to the ocean of such organic material, which was sequestered as frozen since the last glacial maximum, may significantly impact the Arctic Ocean carbon cycle as well as marine ecosystems. In this study we use 11 years of ocean-colour satellite data and field observations collected in 2009 to estimate the amount of terrestrial suspended solids and particulate organic carbon delivered by the Mackenzie River into the Beaufort Sea (Arctic Ocean). Our results show that during the summer period the concentration of suspended solids at the river mouth, in the delta zone and in the river plume has increased by 46, 71 and 33%, respectively, since 2003. Combined with the variations observed in the freshwater discharge, this corresponds to a more than 50% increase in the particulate (terrestrial suspended particles and organic carbon) export from the Mackenzie River into the Beaufort Sea.

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