•0.3‰ of δ187Re variation across rivers from the Mackenzie River basin.•For each river, the δ187Re of the dissolved load is higher than that of the corresponding river sediment•The δ187Re of river ...water and sediments is controlled by both provenance and modern oxidative weathering processes•The average δ187Re of Mackenzie bedrock (∼−0.05‰) and dissolved load (∼−0.01‰) are lower than Atlantic seawater δ187Re.
Rhenium (Re) is a trace element whose redox chemistry makes it an ideal candidate to trace a range of geochemical processes. Here, we report the first rhenium isotopic measurements (δ187Re) from river-borne materials to assess the influence of chemical weathering on Re isotopes at continental scale. The δ187Re was measured in water, suspended sediments and bedloads from the Mackenzie River and its main Arctic tributaries in Northwestern Canada. We find that the δ187Re (relative to NIST SRM 989) of river waters ranges from −0.05‰ to +0.07‰, which is generally higher than the corresponding river sediment (−0.25‰ to +0.01‰). We show that the range of δ187Re in river sediments (∼0.30‰) is controlled by a combination of source bedrock isotopic variability (provenance) and modern oxidative weathering processes. After correcting for bedrock variability, the δ187Re of solids appear to be positively correlated with the amount of Re depletion related to oxidative weathering. This correlation, and the offset in δ187Re between river water and sediment, can be explained by preferential oxidation of reactive phases with high δ187Re (i.e. rock organic carbon, sulfide minerals), but could also result from fractionation during oxidation or the influence of secondary weathering processes. Overall, we find that both basin-average bedrock δ187Re (∼−0.05‰) and dissolved δ187Re (∼−0.01‰) in the Mackenzie River are lower than the δ187Re of Atlantic seawater (+0.12‰). These observations provide impetus for future work to constrain the Re isotope mass balance of seawater, and assess the potential for secular shifts in its δ187Re values over time, which could provide an additional isotopic proxy to trace current and past redox processes at Earth's Surface.
Trends and variability in the hydrological regime were analyzed for the Mackenzie River Basin in northern Canada. The procedure utilized the Mann–Kendall non-parametric test to detect trends, the ...Trend Free Pre-Whitening (TFPW) approach for correcting time-series data for autocorrelation and a bootstrap resampling method to account for the cross-correlation structure of the data. A total of 19 hydrological and six meteorological variables were selected for the study. Analysis was conducted on hydrological data from a network of 54 hydrometric stations and meteorological data from a network of 10 stations. The results indicated that several hydrological variables exhibit a greater number of significant trends than are expected to occur by chance. Noteworthy were strong increasing trends over the winter month flows of December to April as well as in the annual minimum flow and weak decreasing trends in the early summer and late fall flows as well as in the annual mean flow. An earlier onset of the spring freshet is noted over the basin. The results are expected to assist water resources managers and policy makers in making better planning decisions in the Mackenzie River Basin.
The Arctic environment harbors a complex mosaic of mercury (Hg) and carbon (C) reservoirs, some of which are rapidly destabilizing in response to climate warming. The sources of riverine Hg across ...the Mackenzie River basin (MRB) are uncertain, which leads to a poor understanding of potential future release. Measurements of dissolved and particulate mercury (DHg, PHg) and carbon (DOC, POC) concentration were performed, along with analyses of Hg stable isotope ratios (incl. ∆199Hg, δ202Hg), radiocarbon content (∆14C) and optical properties of DOC of river water. Isotopic ratios of Hg revealed a closer association to terrestrial Hg reservoirs for the particulate fraction, while the dissolved fraction was more closely associated with atmospheric deposition sources of shorter turnover time. There was a positive correlation between the ∆14C-OC and riverine Hg concentration for both particulate and dissolved fractions, indicating that waters transporting older-OC (14C-depleted) also contained higher levels of Hg. In the dissolved fraction, older DOC was also associated with higher molecular weight, aromaticity and humic content, which are likely associated with higher Hg-binding potential. Riverine PHg concentration increased with turbidity and SO4 concentration. There were large contrasts in Hg concentration and OC age and quality among the mountain and lowland sectors of the MRB, which likely reflect the spatial distribution of various terrestrial Hg and OC reservoirs, including weathering of sulfate minerals, erosion and extraction of coal deposits, thawing permafrost, forest fires, peatlands, and forests. Results revealed major differences in the sources of particulate and dissolved riverine Hg, but nonetheless a common positive association with older riverine OC. These findings reveal that a complex mixture of Hg sources, supplied across the MRB, will contribute to future trends in Hg export to the Arctic Ocean under rapid environmental changes.
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•Sources differ between the particulate and dissolved Hg fractions.•Dissolved Hg is more strongly associated with atmospheric deposition.•Particulate Hg is consistently associated with terrestrial sources.•Riverine Hg concentration are positively correlated with Organic Carbon age.•River chemistry is strongly contrasted between the Mountain and Lowland area.
Terrestrial water storage (TWS) information derived from gravity recovery and climate experiment (GRACE) measurements is assimilated into a land surface model over the Mackenzie River basin located ...in northwest Canada. Assimilation is conducted using an ensemble Kalman smoother (EnKS). Model estimates with and without assimilation are compared against independent observational data sets of snow water equivalent (SWE) and runoff. For SWE, modest improvements in mean difference (MD) and root‐mean‐square difference (RMSD) are achieved as a result of the assimilation. No significant differences in temporal correlations of SWE resulted. Runoff statistics of MD remain relatively unchanged while RMSD statistics, in general, are improved in most of the sub‐basins. Temporal correlations are degraded within the most upstream sub‐basin, but are, in general, improved at the downstream locations, which are more representative of an integrated basin response. GRACE assimilation using an EnKS offers improvements in hydrologic state/flux estimation, though comparisons with observed runoff would be enhanced by the use of river routing and lake storage routines within the prognostic land surface model. Further, GRACE hydrology products would benefit from the inclusion of better constrained models of postglacial rebound, which significantly affects GRACE estimates of interannual hydrologic variability in the Mackenzie River basin.
Key Points
GRACE assimilation can improve modeled snow pack estimation
GRACE assimilation can improve modeled river runoff timing
GRACE assimilation offers improvements to freshwater resource characterization
High-resolution spaceborne synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images have verified the wide existence of internal solitary waves (ISWs) over the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas. A major ISW generation hotspot ...has been observed at the mouth of the Mackenzie River. Considering the weak tidal currents and relatively flat topography of the Mackenzie Shelf, such ISWs are unlikely to be generated by tide–topography interactions. However, this is more likely caused by the intrusion of river plumes. Therefore, the generation of ISWs by the Mackenzie River plume is investigated numerically. A series of numerical simulations are conducted to explore the influence of stratification, river plume strength, and Earth's rotation on the generation and evolution of ISWs. The results indicate that the Mackenzie River plume is an essential ISW source for the coastal Arctic Ocean. The amplitude of the ISWs is affected by the intrusion strength of the Mackenzie River plume. In addition to the direct observational evidence from summer, the numerical results show that the environmental conditions in winter are suitable for the generation of ISWs. Rotation affects the amplitude of the generated ISWs and the number of ISWs in an ISW packet by modulating the plume intrusion strength and dispersing the ISWs. This study highlights the crucial role of the river plume mechanism in exciting ISWs and emphasizes the importance of ISWs for vertical mixing in the Arctic Ocean.
•The Mackenzie River plume is an essential source of internal solitary waves (ISWs) in the coastal Arctic Ocean.•Both winter and summer conditions are suitable for ISW generation.•Rotation slows down the intruding speed of the river plume and thus reduces the ISW amplitude and number in a packet.•ISWs play a crucial role in vertical mixing in the Arctic Ocean.
Increasing air temperatures and associated permafrost thaw in Arctic river watersheds, such as the Mackenzie River catchment, are directly affecting the aquatic environment. As a consequence, the ...quantity and the quality of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) that is transported via the Mackenzie River into the Arctic Ocean is expected to change. Particularly in these remote permafrost regions of the Arctic, monitoring of terrigenous organic carbon fluxes is insufficient and knowledge of distribution and fate of organic carbon when released to the coastal waters is remarkably lacking. Despite its poorly evaluated performance in Arctic coastal waters, Satellite Ocean Colour Remote Sensing (SOCRS) remains a powerful tool to complement monitoring of land-ocean DOC fluxes, detect their trends, and help in understanding their propagation in the Arctic Ocean.
In this study, we use in situ and SOCRS data to show the strong seasonal dynamics of the Mackenzie River plume and the spatial distribution of associated terrigenous DOC on the Beaufort Sea Shelf for the first time. Using a dataset collected during an extensive field campaign in 2019, the performance of three commonly-used atmospheric correction (AC) algorithms and two available colored dissolved organic matter (CDOM) retrieval algorithms were evaluated using the Ocean and Land Colour Instrument (OLCI). Our results showed that in optically-complex Arctic coastal waters the Polymer AC algorithm performed the best. For the retrieval of CDOM, the gsmA algorithm (Mean Percentage Error (MPE) = 35.7%) showed slightly more consistent results compared to the ONNS algorithm (MPE = 37.9%). By merging our measurements with published datasets, the newly-established DOC-CDOM relationship for the Mackenzie-Beaufort Sea region allowed estimations of DOC concentrations from SOCRS across the entire fluvial-marine transition zone with an MPE of 20.5%. Finally, we applied SOCRS with data from the Sentinel-3 OLCI sensor to illustrate the seasonal variation of DOC concentrations in the surface waters of the Beaufort Sea on a large spatial scales and high frequency throughout the entire open water period. Highest DOC concentrations and largest lateral extent of the plume were observed in spring right after the Mackenzie River ice break-up indicating that the freshet was the main driver of plume propagation and DOC distribution on the shelf. Satellite-derived images of surface water DOC concentration placed the in situ observations into a larger temporal and spatial context and revealed a strong seasonal variability in transport pathways of DOC in the Mackenzie- Beaufort Sea region.
•Strong seasonal differences of Mackenzie River plume extent on the Beaufort Sea shelf.•In situ data of fluvial marine transition zone improves DOC-CDOM relationship.•DOC concentrations can be estimated from space with an uncertainty of 20.5%.•Remote sensing reveals distribution of DOC on larger scales and higher frequency.
Soils and other unconsolidated deposits in the northern circumpolar permafrost region store large amounts of soil organic carbon (SOC). This SOC is potentially vulnerable to remobilization following ...soil warming and permafrost thaw, but SOC stock estimates were poorly constrained and quantitative error estimates were lacking. This study presents revised estimates of permafrost SOC stocks, including quantitative uncertainty estimates, in the 0–3 m depth range in soils as well as for sediments deeper than 3 m in deltaic deposits of major rivers and in the Yedoma region of Siberia and Alaska. Revised estimates are based on significantly larger databases compared to previous studies. Despite this there is evidence of significant remaining regional data gaps. Estimates remain particularly poorly constrained for soils in the High Arctic region and physiographic regions with thin sedimentary overburden (mountains, highlands and plateaus) as well as for deposits below 3 m depth in deltas and the Yedoma region. While some components of the revised SOC stocks are similar in magnitude to those previously reported for this region, there are substantial differences in other components, including the fraction of perennially frozen SOC. Upscaled based on regional soil maps, estimated permafrost region SOC stocks are 217 ± 12 and 472 ± 27 Pg for the 0–0.3 and 0–1 m soil depths, respectively (±95% confidence intervals). Storage of SOC in 0–3 m of soils is estimated to 1035 ± 150 Pg. Of this, 34 ± 16 Pg C is stored in poorly developed soils of the High Arctic. Based on generalized calculations, storage of SOC below 3 m of surface soils in deltaic alluvium of major Arctic rivers is estimated as 91 ± 52 Pg. In the Yedoma region, estimated SOC stocks below 3 m depth are 181 ± 54 Pg, of which 74 ± 20 Pg is stored in intact Yedoma (late Pleistocene ice- and organic-rich silty sediments) with the remainder in refrozen thermokarst deposits. Total estimated SOC storage for the permafrost region is ∼1300 Pg with an uncertainty range of ∼1100 to 1500 Pg. Of this, ∼500 Pg is in non-permafrost soils, seasonally thawed in the active layer or in deeper taliks, while ∼800 Pg is perennially frozen. This represents a substantial ∼300 Pg lowering of the estimated perennially frozen SOC stock compared to previous estimates.
Soils of the northern high latitudes store carbon over millennial timescales (thousands of years) and contain approximately double the carbon stock of the atmosphere. Warming and associated ...permafrost thaw can expose soil organic carbon and result in mineralization and carbon dioxide (CO2) release. However, some of this soil organic carbon may be eroded and transferred to rivers. If it escapes degradation during river transport and is buried in marine sediments, then it can contribute to a longer-term (more than ten thousand years), geological CO2 sink. Despite this recognition, the erosional flux and fate of particulate organic carbon (POC) in large rivers at high latitudes remains poorly constrained. Here, we quantify the source of POC in the Mackenzie River, the main sediment supplier to the Arctic Ocean, and assess its flux and fate. We combine measurements of radiocarbon, stable carbon isotopes and element ratios to correct for rock-derived POC. Our samples reveal that the eroded biospheric POC has resided in the basin for millennia, with a mean radiocarbon age of 5,800 ± 800 years, much older than the POC in large tropical rivers. From the measured biospheric POC content and variability in annual sediment yield, we calculate a biospheric POC flux of 2.2(+1.3)(-0.9) teragrams of carbon per year from the Mackenzie River, which is three times the CO2 drawdown by silicate weathering in this basin. Offshore, we find evidence for efficient terrestrial organic carbon burial over the Holocene period, suggesting that erosion of organic carbon-rich, high-latitude soils may result in an important geological CO2 sink.
Forecasted increases in terrestrial organic matter (OMterr) inputs to the Arctic Beaufort Sea necessitate a better understanding of the proportional contribution of this potential food source to the ...trophic structure of marine communities. This study investigated the relative ecological importance of OMterr across the Beaufort Sea shelf and slope by examining differences in community trophic structure concurrent with variation in terrestrial versus marine organic matter influence. Oxygen stable isotope ratios (δ18O) of surface water confirmed the widespread influence of Canada’s Mackenzie River plume across the Beaufort Sea. Carbon stable isotope ratios (δ13C) of pelagic particulate organic matter (pPOM) and marine consumers indicated a significant decrease in OMterr presence and utilization by consumers with increasing distance from the Mackenzie River outflow. Food web length, based on the nitrogen stable isotope ratios (δ15N) of marine consumers, was greater closer to the Mackenzie River outflow both in shelf and slope locations, due to relatively higher δ15N values of pelagic and benthic primary consumers. Strong microbial processing of OMterr in the eastern regions of the Beaufort Sea is inferred based on a trophic gap between assumed end members and lower trophic consumers. A greater proportion of relative epifaunal biomass occupying higher trophic levels suggests that OMterr as a basal food source can provide substantial energetic support for higher marine trophic levels. These findings challenge the current conception of low terrestrial matter usage in the Arctic marine food web, and indicate the need for a more specific understanding of energy transfer through the OMterr-associated microbial loop.
Uranium (U) isotope signatures (δ238U) recorded in sedimentary archives provide insight into the paleo redox state of the ocean. But the robust interpretation of these sedimentary U isotope records ...requires characterisation of the U isotope signature of rivers, the main source of U to the ocean. The main controlling factors on riverine δ238U remain poorly constrained. Here, we investigate the elemental and isotope signatures of uranium in the dissolved and solid loads of a well-characterised river, the Mackenzie Basin (Canada).
In the Mackenzie Basin, the solid load δ238U shows a positive relationship with U and vanadium (V) contents, consistent with the suggestion that particulate δ238U are explained by variable contributions via erosion of silicate and black shale. The δ238U of the dissolved and solid loads are correlated which, at first sight, suggests no U isotope fractionation during chemical weathering, and a purely lithological control on both the river dissolved and solid δ238U. Moreover, relationships between dissolved U and δ238U and major elements such as calcium and sulfate, also support the idea of a lithological control. However, the δ238U of end members inferred from mixing relationships are not consistent with binary mixing of two sources, suggesting some potential U isotope fractionation during weathering. In fact, the abundance of U in the river dissolved load is always lower than that predicted by silicate rock weathering. This suggests that 1) the weathering of silicate only can explain the abundance of U in the river dissolved load and 2) secondary weathering processes scavenge a proportion of the U released by primary mineral breakdown. The broad negative relationship between δ238U and the depletion of dissolved U is also consistent with the control of dissolved δ238U by secondary weathering processes following silicate mineral breakdown. The relationships observed between dissolved U, δ238U and the large-scale environmental controls on weathering processes (such as weathering intensity or runoff) support this hypothesis.
Overall, our interpretations of the variation in the river dissolved δ238U challenge the common assumption of the control of dissolved U by black shale and carbonate weathering. In addition, we suggest that the extent of secondary weathering processes can imprint on the U isotope signature of rivers, now and in the past.
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