Can Mg isotopes be used to trace cyanobacteria-mediated magnesium carbonate precipitation in alkaline lakes?

The fractionation of Mg isotopes was determined during the cyanobacterial mediated precipitation of hydrous magnesium carbonate precipitation in both natural environments and in the laboratory. Natural samples were obtained from Lake Salda (SE Turkey), one of the few modern environments on the Earth's surface where hydrous Mg-carbonates are the dominant precipitating minerals. This precipitation was associated with cyanobacterial stromatolites which were abundant in this aquatic ecosystem. Mg isotope analyses were performed on samples of incoming streams, groundwaters, lake waters, stromatolites, and hydromagnesite-rich sediments. Laboratory Mg carbonate precipitation experiments were conducted in the presence of purified Synechococcus sp cyanobacteria that were isolated from the lake water and stromatolites. The hydrous magnesium carbonates nesquehonite (MgCO3·3H2O) and dypingite (Mg5(CO3)4(OH)25(H2O)) were precipitated in these batch reactor experiments from aqueous solutions containing either synthetic NaHCO3/MgCl2 mixtures or natural Lake Salda water, in the presence and absence of live photosynthesizing Synechococcus sp. Bulk precipitation rates were not to affected by the presence of bacteria when air was bubbled through the system. In the stirred non-bubbled reactors, conditions similar to natural settings, bacterial photosynthesis provoked nesquehonite precipitation, whilst no precipitation occurred in bacteria-free systems in the absence of air bubbling, despite the fluids achieving a similar or higher degree of supersaturation. The extent of Mg isotope fractionation (?26Mgsolid-solution) between the mineral and solution in the abiotic experiments was found to be identical, within uncertainty, to that measured in cyanobacteria-bearing experiments, and ranges from ?1.4 to ?0.7 ‰. This similarity refutes the use of Mg isotopes to validate microbial mediated precipitation of hydrous Mg carbonate

A snap-shot assessment of carbon emission and export in a pristine river draining permafrost peatlands (Taz River, Western Siberia)

Mobilization of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and CO2 from the frozen peat to surface waters in the permafrost zone of high latitude regions is expected to enhance under on-going permafrost thaw and active layer thickness deepening. Here we explored one of the most remote, pristine, unregulated and yet environmentally important rivers in western Siberia (Taz). This subarctic river drains through forested and tundra peat bogs over a gradient of permafrost and climate and likely acts as an important conduit of CO2 to the atmosphere and carbon and nutrient exporter to the Arctic Ocean. In a snapshot study during end of spring flood–beginning of summer baseflow (July 2019), we monitored daytime CO2 and CH4 concentrations and measured CO2 emissions using floating chambers in the main stem (700 km from the upper reaches to the mouth) and 16 main tributaries and we also assessed day/night variations in the emissions. We further tested the impact of land cover parameters of the watershed and tributaries. Based on regular monitoring of the terminal (gauging) station, we quantified the C export to the Arctic Ocean during the study period. We revealed sizable CO2 emissions from the main stem and tributaries (1.0 ± 0.4 and 1.8 ± 0.6 g C-CO2 m−2 d−1, respectively). The CO2 concentrations positively correlated with dissolved organic carbon (DOC), whereas the CH4 concentrations could be partially controlled by dissolved nutrients (N, P) and proportion of light coniferous forest at the watershed. The overall C emission from the water surfaces (4,845 km2) of the Taz basin (150,000 km2) during open water period (6 months, May to October) was estimated as 0.92 Tg C (>99.5% C-CO2, <0.5% C-CH4) which is twice higher than the total dissolved C (organic and inorganic) riverine export flux during the same period. Applying a “substituting space for time” approach for northern and southern parts of the river basin, we suggest that the current riverine CO2 emission may increase 2 to 3 fold in the next decades due to on-going climate warming and permafrost thaw. When integrating the obtained results into global models of C and biogeochemical cycle in the Arctic and subarctic region, the use of the Taz River as a representative example of continental planes should help to estimate the consequences of frozen peatland thaw on CO2 cycle in the Arctic and subarctic regions

Element transport in the Taz River, western Siberia

The riverine export fluxes of dissolved carbon, nutrient and metals from the land to the Arctic Ocean are fairly well quantified for five large Arctic rivers but remain virtually unknown for mid-sized Eurasian rivers, notably those draining through the permafrost zone. Because such rivers can most rapidly respond to on-going climate warming and permafrost thaw in the Arctic, their current hydrochemical composition and elemental yields are badly needed for judging the level of changes in the very near future. Towards quantifying the annual export fluxes and assessing the mechanisms of seasonal variability of river solutes, we monitored the pristine subarctic Taz River (Swatershed = 150,000 km2), which drains through boreal forest and peatlands in the discontinuous and continuous permafrost zone, on a weekly to monthly basis over a 3 year period. Based on seasonal pattern of riverine solutes (70% of annual Mn flux occurred in winter. A number of elements present in the snowpack exhibited sizable (> 45%) export during spring flood (Zn, Cu, Pb, Cd, Sb and Cs). The 3 years mean export fluxes (yields) of dissolved components were comparable to or 30–50% lower than those of other large and medium sized Arctic rivers. This was due mostly to a lack of fresh unaltered rocks and a dominance of peatlands within the Taz River watershed. Elevated concentrations of redox-sensitive micro-nutrients (such as Fe and Mn) occurring during winter baseflow can be linked to disproportionally large floodplain zone of this river which can act, especially in the river's lower reaches, as a stratified lake thereby releasing high amounts of redox-sensitive elements from the sediments. The role of suboxic zones in the Arctic boreal riverine landscape may be more important than previously thought, and may allow explaining anomalously high concentrations of some metals (i.e., Mn) reported in Arctic Ocean surface waters. It is anticipated that climate warming in the region may increase the contribution of winter flow and enhance the export of soluble elements and some nutrients (such as Si, Mn and Co)

Experimental assessment of tundra fire impact on element export and storage in permafrost peatlands

Extensive studies have been performed on wildfire impact on terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems in the taiga biome, however consequences of wildfires in the tundra biome remain poorly understood. In such a biome, permafrost peatlands occupy a sizable territory in the Northern Hemisphere and present an extensive and highly vulnerable storage of organic carbon. Here we used an experimental approach to model the impact of ash produced from burning of main tundra organic constituents (i.e., moss, lichen and peat) on surrounding aquatic ecosystems. We studied the chemical composition of aqueous leachates produced during short-term (1 week) interaction of ash with distilled water and organic-rich lake water at 5 gsolid L−1 and 20 °C. The addition of ash enriched the fluid phase in major cations (i.e., Na, Ca, Mg), macro- (i.e., P, K, Si) and micronutrients (i.e., Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Zn, Mo). This enrichment occurred over <2 days of experiment. Among 3 studied substrates, moss ash released the largest amount of macro- and microcomponents into the aqueous solution. To place the obtained results in the environmental context of a peatbog watershed, we assume a fire return interval of 56 years and that the entire 0–10 cm of upper peat is subjected to fire impact. These mass balance calculations demonstrated that maximal possible delivery of elements from ash after soil burning to the hydrological network is negligibly small (<1–2 %) compared to the annual riverine export flux and element storage in thermokarst lakes. As such, even a 5–10 fold increase in tundra wildfire frequency may not sizably modify nutrient and metal fluxes and pools in the surrounding aquatic ecosystems. This result requires revisiting the current paradigm on the importance of wildfire impact on permafrost peatlands and calls a need for experimental work on other ecosystem compartments (litter, shrubs, frozen peat) which are subjected to fire events

Testing landscape, climate and lithology impact on carbon, major and trace elements of the Lena river and its tributaries during a spring flood period

Transport of carbon, major and trace elements by rivers in permafrost-affected regions is one of the key factors in circumpolar aquatic ecosystem response to climate warming and permafrost thaw. A snap-shot study of major and trace element concentration in the Lena River basin during the peak of spring flood revealed a specific group of solutes according to their spatial pattern across the river main stem and tributaries and allowed the establishment of a link to certain landscape parameters. We demonstrate a systematic decrease of labile major and trace anion, alkali and alkaline-earth metal concentration downstream of the main stem of the Lena River, linked to change in dominant rocks from carbonate to silicate, and a northward decreasing influence of the groundwater. In contrast, dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and a number of low-soluble elements exhibited an increase in concentration from the SW to the NE part of the river. We tentatively link this to an increase in soil organic carbon stock and silicate rocks in the Lena River watershed in this direction. Among all the landscape parameters, the proportion of sporadic permafrost on the watershed strongly influenced concentrations of soluble highly mobile elements (Cl, B, DIC, Li, Na, K, Mg, Ca, Sr, Mo, As and U). Another important factor of element concentration control in the Lena River tributaries was the coverage of the watershed by light (for B, Cl, Na, K, U) and deciduous (for Fe, Ni, Zn, Ge, Rb, Zr, La, Th) needle-leaf forest (pine and larch). Our results also suggest a DOC-enhanced transport of low-soluble trace elements in the NW part of the basin. This part of the basin is dominated by silicate rocks and continuous permafrost, as compared to the carbonate rock-dominated and groundwater-affected SW part of the Lena River basin. Overall, the impact of rock lithology and permafrost on major and trace solutes of the Lena River basin during the peak of spring flood was mostly detected at the scale of the main stem. Such an impact for tributaries was much less pronounced, because of the dominance of surface flow and lower hydrological connectivity with deep groundwater in the latter. Future changes in the river water chemistry linked to climate warming and permafrost thaw at the scale of the whole river basin are likely to stem from changes in the spatial pattern of dominant vegetation as well as the permafrost regime. We argue that comparable studies of large, permafrost-affected rivers during contrasting seasons, including winter baseflow, should allow efficient prediction of future changes in riverine 'inorganic' hydrochemistry induced by permafrost thaw

Carbon emission from Western Siberian inland waters

High-latitude regions play a key role in the carbon (C) cycle and climate system. An important question is the degree of mobilization and atmospheric release of vast soil C stocks, partly stored in permafrost, with amplified warming of these regions. A fraction of this C is exported to inland waters and emitted to the atmosphere, yet these losses are poorly constrained and seldom accounted for in assessments of high-latitude C balances. This is particularly relevant for Western Siberia, with its extensive peatland C stocks, which can be strongly sensitive to the ongoing changes in climate. Here we quantify C emission from inland waters, including the Ob' River (Arctic's largest watershed), across all permafrost zones of Western Siberia. We show that the inland water C emission is high (0.08-0.10 Pg C yr(-1)) and of major significance in the regional C cycle, largely exceeding (7-9 times) C export to the Arctic Ocean and reaching nearly half (35-50%) of the region's land C uptake. This important role of C emission from inland waters highlights the need for coupled land-water studies to understand the contemporary C cycle and its response to warming. Rivers and lakes are thought to be a major conduit of loss for the massive amounts of carbon locked away in high-latitude systems, but such losses are poorly constrained. Here the authors quantify carbon emissions from rivers and lakes across Western Siberia, finding that emissions are high and exceed carbon export to the Arctic Ocean

Environmental controllers for carbon emission and concentration patterns in Siberian rivers during different seasons

Despite the importance of small and medium size rivers of Siberian boreal zone in greenhouse gases (GHG) emission, major knowledge gaps exist regarding its temporal variability and controlling mechanisms. Here we sampled 11 pristine rivers of the southern taiga biome (western Siberia Lowland, WSL), ranging in watershed area from 0.8 to 119,000 km2, to reveal temporal pattern and examine main environmental controllers of GHG emissions from the river water surfaces. Floating chamber measurements demonstrated that CO2 emissions from water surface decreased by 2 to 4-folds from spring to summer and autumn, were independent of the size of the watershed and stream order and did not exhibit sizable (>30 %, regardless of season) variations between day and night. The CH4 concentrations and fluxes increased in the order “spring ≤ summer 99.5 % CO2; <0.5 % CH4) from the watersheds of 11 rivers were equal to the total downstream C export in this part of the WSL. Based on correlations between environmental controllers (watershed land cover and the water column parameters), we hypothesize that the fluxes are largely driven by riverine mineralization of terrestrial dissolved and particulate OC, coupled with respiration at the river bottom and riparian sediments. It follows that, under climate warming scenario, most significant changes in GHG regimes of western Siberian rivers located in permafrost-free zone may occur due to changes in the riparian zone vegetation and water coverage of the floodplains

Thermodynamics of Two - Band Superconductors: The Case of MgB2_{2}

Thermodynamic properties of the multiband superconductor MgB$_{2}$ have often been described using a simple sum of the standard BCS expressions corresponding to $\sigma$- and $\pi$-bands. Although, it is \textit{a priori} not clear if this approach is working always adequately, in particular in cases of strong interband scattering. Here we compare the often used approach of a sum of two independent bands using BCS-like $\alpha$-model expressions for the specific heat, entropy and free energy to the solution of the full Eliashberg equations. The superconducting energy gaps, the free energy, the entropy and the heat capacity for varying interband scattering rates are calculated within the framework of two-band Eliashberg theory. We obtain good agreement between the phenomenological two-band $\alpha$-model with the Eliashberg results, which delivers for the first time the theoretical verification to use the $\alpha$-model as a useful tool for a reliable analysis of heat capacity data. For the thermodynamic potential and the entropy we demonstrate that only the sum over the contributions of the two bands has physical meaning.Comment: 27 pages, 10 figures, 1 table, submitted to Phys. Rev.