Seasonal and Spatial Variability of Dissolved Nutrients in the Yenisei River

Abstract

The accelerated rates of warming in high latitudes lead to permafrost degradation, enhance nutrient cycling and intensify the transport of terrestrial materials to the Arctic rivers. The quantitative estimation of riverine nutrient flux on seasonal and spatial scales is important to clarify the ongoing changes in land–ocean connectivity in the Arctic domain. This study is focused on a multiyear (2015–2021) analysis of concentrations of dissolved nutrients in the Yenisei River. Applying stationary water sampling, we studied seasonal variations in concentrations of phosphate, nitrate, nitrite and ammonia ions in the Yenisei River in the upper (56.0° N), middle (60.9° N) and lower (67.4° N) sections of the river. The waters of the upper river section demonstrated significant and steady nutrient enrichment throughout the hydrological year, reflecting the influence of the Krasnoyarsk reservoir. The downstream reaches of the Yenisei River had more apparent seasonal patterns of nutrient concentrations. Particularly, winter-season nutrient levels in the middle and lower river sections were the highest during the hydrological year and close to the upper section. At snowmelt, and especially the summer–fall seasons, all inorganic nutrient concentrations dropped dramatically after the inflow of the Angara River. On the other hand, the peak nitrite content observed during the early spring flood was most pronounced in the lower section of the river basin, reflecting the specific characteristics of the nitrogen cycle in permafrost soils. The spring flood plays the major role in the annual nutrient fluxes, except for nitrates, for which the maximum occurred in the winter season. The summer–fall season, despite its duration and considerable water runoff, demonstrated the lowest fluxes of dissolved inorganic phosphorus and nitrogen in comparison to other periods of the hydrological year, suggesting strong biological uptake and chemostasis.