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Diatom algae, aquatic palynomorphs, and the grain-size of surface sediments from bays of the White Sea were investigated in a program dedicated to the study of marginal filters (MF) in the Severnaya Dvina, Onega, and Kem rivers. Three microalgal assemblages are established in surface sediments, which replace each other successively with distance from river mouths and are characterized by a gradual decrease in a share of freshwater species of diatoms and Chlorophyceae algae, significantly varying concentrations of marine diatoms and dinocysts due to changes in water salinity, grain-size composition of sediments, quantitative distribution of suspended particulate matter (SPM), and water productivity at different marginal filter stages.

The study of the rare-earth element (REE) systematics in the modern bottom sediments of the White Sea and the lower reaches of the Severnaya Dvina River showed that they were derived by the simple mixing of the detrital material from two geochemically contrasting provenances: the Kola-Karelian geoblock almost completely consisting of Archean rocks and the northwestern Mezen syneclise made up of the Upper Vendian, Paleozoic, and Mesozoic rocks. This is best manifested by the changes in ɛNd(0). In terms of the GdN/YbN and Eu/Eu*, most of the studied samples are comparable with the Post-Archean craton complexes, some of which resemble the average composition of the Archean mudstone. Based on the ΣREE and LaN/YbN, the modern bottom sediments are subdivided into two groups: (1) those close to basalts and granites and (2) those approximating common sedimentary rocks. From the lower reaches of the Pinega River to the Tersky coast, the maximal average (La/Yb)RPSC, (Gd/Yb)RPSC, LaN/YbN, and GdN/YbN ratios were determined in the samples taken at the boundary of Dvina Bay with the Basin, i.e., in the sediments with the highest content of the pelitic component. In general, the geochemical composition of the modern bottom sediments of almost the entire White Sea area was defined by input of the eroded products of the mature continental crust with the Severnaya Dvina River, the main river of the region. Such a setting, when the formation of the sediments in a peri- or intracontinental marine basin is controlled by one large river system, presumably may be propagated to the sedimentation in the Laptev Sea, the eastern Kara Sea, the Bay of Bengal, and other basins.

The vertical fluxes of phytoplankton (VFPhyto) and particulate organic carbon (VFPOC) in the White Sea were determined using seven long-term (292 to 296 days) sediment traps moored at five stations at 67–255 m depths. The annual VFPhyto and VFPOC ranged from 0.55 to 24.64 g C/m2 and from 3.7 to 93.9 g C/m2, respectively. The highest VFPhyto was observed in the Basin region located close to the Gorlo along the Tersk coast. The algal biomass accounted for 15–43% of the VFPOC. Diatoms comprised the most important group, accounting for 83–100% in the sedimented biomass. Thalassiosira nordenskioeldii dominated in the VFPhyto at all the stations except for the station in the basin close to Onega Bay, where Ditylum brightwellii was the most abundant.

The results of the analysis of samples of the Northern Dvina River’s suspended particulate matter obtained by the sedimentation method from large water volumes in the periods of the spring high water and summer low water are presented. By the method of sequential leaching using different reagents, four fractions have been separated: the F1 is the sorbed complex and carbonates, the F2 is the amorphous hydroxides of Fe and Mn, the F3 is the form connected with the organic matter, and the F4 is the residual or silicate-detrital (inert) form. The data have shown that all ten elements determined were grouped with respect to the ratio of the distinguished forms: F4 is the predominant form for Al and Fe (73–88% of all the forms; however, the summer sample contains only 38% of this form of iron, and F2 is the predominant form for this period with 46.6%). As to Mn, the F1, F2, and F4 are nearly equally distributed in the spring high water samples, and only the F3 form is less important (5.4%). In the summer sample, the manganese sorbed complex is predominant (53.5%); for Cu, Ni, Cr, and Co, the inert F4 form is predominant (60–70%) in the sample of the spring suspended matter. The summer low water suspended matter has a lower F4 contribution (25–45%); for Zn, Pb, and Cd, the equal distribution of the forms in the spring samples is typical, while the summer suspended matter differs by the F2 form’s predominance (53–61% for Zn and Pb). The main conclusion from the acquired data is that the geochemical mobility of all the studied elements, except for cadmium, in the summer low water suspended matter is higher than in the spring suspended matter. The more intensive biogeochemical processes in August, the high level of organic matter, and the higher contribution of phytoplankton lead to the intensification of the metals’ geochemical activity in the Northern Dvina suspended matter in the end of the summer compared to the spring high water period when the physical processes are predominant over the biogeochemical ones due to the high speeds of the freshened waters flow.

The species composition and biomass of the phytoplankton, as well as the hydrophysical and hydrochemical characteristics of the water masses, were estimated for different areas of the White Sea at 24 stations for the period of August 26 to September 3, 2007. The micronutrient concentrations were lower compared to the average long-term values for the summer period. The total biomass of phytoplankton (Bt) varied from 87 to 1914 mg C/m2. For most of the studied sites, Bt was low; dinoflagellates were the most abundant species. Diatoms dominated in the areas of elevated hydrodynamic activity, i.e., in the Gorlo (vertical mixing of the water layers), in intrusions of the Gorlo water masses into the basin of the White Sea, and in the peripheral areas of the Dvina outflow current. The Bt was also the highest in the listed areas.

1074 A complex expedition onboard the R/V Ekolog was performed in the White Sea on July 18–29, 2010. The expedition was organized by the Shirshov Institute of Oceanology of the Russian Academy of Sciences and by the Institute of Water Problems of the North of the Karelian Research Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The studies were performed in the frame� work of the project System of the White Sea (the project leader was Academician A.P. Lisitzyn) [2], and the project was aimed at studies of the natural pro� cesses’ peculiarities in the tidal shore zones of the White Sea (the project leaders were Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences N.N. Filatov and Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences Yu.S. Dolotov) [1]. Researchers from the Shirshov Institute of Oceanology (including the Northwestern Branch) and the Institute of Water Prob� lems of the North participated in this expedition. The cruise leg is presented in the figure. The expedition was aimed at multidisciplinary stud� ies of the natural environment of the White Sea during the summer period with special reference to most of the oceanologic fields (the physics, chemistry, biology, and geology of the ocean) and the seasonal and spatial dynamics of numerous environmental parameters (the 4�D approach). The objectives of the expedition included the fol� lowing

The data on the supra-ice snow, ice, under-ice water, and benthic algal flora obtained in 2007–2008 by sampling in the estuary of the Severnaya Dvina River are analyzed. The river ice and under-ice water in the estuarine zone and in the channel part of the Severnaya Dvina differed greatly in the algal flora’s composition. The fresh water species never exceeded 8.6%, while the ice algae composed 90–96% of the total ice inhabitants’ biomass. In the under-ice water, this value did not exceed 58–64%. The bacteria in the ice composed not more than 2.5–10% of the total biomass, while, in the under-ice water, 36–49%. The shares of ciliates (0.04%) and nematodes (0.005–1.6%) in the total biomass were negligible. In the estuarine zone, the ice was inhabited mainly by nematodes (78% of the total biomass), while, in the river, their share decreased to 9%. The contribution of bacteria was 15% in Dvina Bay and increased to 61% in the river. The importance of algae in the snow was minor: 7% of the total biomass in the marine zone and 30% in the river region. High species diversity of the algal flora in the sandy and sandy-silty littoral grounds was revealed. The values of the total biomass of the bottom algal flora (0.38 g C/m2) were only two to three times lower than the values revealed in similar habitats in the summer. The epipelithic forms (0.15 g C/m2) dominated, being represented by 46 species of algae (49%). The shares of epipsammonic (0.12 g C/m2) and planktonic (0.11 g C/m2) species were almost equal to each other: 25 and 22 species, respectively (27 and 24%).

The peculiarities of the distributional patterns of the water temperature, salinity, current velocities, particulate matter concentration, bottom contour, and zooplankton abundance were studied in relation to the marine-riverine interactions and tide/ebb phases for coast lines of different configurations in the White Sea during the cruises of the R/V Ekolog (August of 2006 and 2007). A significant difference in the manifestation of the combined effect of the marine and riverine impacts (the estuarine concave relief) and only the marine impact (the open-sea straight-line portion) was observed, which results in both variations in the sea water level and the distributional patterns of the suspended matter and the zooplankton.

630 Multidisciplinary expedition onboard the R/V Ekolog was carried out in the White Sea during the period of the summer low water on July 5–17, 2009. The expedition was organized by the P.P. Shirshov Institute of Oceanology of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the Institute of Water Problems of the North of the Karelian Research Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The studies were carried out in the framework of the White Sea System project (the project leader is Academician A.P. Lisitzin) [5], and the project aimed at studies of the natural processes in the tidal shore zones of the White Sea (the project leaders are Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences N.N. Filatov and Correspond ing Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences Yu.S. Dolotov) [2, 8]. Researchers from different institutes participated in this expedition: the P.P. Shir shov Institute of Oceanology (including its North western Branch), the Institute of Water Problems of the North of Karelian Research Center of RAS, the Federal State Unitarian Research and Production Company for Geological Sea Surveys (SEVMOR GEO), the D.V. Skobeltsyn Institute of Nuclear Phys ics (SINP) of Moscow State University, the Sergo Ordzhonikidze Moscow State Geological Prospecting University, and the Zoological Institute. The route of the cruise is presented in Fig. 1. The expedition was aimed at multidisciplinary stud ies of the natural environment of the White Sea during the period of the summer low water with special refer ence to most of the oceanological fields (the physics, chemistry, biology, and geology of the ocean) and the seasonal and spatial dynamics of numerous environ mental parameters (the 4 D approach). The objectives of the expedition included the fol lowing: (1) studying the geochemical processes at the river–sea boundary (the marginal filters of the Kem’ River and the Zolotitsa River inflowing to Onega Bay of the White Sea); (2) the maximal incorporation of the satellite data into the analysis (when plotting the maps of the sus pended matter, chlorophyll, and temperature distribu tion patterns); (3) onboard sampling simultaneously with the ves sel’s traversing to verify the satellite data (the chloro phyll and temperature); (4) hydrophysical profiling at the stations using a multiparameter 90M CTD (Sea & Sun), including the temperature, the salinity, the water turbidity, and some other measurements; (5) Secchi depth measurements; (6) water sampling at the surface and from standard water layers with the filtration of the water through glass fiber filters and Nucleopore membrane filters for Multidisciplinary Investigations of the White Sea during the Period of the Summer Low Water in 2009 Onboard the R/V Ekolog

The grain-size and mineral composition of the suspended particulate matter (SPM) of the Severnaya Dvina River mouth is studied, as well as the content of several lithogenic elements in the SPM during the spring flood in May 2004. The data published on the composition of the riverine SPM in the White Sea basin are very poor. The spring flood period when more than half of the annual runoff is supplied from the river to the sea in a short time is understood more poorly. The report considers the comparison results for the grain-size compositions of the SPM and the bottom sediments. The data of laser and hydraulic techniques of the grain-size analysis are compared. The short-period variations of the SPM concentration and composition representing two diurnal peaks of the tide level are studied. It is found that the SPM is mainly transferred during the spring flood as mineral aggregates up to 40 μm diameter. The sandysilty fraction of the riverine SPM settles in the delta branches and channels, and the bulk of the fine pelitic matter is supplied to the sea. The mineral and chemical composition of the Severnaya Dvina River SPM is determined by the supply of substances from the drainage basin. This substance is subjected to intense mechanic separation during the transfer to the sea. The key regularities of the formation of the mineral composition of the SPM during the flood time are revealed. The effect of the grain-size composition of the SPM on the distribution of the minerals and elements studied in the dynamic system of the river mouth are characterized.

During the summer periods of 2003–2005, the spatial and vertical distributions of the suspended particulate matter and bacteria in stratified and homogeneous waters of the White Sea was studied. The results of the study of various quantitative characteristics of the suspended particulate matter (first of all, the area of the surface and the volumetric and mass concentrations) and the abundance of microorganisms in the water are discussed. A direct correlation between the value of the surface area of the suspended particulate matter and the total number of bacteria in the water is revealed. However, it was manifested only during the early summer period of the observations and was not expressed at the end of the summer. The enhanced surface area of the suspended particulate matter can indicate the higher biochemical activity of its particles. The influence of the pelitic fraction on the bacteria abundance in different parts of the sea during the summer is estimated.

Calcareous nannoplankton from sediment trap samples collected at six sites in the Atlantic Ocean from 23° S to 73° N (cruise 20 of R/V Vityaz’ and cruise 33 and 34 of R/V Akademik Mstislav Keldysh). Those samples were studied with a scanning electron microscope. In the coastal and open-sea regions of the North and South Atlantic and in the subarctic region of the Norwegian Sea, the conditions are significantly different. In the shelf area of the Benguela upwelling, 11 species were recognized; some of them were agglutinated by diatoms and tintinnides or covered the surface of pellets. The Broken Spur and TAG pelagic areas of the North Atlantic contained up to 43 coccolith species. They included holococcoliths, large pelagic, and delicate easily soluble species distributed over the entire water column. The presence of coccoliths in the high-latitude area of the Norwegian Sea is related to their supply with the warmer North Atlantic waters. These assemblages are distinguished by a low species diversity and an enhancement of the coccolith solubility with the depth increase.