Nutrient-Abundant Natural Waters of Arctic Mountain Tundra,North-Eastern Siberia

Abstract

Natural waters of the spacious Arctic regions of Russia are studied insufficiently and they are still opened to the most important questions. This paper presents the results of in situ hydrochemical study of a small catchment in Arctic mountain tundra of the Koryak Highland, north-eastern Siberia, situated far from industrial centres and populated territories. The results showed a surprisingly high content of inorganic nutrients in natural waters – stream, swampy and rainy. For the basin main water collector – the Levtyrinyvayam River – it was as following (μM): NO $_3^-$ -N (134 ± 66), NO $_2^-$ -N (1.1±0.4), NH $_4^+$ -N (11.1±5.6), PO $_4^{3-}$ -P (2.42±1.79) and K $^+$ (31±36), indicating the intensive organic matter decomposition and the nutrient saturation in the local terrains. Specific conditions of the mountain ecosystem, i.e. contrast soils, and influence from shallow-lying permafrost resulted in the rate of the nutrients' saturation of the waters. The results prove the great importance of organic matter and its derivatives in investigation of natural waters.