Spatial and temporal distribution of organic matter in central Arctic: Insights from biomarker proxy

Studies have shown that Arctic sea-ice conditions influence the earth’s energy budget by affecting its albedo and global ocean circulation. It also exerts a strong control on the local primary productivity. In addition, by drifting sea ice, it facilitates the transport of sediment and organic matter (OM) from marginal seas across the Arctic Ocean. Over the past decades, there have been several studies on sediment cores from Central Arctic where the major source of OM was shown to be terrigenous. The presence of this elevated terrigenous OM is driven by the transport of sediments and OM from marginal seas to the Central Arctic via drifting ice. However, our understanding of the processes involved in the transport of OM to the central Arctic is still limited. In this study, in order to better understand the pathways of OM transport, we examine spatial and temporal variations in OM flux to the central Arctic. We use organic carbon and biomarker proxies, namely n-alkanes and Glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraether (GDGT) to explore the spatial and temporal (Marine Isotope Stage 1, 2 and 3) variation of terrigenous input versus marine primary productivity in the central Arctic. To understand the transport of OM in the Central Arctic, biomarkers in 100 samples collected from 9 central Arctic cores were investigated. The presence of terrestrial organic matter in the central Arctic region was confirmed by the high values of the BIT index, which virtually all reached above 0.5 with a maximum of 0.9. The spatial pattern of both terrestrial and marine OM showed higher concentrations at the central Lomonosov ridge and reduced values towards the Lomonosov Ridge off Greenland, with lowest concentrations from the cores located at Morris Jesup Rise (MJR). The pattern of declining terrestrial biomarker concentrations from the central Arctic to MJR, which is closer to the Fram Strait and marks the exit of the Arctic Ocean, are likely caused by sea-ice drift patterns. The sea ice would have been transported by the Transpolar Drift, which allows terrigenous material entrained in the dirty sea ice to get transported towards central Arctic. This spatial pattern remains same for all three studied Marine Isotope Stages. Looking at the temporal variation of the OM into the central Arctic, compared to MIS 3 and MIS 2, TOC as well as both marine and terrestrial biomarkers show enhanced concentration during MIS 1 all over the central Arctic. These increased biomarker concentrations reflect that MIS 1 was warmer with less extensive sea-ice cover than MIS 2 and MIS 3.