Application of concentration-weighted trajectory approach to identify sources with high anthropogenic mercury emissions in the East Asia.

The study evaluates the applicability of the CWT method for identifying mercury sources in a region with high anthropogenic emissions. Analysis is conducted to compare results on grids of 1 × 1°, 0.5 × 0.

Mercury and stable nitrogen isotope ratios in the hair of bearded seals (Erignathus barbatus nauticus) from the Sea of Okhotsk.

The mercury pollution status in the northwestern Sea of Okhotsk remains largely unexplored. In this study, hair samples were collected from 40 bearded seals harvested between August and October 2021 in the region. Total mercury (THg) concentrations in the samples exhibited a wide range from 137 to 1885 ng/g (median: 407 ng/g).

Twenty-Meter Laser Strainmeter "Popova Isl.".

This paper describes the design and principle of operation of a 20 m laser strainmeter of unequal-arm type created on the basis of a Michelson interferometer and frequency-stabilized helium-neon laser. The interferometry methods used allow the measurement of the displacement of an Earth's crust section on the base of the laser strainmeter with an accuracy of 30 pm in the frequency range from 0 (conventionally) to 1000 Hz. This laser strainmeter, when connected to an accurate time system providing an accuracy of 1 μs, should structurally become a part of the laser interferometric seismoacoustic observatory, consisting of spatially separated laser strainmeters installed in various regions of Russia.

Hard- and Software Controlled Complex for Gas-Strain Monitoring of Transition Zones.

The article describes a hard- and software controlled complex for gas-strain monitoring, consisting of stationary laser strainmeters and a laser nanobarograph, a stationary gas analyzer, and a weather station installed at Shultz Cape in the Sea of Japan; and a mobile shipboard complex, consisting of a gas analyzer and a weather station installed in a scientific research vessel. In the course of trial methodological measurements on these systems, general patterns were identified in the dynamics of greenhouse gases and deformation of the Earth's crust in the range of diurnal and semi-diurnal tides, and also in the range of ultra-low frequencies, caused by atmospheric wave processes and, possibly, individual tones of the Earth's eigen oscillations.

Ice sheet and precession controlled subarctic Pacific productivity and upwelling over the last 550,000 years.

The polar oceans play a vital role in regulating atmospheric CO concentrations (pCO) during the Pleistocene glacial cycles. However, despite being the largest modern reservoir of respired carbon, the impact of the subarctic Pacific remains poorly understood due to limited records. Here, we present high-resolution, Th-normalized export productivity records from the subarctic northwestern Pacific covering the last five glacial cycles.

REVIEW: Evidence supporting the 'preparation for oxidative stress' (POS) strategy in animals in their natural environment.

Hypometabolism is a common strategy employed by resilient species to withstand environmental stressors that would be life-threatening for other organisms. Under conditions such as hypoxia/anoxia, temperature and salinity stress, or seasonal changes (e.g.

Biodegradation of polyethylene in digestive gland homogenates of marine invertebrates.

Вiotic factors may be the driving force of plastic fragmentation along with abiotic factors. Since understanding the processes of biodegradation and biological depolymerization of plastic is important, a new methodological approach was proposed in this study to investigate the role of marine invertebrate digestive enzymes in plastic biodegradation. The aim of this study is to evaluate the possibility of enzymatic biodegradation of polyethylene fragments in the digestive gland homogenate of marine invertebrates differing in their feeding type ().

Transport of the Tumen River water to the Far Eastern Marine Reserve (Posyet Bay) based on in situ, satellite data and Lagrangian modeling using ROMS current velocity output.

We study physical mechanisms of the Tumen River water transport in the area of the Posyet Bay (Peter the Great Bay, Sea of Japan). This study is based on the satellite and in situ measurements, and numerical simulation of advection of river water by the current velocity simulated by Regional Ocean Model System (ROMS). The importance of this study is in identification of the reasons of the transport of pollutants into the area of the Far Eastern Marine Reserve.

Verification of Data from Supersensitive Detector of Hydrosphere Pressure Variations.

The paper describes experimental research and the results of these studies carried out in various bays of the Primorsky Territory of Russia using a supersensitive detector of hydrosphere pressure variations and a sound velocity profiler with pressure and temperature sensors. In all experiments, instruments, rigidly fixed to each other, were placed on the bottom at a depth of up to 10 m. Comparison of in-situ data from these instruments allowed us to experimentally calculate the coefficient of data conversion of the supersensitive detector of hydrosphere pressure variations when registering sea waves with periods ranging from several seconds to tens of minutes.

Assessment of contamination of marine sediments and their potential toxicity in the Uglovoy Bay, Peter the Great Gulf, Sea of Japan/East Sea.

The content of harmful heavy metals in the bottom sediments of the Uglovoy Bay (Peter the Great Gulf, Sea of Japan/East Sea) was studied based on the surveys carried out in 2016-2021. The contamination of the sediments in the bay was compared to the background concentrations of elements and to common contamination indices. The degree of contamination was calculated using the contamination factor (C), modified overall degree of contamination (mC), and index of geoaccumulation (I).

First Satellite Tagging of the Northern Fur Seals () on the Tyuleniy Island, the Sea of Okhotsk.

In October 2018, three Northern fur seals (two adult females and one juvenile male) were deployed with satellite tags on the Tyuleniy Island in the Sea of Okhotsk. The operational time of the tags ranged from 33 to 203 days. The adult females started their winter migration in the first half of November; the initial stage of their winter migration occurred in the Japan/East Sea, which they entered through the La Perouse Strait.

A Complex of Marine Geophysical Methods for Studying Gas Emission Process on the Arctic Shelf.

The Russian sector of the arctic shelf is the longest in the world. Quite a lot of places of massive discharge of bubble methane from the seabed into the water column and further into the atmosphere were found there. This natural phenomenon requires an extensive complex of geological, biological, geophysical, and chemical studies.

The origin of loud claps during endovenous laser treatments.

Optoacoustic and ultrasound methods have shown that the loud "claps" perceived by patients and medical staff during endovenous laser ablation (EVLA) are caused by volumetric blood boiling when large vapor-gas bubbles appear and collapse under the action of laser radiation, which is well absorbed in water. Acoustic effects when using lasers in the near infrared range (1.94, 1.

Geochemistry aspects of modern mercury accumulation in bottom sediments from the south-western Chukchi Sea.

Mercury (Hg) having a high migration capacity reach the Arctic region via the atmosphere. The absorbers for Hg are sea bottom sediments. Sedimentation in the Chukchi Sea occurs under the influence of highly productive Pacific waters entering through the Bering Strait and the inflow of a terrigenous component from the western direction with the Siberian Coastal Current.

Mercury content in the fur of sea otters (Enhydra lutris) from the Commander Islands.

The sea otter (Enhydra lutris) is a keystone species in the ecosystem which is currently in depression in Russia. The objectives of this study were to: (1) establish if the sea otters from the Commander Islands have hazardous levels of mercury (Hg) in their fur; (2) assess Hg pollution in sea otters during a period of high abundance and population depression; (3) identify the age and sex differences in sea otters by Hg content. The sea otters were classified from no to low risk for Hg health effects.

Mercury geochemistry of marine sediments from the eastern Laptev Sea: The spatial distribution, levels, and contamination assessment.

Twenty-seven sediment samples from the eastern Laptev Sea were analyzed for mercury and total organic carbon as well as grain-size distribution. The average total mercury (THg) concentrations in sediments are 29 ± 14 μg kg. A significant correlation of THg content with total organic carbon and clay and silt fractions was shown.

Eco-engineering approaches for ocean negative carbon emission.

The goal of achieving carbon neutrality in the next 30-40 years is approaching worldwide consensus and requires coordinated efforts to combat the increasing threat of climate change. Two main sets of actions have been proposed to address this grand goal. One is to reduce anthropogenic CO emissions to the atmosphere, and the other is to increase carbon sinks or negative emissions, i.

Gaseous elemental mercury and its evasion fluxes in the marine boundary layer of the marginal seas of the northwestern Pacific: Results from two cruises in September-December 2019.

There are many questions regarding the behavior of mercury in the sea-atmosphere system of the northwestern Pacific. Continuous underway measurements of atmospheric gaseous elemental mercury (GEM) and measurements of sea-air GEM evasion fluxes were carried out in the marginal seas of northwestern Pacific from the South China Sea to the Sea of Okhotsk in fall-winter 2019. The median GEM concentration (1.

Real-time acoustic monitoring with telemetry to mitigate potential effects of seismic survey sounds on marine mammals: a case study offshore Sakhalin Island.

Exxon Neftegas Ltd. (ENL) carried out three 4D seismic surveys during the summer of 2015. Seismic operations in two of these fields (Odoptu and Chayvo) ensonified the nearshore feeding area of Korean-Okhotsk (western) gray whales (Eschrichtius robustus), potentially disturbing feeding activities.

Western gray whale behavioral response to seismic surveys during their foraging season.

Gray whales utilizing their foraging grounds off northeastern Sakhalin Island, Russia, have been increasingly exposed to anthropogenic activities related to oil and gas development over the past two decades. In 2015, four seismic vessels, contracted by two operators, conducted surveys near and within the gray whale feeding grounds. Mitigation and monitoring plans were developed prior to the survey and implemented in the field, with real-time data transfers to assist the implementation of measures aimed at minimizing impacts of acoustic exposure.

Acoustic monitoring and analyses of air gun, pile driving, vessel, and ambient sounds during the 2015 seismic surveys on the Sakhalin shelf.

During the summer of 2015, four 4D seismic surveys were conducted on the northeastern Sakhalin shelf near the feeding grounds of the Korean-Okhotsk (western) gray whale (Eschrichtius robustus) population. In addition to the seismic surveys, onshore pile driving activities and vessel operations occurred. Forty autonomous underwater acoustic recorders provided data in the 2 Hz to15 kHz frequency band.

Gray whale density during seismic surveys near their Sakhalin feeding ground.

Oil and gas development off northeastern Sakhalin Island, Russia, has exposed the western gray whale population on their summer-fall foraging grounds to a range of anthropogenic activities, such as pile driving, dredging, pipeline installation, and seismic surveys. In 2015, the number of seismic surveys within a feeding season surpassed the level of the number and duration of previous seismic survey activities known to have occurred close to the gray whales' feeding ground, with the potential to cause disturbance to their feeding activity. To examine the extent that gray whales were potentially avoiding areas when exposed to seismic and vessel sounds, shore-based teams monitored the abundance and distribution of gray whales from 13 stations that encompassed the known nearshore feeding area.

Enhanced Arctic sea ice melting controlled by larger heat discharge of mid-Holocene rivers.

Arctic sea ice retreat is linked to extrapolar thermal energy import, while the potential impact of pan-Arctic river heat discharge on sea-ice loss has been unresolved. We reconstructed the Holocene history of Arctic sea ice and Russian pan-Arctic river heat discharge, combining ice-rafted debris records and sedimentation rates from the East Siberian Arctic Shelf with a compilation of published paleoclimate and observational data. In the mid-Holocene, the early summer (June-July) solar insolation was higher than that during the late Holocene, which led to a larger heat discharge of the Russian pan-Arctic rivers and contributed to more Arctic sea ice retreat.

The influence of sedimentation regime on natural radionuclide activity concentration in marine sediments of the East Siberian Arctic Shelf.

Transport and accumulation of radionuclides in the Arctic depends on many biogeochemical processes, which are changing at accelerated rates due to climate change and human economic activity. We present the results of a study on the features distribution of some natural radionuclides in the marine sediments on the East Siberian Arctic Shelf collected during several expeditions from 2008 to 2019. Average activity concentration of Th, K and Ra under the influence of different sedimentation regime increases from 40.