An estimation of the sediment budget in the Laptev Sea during the last 5,000 years.

Abstract

This article presents a mass balance calculation of the sediment sources and sinks of the Laptev Sea. Sediment input into three regional sectors calculated on the basis of fluvial sediment discharge and coastal erosion sediment supply is compared with sediment output as estimated from sedimentation rates of well-dated marine sediment cores and data on sediment export to the central Arctic Ocean by sea ice and through bottom currents. Within the uncertainties of the calculations, input and output are very well balanced. The calculation reveals that the sediment budget of the Laptev Sea is mainly controlled by fluvial and coastal sediment input. The major fraction of the material is simply deposited on the Laptev Sea shelf. However, for the western Laptev Sea, where sedimentation rates are low due to the absence of large rivers, export by sea ice is the main output factor.