Distribution and Abundance of Select Trace Metals in 

Chukchi and Beaufort Sea Ice

1

International Arctic Research Center, University of Alaska Fairbanks

2College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, University of Alaska Fairbanks

FINAL REPORT 

December 2016

OCS Study BOEM 2016-079

Principal Investigators

Robert Rember1 

Ana M. Aguilar-Islas2 

Graduate Student

Vincent Domena2
Contact Information: 

email: CMI@alaska.edu

phone: 907.474.6782 

fax: 907.474.7204

Coastal Marine Institute

College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences

University of Alaska Fairbanks

P. O. Box 757220 

Fairbanks, AK 99775-7220 

This study was funded in part by the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) through 

Cooperative Agreement M13AC00002 between BOEM, Alaska Outer Continental Shelf Region, and the University of Alaska 

Fairbanks. This report, OCS Study BOEM 2016-079, is available through the Coastal Marine Institute, select 

federal depository libraries and can be accessed electronically at http://www.boem.gov/Alaska-Scientific-Publications. 

The views and conclusions contained in this document are those of the authors and should not be interpreted as representing 

the opinions or policies of the U.S. Government. Mention of trade names or commercial products does not constitute their 

endorsement by the U.S. Government.
ii

TABLE OF CONTENTS

LIST OF FIGURES .....................................................................................................................................iii

LIST OF TABLES.......................................................................................................................................iii

ABSTRACT................................................................................................................................................. iv

INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................................ 1

Overview ................................................................................................................................................ 1

Objectives............................................................................................................................................... 3

Study Area............................................................................................................................................. 3

METHODS .................................................................................................................................................. 6

Field Sampling ....................................................................................................................................... 6

Sample Processing.................................................................................................................................. 7

Laboratory Analyses............................................................................................................................... 8

Trace metals in suspended sediments........................................................................................... 8

Dissolved trace metals in seawater, snow, and sea ice ................................................................ 9

Quality Assurance and Quality Control ................................................................................................. 9

Instrument calibration................................................................................................................... 9

Quality control measurements for analysis................................................................................... 9

RESULTS ................................................................................................................................................... 10

2013 Chukchi Sea Water Column ........................................................................................................ 10

Sea Ice Tank Experiments.................................................................................................................... 16

Sea Ice Field Sampling......................................................................................................................... 18

DISCUSSION............................................................................................................................................. 25

Chukchi Sea Trace Metal Distributions ............................................................................................... 25

Sea Ice Tank Experiments.................................................................................................................... 29

Field Samples....................................................................................................................................... 32

Dissolved trance metals in seawater........................................................................................... 32

Trace metals in sea ice................................................................................................................ 34

PROJECT OUTREACH............................................................................................................................. 36

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS........................................................................................................................ 37

STUDY PRODUCTS ................................................................................................................................. 37

REFERENCES ........................................................................................................................................... 38

APPENDIX................................................................................................................................................. 41
iii

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1. Map detailing the trace metal stations off Oliktok Point, and location of Colville River delta..... 4

Figure 2. Map detailing the trace metal stations and circulation in the Chukchi Sea and southern Beaufort 

Sea .............................................................................................................................................................. 5

Figure 3. Diagram describing the sampling scheme for sea ice at stations off Oliktok Point ...................... 7

Figure 4. Custom-made chambers for melting sea ice cores ........................................................................ 8

Figure 5. Density and transmission data on the transect from Bering Strait to the northern Chukchi Sea

along 168W ................................................................................................................................................ 11

Figure 6. Concentrations of dissolved, leachable particulate, and refractory particulate Fe and Mn for 

Stations along the Chukchi Shelf................................................................................................................ 12

Figure 7. Dissolved oxygen, beam transmission and density data collected from CTD profiles ............... 13

Figure 8. Dissolved, leachable, and refractory Fe and Mn data collected during an extended occupation of 

a single station in the northern Chukchi Sea............................................................................................... 14

Figure 9. Profiles of dissolved metals for the southern Canada Basin collected in 2010 and 2013 ........... 15

Figure 10. Filtered seawater from the Gulf of Alaska frozen in a large polyethylene tank in the cold room 

of the UAF Geophysical Institute. .............................................................................................................. 16

Figure 11. Select results from the ice tank experiments conducted in 2014.............................................. 17

Figure 12. Salinity and temperature profiles collected at the five stations occupied during May 2015 off 

Oliktok Point............................................................................................................................................... 19

Figure 13. Concentrations of select dissolved metals at the five stations occupied during May 2015...... 20

Figure 14. Concentration of total suspendid solids in sea ice cores collected during spring 2015............ 21

Figure 15. Metal to Al ratios in sea ice cores collected May 2015 from the Colville River Delta............ 24

Figure 16. Graduate student Vincent Domena lectures to students during Bering Sea Day’s on St. Paul 

Island in October 2016................................................................................................................................ 36

LIST OF TABLES

Table 1. Station locations for stations occupied during May 2015............................................................. 18

Table 2. Concentrations of dissolved trace metals in the seawater collected below the ice at stations 

occupied during spring 2015 near the mouth of the Colville River............................................................ 21

Table 3. Concentrations of dissolved trace metals in the sea ice collected at stations occupied during 

spring 2015 near the mouth of the Colville River....................................................................................... 23

Table 4. Metal to Al ratios for particulate trace metals in the sea ice cores collected at stations occupied 

during spring 2015 near the mouth of the Colville River ........................................................................... 24

Table 5. Concentrations of dissolved trace metals in the snow collected at stations occupied during spring 

2015 near the mouth of the Colville River.................................................................................................. 25

Table A1. Certified CRM concentrations and values obtained during this study...................................... 41
iv

ABSTRACT

Given the ongoing changes in sea ice extent and volume in the Arctic Ocean, there has been 

unprecedented interest in better understanding the Arctic marine environment. This project builds on 

many previous monitoring studies that were charged with providing an understanding of the background 

trace metal concentrations in rivers, snow, seawater, and sediments in the Alaskan North Slope 

development area. To add to these previous studies, we built, tested, and employed a unique sea ice corer 

to collect some of the first trace-metal-clean sea ice samples in the nearshore Beaufort Sea. In this project, 

we assessed the trace metal concentrations and distributions in seawater, snow, and sea ice in the 

nearshore Beaufort Sea prior to the 2015 spring freshet. Overall, the concentrations found in seawater 

below the ice during the early spring of 2015 align well with concentrations of dissolved metals reported 

during past studies. Some evidence was found to suggest remineralization of biogenic metals such as Cd 

and perhaps Zn during the winter months. For other metals like Ba, lower, more uniform concentrations 

were found during our spring 2015 sampling when compared to open-water concentrations where 

freshwater from rivers had a much greater influence. Concentrations of Pb also decreased between the 

two seasons, likely due to scavenging of dissolved Pb during the winter months under the ice.

Concentrations of dissolved metals in the sea ice were lower when compared to the water column, which 

was surprising given the high concentrations of suspended particles found in some of the cores. However, 

as the ice aged during the warmer spring months, dissolved metals could have begun to drain from the sea 

ice through brine channels before we were able to collect the samples. 

In addition to the Beaufort sampling effort, results from seawater samples collected during a fall

2013 cruise in the Chukchi Sea are reported. These provide a broader sampling of trace metal 

concentrations on the American Arctic shelves where development is already established or exploration 

may be considered for the future. The Chukchi Sea dataset also includes a two-week occupation of a 

single station, which demonstrated how variable conditions can be over a short period of time. For some 

metals, such as Fe and Zn, there was a distinct decrease in concentrations along a transect from the Bering 

Strait to the northern boundary of the Chukchi Shelf. The decrease may be related to a drawdown of these 

biologically active metals in the productive Chukchi Sea over the summer months. Other metals, such as 

Cu and Ni, did not change substantially on the Chukchi Shelf along the south to north transect, reflecting 

minimal input and removal. A first-order look at the variability of dissolved metals and other parameters 

at the time-lapse station suggests that salinity, concentrations of dissolved metals, dissolved oxygen, and 

particle concentrations are highly susceptible to oceanic fronts that can produce considerable changes 

over very short periods of time. 
INTRODUCTION

Overview

The Alaskan Arctic shelves are rich in mineral resources and support an ecosystem heavily 

impacted by sea ice dynamics. Offshore exploration and extraction of mineral resources are 

occurring under a changing sea ice environment, emphasizing the need to better understand the 

role of natural environmental processes in the retention, transport, and subsequent release of 

trace metals in sea ice. Concentrations of trace elements in the seawater and sediments of the 

nearshore Beaufort Sea development area have been well constrained by numerous studies 

during the last 20 years (e.g., Crecelius et al., 1991; Trefry et al., 2003; 2009). In contrast, there 

are no data for dissolved trace metals in Alaskan Arctic sea ice and a very limited number of 

unpublished data points for sea ice particulate metals. The need to understand the natural 

environment in order to detect potential future perturbations to that environment is a reoccurring 

theme in the Arctic Nearshore Impact Monitoring in the Development Area (ANIMIDA, 

cANIMIDA) studies sponsored by Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM). This 

Beaufort Sea monitoring theme was continued during the ANIMIDA III project, which began 

during the fiscal year 2013. Sea ice samples were collected during the cANIMIDA project, but 

contamination issues stemming from the type of corer used precluded the measurement of 

dissolved trace elements. This project complements the ANIMIDA III: Contaminants, Sources 

and Bioaccumulation project by adding a dissolved and particulate sea ice component and

investigating the range of concentrations and processes influencing the cycling of trace metals in 

sea ice, an important but under-studied aspect of Arctic biogeochemistry. 

Studies addressing dissolved trace metals in sea ice, primarily with Antarctic and subarctic 

pack ice, indicate that the concentrations of some metals (cadmium (Cd), copper (Cu), iron (Fe), 

manganese (Mn), lead (Pb), and zinc (Zn)) are substantially elevated in sea ice when compared 

to the underlying seawater (Aguilar-Islas et al., 2008; Grotti et al., 2005; Holemann et al., 1999; 

Kanna and Nishioka, 2016; Lannuzel et al., 2007; 2011). From these observations, it is expected 

that natural sea ice dynamics in the Arctic also have the potential to alter the concentration of 

dissolved trace metals in surface Arctic waters during the melting season. Anthropogenic 

contaminants from local, regional, or global sources can contribute to the abundance and 

distribution of trace metals in sea ice and, therefore, could greatly affect the distribution of 

dissolved trace metals in surface waters. Offshore exploration and development products (e.g., 

drilling muds, produced water, or oil) are potential local and regional sources, while atmospheric 

emissions from industrialized regions captured in winter snow are potential regional and global 

sources. This type of information could play a role in future management decisions with respect 

to the discharge of produced water or other by-products of oil and gas exploration in the Arctic. 

Dissolved trace elements are of interest as some are essential nutrients for microbial 

communities in sea ice and the water column, and some can become toxic at elevated 

concentrations. Low dissolved Fe concentrations have been shown to limit primary productivity, 

1
while other metals such as Cd, Cu, and Zn are essential nutrients that become toxic at higher 

concentrations. Cadmium and other potential contaminants (e.g., Pb and mercury (Hg)) can 

bioaccumulate and become toxic to organisms in higher trophic levels. In addition to these 

biological interactions, trace elements can be used as tracers. For example, Aluminum (Al) is 

used to trace continental inputs, vanadium (V) and lead (Pb) to trace anthropogenic emissions, 

and barium (Ba) has been used in the Arctic to differentiate freshwater inputs from North 

American and Eurasian rivers and is commonly found in barite, a mineral used in drilling muds. 

Processes controlling natural dissolved metal concentrations in sea ice are poorly understood. 

Possible mechanisms include: 1) trace metals mobilized into the dissolved phase from suspended 

sediments that were trapped during sea ice formation, 2) trace metals mobilized from aerosols 

deposited onto the sea ice as snow begins to melt, 3) trace metals that vary only as a function of 

salinity and have limited particle reactivity (i.e., Ba and Al), or 4) trace metals concentrated 

within brine channels during ice formation, and as the base of the sea ice interacts with the upper 

water column during the growing season. Understanding the relative importance of these 

mechanisms will provide the basis for understanding how trace metals (naturally occurring and 

anthropogenic) are retained, transported, and released by sea ice. 

Sediment inclusions within Arctic sea ice are highly variable and are mainly dependent on 

the suspended sediment load of the seawater from which the sea ice formed (Darby et al., 2011). 

Researchers have previously shown that sediment inclusions primarily form in brine channels 

within the sea ice matrix (Stierle and Eicken, 2002). These inclusions potentially provide a 

centralized location for solubilization of trace metals allowing for some elements to concentrate 

in sea ice. This suggests that processes capable of altering sea ice sediment inclusions play an 

important role in the concentration of dissolved trace metals within Arctic sea ice and therefore 

are likely important in the retention and transport of dissolved trace metals by sea ice. 

Atmospheric transport and deposition of continental aerosols (natural and anthropogenic) 

have been shown to magnify the concentration of trace metals in snow over the sea ice within 

estuaries of the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas (Garbarino et al., 2002). Enhanced deposition of 

aerosol trace metals over marine areas compared to terrestrial areas is expected due to the 

nucleating effects of sea salt, and the increased rates of fog-related deposition within marine ice 

fog. These concentrating mechanisms make Arctic snowfall a potentially important external 

source of trace metals to the underlying sea ice and water column during the melting season 

(Douglas et al., 2008).

The dearth of trace element data combined with our limited understanding of the processes 

affecting trace metal cycling in sea ice prevent us from predicting how alterations to the sea ice 

environment will affect the biogeochemistry in the Alaskan Arctic. This project combined field 

and laboratory observations focusing on the dissolved and particulate concentrations of nine 

trace elements of interest (Al, Ba, Cd, Cu, Mn, molydenum (Mo), Pb, V, and Zn). Results 

complement previous trace metal projects in the region. 

2
Similar to the ANIMIDA, cANIMIDA, and ANIMIDA III projects, this study provides 

“natural background environmental” data. Here the emphasis is on dissolved and particulate 

metal concentrations for fast sea ice, the underlying water column, and the overlying snow in 

Oliktok Point in Harrison Bay. Field data obtained from the Chukchi Sea shelf and slope regions

targets the water column dissolved and suspended particulate data. These samples provide 

information on potential sources of metals to the coastal Beaufort Sea and on the effects of ice 

melt on surface waters downstream in the Beaufort Gyre and lease regions of the Chukchi Sea. 

In addition to field data, laboratory experiments targeted mechanisms involved in the cycling of 

trace metals within the sea ice matrix. Understanding the baseline oceanographic parameters of 

resource-rich Arctic shelves, including chemical and physical parameters, allows government 

agencies such as BOEM to better understand the potential ramifications of resource extraction 

accidents, such as an oil spill, in sea ice impacted regions. The objectives of this study are listed 

next.

Objectives

1. Manufacture and test the trace metal clean ice corer.

2. Conduct laboratory-based experiments on sea ice retention and release of trace metals. 

3. Determine dissolved and particulate trace metals in laboratory-grown sea ice and the 

resulting brine/seawater mixture.

4. Collect seawater samples from the R/V Mirai in the Chukchi Sea and near ice floes. 

5. Determine dissolved and particulate trace element concentrations in offshore surface 

seawater samples collected from the R/V Mirai. 

6. Collect surface seawater, snow, and first-year sea ice cores near Oliktok Point.

7. Determine dissolved and particulate trace metal concentrations and ratios in ice cores 

collected near Oliktok Point. 

8. Determine dissolved and particulate trace metal concentrations and ratios in snow 

samples collected near Oliktok Point.

Study Area

The study region comprises the broad shelf of the Chukchi Sea, Chukchi Sea slope waters 

(Canada Basin), and Oliktok Point, a near-coastal region on the narrow Beaufort shelf (Figures 1 

and 2). Water column trace metal data for the Chukchi Sea are limited, however, collaboration 

with Japanese colleagues on a 2013 Arctic cruise allowed us to expand upon data we collected in 

the western Arctic during 2010 (Aguilar-Islas et al., 2013). This region is dominated by the 

influx of relatively fresh and nutrient-rich Pacific Water (PW) that enters through the Bering 

Strait and then follows bathymetric features northward before entering the Makarov or Canada 

Basins (Figure 2) (Weingartner et al., 2005a). The fresher Alaska Coastal Current (ACC) enters 

the Chukchi Sea through the easternmost section of the Bering Strait, in close proximity to the 

Alaskan Peninsula (Figure 2, bottom), and provides another important source of fresher water to 

the study region (Weingartner et al., 2005b). In addition to fresh water and nutrients, the influx 

3
of water from the Bering Strait likely contributes to the trace metal budget of Arctic waters. The 

influx of nutrients from the Pacific fuels production and the resulting organic matter from the 

shallow, productive Chukchi shelf settles to the seafloor. This organic matter supports benthic 

communities and promotes high rates of sedimentary remineralization and oxygen utilization, 

which lead to sedimentary denitrification (Brown et al., 2015; Chang and Devol, 2009). The 

reducing conditions within the sediment promote the mobilization of nutrients and trace metals 

into subsurface shelf waters (Aguilar-Islas et al., in prep.). As sea ice forms in fall and winter, the 

cold, rejected brine is laterally advected into the basin. This modified Chukchi shelf water 

maintains the halocline of the Canada Basin and transports high concentrations of nutrients and 

trace metals, such as Fe at mid-depths (Aguilar-Islas et al., 2013). 

Figure 1. Map detailing the trace metal stations off Oliktok Point, and location of Colville River delta.

The narrow Beaufort shelf is also impacted by sea ice cycles and freshwater input from the 

Mackenzie and smaller Arctic Alaska rivers. In particular the largest Arctic Alaska River, the 

Colville, influences trace metal input in our Beaufort shelf study region (Rember and Trefry, 

2004). Collaboration with the BOEM funded ANIMIDA III project allowed us to overlap our 

sampling in space and time with the ANAMIDA III spring freshet sampling program in Harrison 

Bay (Figure 1). The focus of the ANIMIDA III project is the buoyant plume of the Colville River 

that results from the spring freshet and spreads above and beneath the sea ice covering Harrison 

Bay. 

4
Figure 2. Map detailing the trace metal stations (top) and circulation in the Chukchi and southern Beaufort Seas 

(bottom). Image courtesy of T. Weingartner. 

5
METHODS

Field Sampling 

Water column sampling in the western Chukchi Sea was carried out September–October 

2013 onboard the R/V Mirai. Although most of the sampling was done opportunistically, samples

were obtained from stations across the shelf and slope and at a time-series station (Station 41) on 

the northern Chukchi shelf (Figure 2, top). Seawater samples were collected using a “clean” 12-

position rosette water sampling system. The system consists of a powder-coated aluminum 

frame, titanium exposed metal surfaces, a Sea-Bird Electronics, Inc. 19plus unit, a Wet Labs 

EcoView fluorometer, a Wet Labs C-Star transmissometer, and a Sea-Bird Electronics Inc. auto 

fire module (AFM) programmed to fire bottles at pre-determined depths. Teflon-coated 5-L 

Niskin-X bottles with Teflon-coated external-springs were used during collection. These were 

washed with phosphate-free detergent and treated with 0.5 M trace-metal-grade hydrochloric 

acid (HCl). Bottles were stored with ultra-pure water (Milli-Q) prior to use. Weight restrictions 

on the Kevlar wire used for deployment limited casts to a maximum of nine bottles per rosette. 

To avoid potential contamination from the ship’s hull, the shallowest sample was collected at 15 

m. Samples were filtered through 0.4 μm polycarbonate filter discs (Nuclepore, track etched), 

and filtered seawater was collected in acid cleaned 500 ml low-density polyethylene (LDPE) 

bottles. Filter discs were frozen until analysis.

Coastal Beaufort Sea sampling sites were accessed via snow machine from the Atmospheric 

Radiation Measurement (ARM) Climate Research Facility at Oliktok Point. Sampling time on 

the ice was cut short due to inclement weather, lodging availability, and the early and rapid 

breakup of the Colville River in 2015. Despite these difficulties, we occupied five sites in 

Harrison Bay near the Colville River Delta (Figure 1) and collected 50 ice cores, 5 snow 

samples, and 8 water samples over two sampling days (16–17 May). 

An auger was used to drill eight-inch holes through the ice for under-ice water sampling. 

Prior to sampling, the holes were covered by an ice tent and left to flush for more than an hour to

minimize potential contamination from the drilling process. Under-ice seawater was collected 

using a Teflon-coated (ETFE) magnetic drive centrifugal pump (3.2 GPM, Cole-Parmer EW72011-00) equipped with acid-washed Teflon-lined Tygon tubing attached to a Teflon weight 

that was lowered to the desired sampling depth. In all cases, prior to sample collection, a 

minimum of five gallons was pumped into a 5-gallon bucket to flush the pump head and Tygon 

tubing and then discarded. Seawater samples were collected in acid cleaned 2-L bottles, placed in 

plastic bags, labeled, and stored in a cooler prior to filtration. At select stations, bottom water 

was also collected to assess metal concentrations of throughout the water column. These samples 

represent the first seawater samples collected for trace metal analysis from bottom waters under 

the ice in the nearshore Beaufort Sea during any ANIMIDA spring sampling effort. In addition to 

seawater collection, conductivity, temperature, and depth (CTD) profiles were taken at each 

location using a Seabird 19plus CTD. 

6
Snow samples were collected using a trace-metal-clean scoop to remove the surface layer of 

snow, normally hardened by the wind, and then packing the underlying snow into acid cleaned 1-

L bottles, placed in plastic bags, and stored in a cooler until further processing. 

Sample Processing

Seawater and melted snow samples were filtered within 12–24 hours of collection under a 

positive pressure environment in a laminar flow hood constructed in the warehouse of the ARM 

Climate Research Facility at Oliktok Point. Samples were vacuum filtered through 0.4 μm 

polycarbonate membranes (Nuclepore) mounted on acid-washed Teflon filter holders (Savillex). 

The filtrate was collected into acid-washed LDPE bottles, and particle bearing membranes were 

sealed in acid-washed Petri dishes. These and unfiltered seawater samples were placed in plastic 

bags and transported back to the International Arctic Research Center (IARC) at the University 

of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) for further processing and analysis. The ANIMIDA III project 

collected samples for a suite of geochemical measurements including dissolved oxygen, pH, total 

suspended solids, dissolved and particulate metals N, P, C, and δ18O from the same region in 

Harrison Bay. Our samples were collected just prior to the breakup of the Colville River, and sea 

ice data were shared with the ANIMIDA III project to better constrain inputs to the region during 

the spring freshet period. 

Our sea ice sampling scheme for these stations was designed to investigate the variability 

between five cores collected within a defined 1 m2 area compared to five cores collected 

randomly within a defined 10 m2 surrounding area (Figure 3). Sea ice is heterogeneous by 

nature, and this design allowed us to constrain the spatial variability in particulate and dissolved 

trace metals within a small area of sea ice, as compared to randomly sampled cores nearby. In 

addition, we directly compared defined areas from the five stations in an attempt to characterize 

the ice in the region. 

Figure 3. Diagram describing the sampling scheme for sea ice at stations off Oliktok Point.

Sea ice samples were collected to the maximum depth of the corer (1 m) after snow was 

removed from the sampling area. The corer was removed from the hole and the inner sleeve 

containing the ice core sample was quickly separated from the corer, capped, taped closed, and 

then placed in a plastic-lined aluminum case (Zarges) for transport. Due to the lack of freezer 

7
space at the ARM Climate Research Facility, the shipping cases were buried in snow until the ice 

cores could be transported to Prudhoe Bay for shipment (maximum two days). 

Sea ice samples were shipped frozen (overnight) to IARC for further processing. Samples 

were kept frozen inside their collection sleeves prior to processing, which began immediately 

after the cores arrived. Core processing took approximately one week. Individual cores were 

allowed to melt in custom-designed high-density polyethylene melting chambers (Figure 4), 

which had been previously acid washed. Once melted, the chambers were pressurized with ultrapure nitrogen gas (UPN) and the melted core was filtered through a 90 mm 0.2 μm Supor filter 

(Pall Corporation). The solution passing through the filter was collected in acid-washed LDPE 

bottles. Due to the large sediment load incorporated into the ice, large diameter filters were 

required for the filtration of each core (~5 L of water). Prior to processing, each filter was 

divided into four sections and set to air dry inside a laminar flow hood to create replicate filter 

pieces from each core. 

Liquid samples (filtered and unfiltered seawater, snow, and filtered sea ice) were acidified 

with Optima grade HCl to pH < 2 at least one week prior to analysis. Particulate samples 

(suspended particles and sea ice particle inclusions) were first leached using a solution of 25% 

acetic acid with a reducing agent (Berger et al., 2008). Leached filters then underwent complete 

digestion using a sequential scheme with a combination of HCl, nitric acid (HNO3), and 

hydrofluoric acid (HF). For select ice cores, multiple filter subsections were leached and digested 

to ensure that a representative value was obtained. 

Figure 4. Custom-made chambers for melting sea ice cores. Chambers can be outfitted with individual filter discs to 

capture particles released by the melted ice or linked with tubing to collect a single homogenized sample. 

Laboratory Analysis 

Analysis of all samples was done at IARC using a ThermoFinnigan Element2 inductively 

coupled plasma mass spectrometer (ICP-MS).

Trace metals in suspended sediments

Concentrations of leached and refractory (digested) particulate metals were determined by 

8
calibration curve and direct injection into the ICP-MS. The sensitivity was monitored with an

indium spike (1 ppb). Total particulate metals were obtained from the sum of the acetic-acidleached and refractory fractions.

Dissolved trace metals in seawater, snow, and sea ice 

Acidified seawater, snow, and sea ice samples were analyzed for trace metals using a 

seaFAST S2 system (Elemental Scientific) specifically designed for low-level trace element 

work. The seaFAST S2 draws a 7 ml sample into a series of valves where the pH is adjusted to 

~6.2 prior to passing across a resin that retains the trace metals but not major salts present in 

seawater. The trace metal sample retained on the resin is then eluted with HNO3 directly into the 

ICP-MS and quantified by either isotope dilution (Fe, Ni, Cu, Zn, Cd, Ba and Pb) or calibration 

curve (Mn) (Rember et al., in prep). The major advantage of this system is that minimal sample 

handling/processing is required after acidification (i.e., adding enriched isotopic spike or indium 

to monitor sensitivity prior to analysis). 

Quality Assurance and Quality Control 

All seawater, snow, and sea ice samples were collected, transported, and stored by personnel 

from the University of Alaska, Fairbanks. Upon return to or arrival at the laboratory, each sample 

was inspected to ensure that it was intact and that the sample label was legible.

Instrument calibration 

All pipets (both electric and manual) were calibrated prior to use. The ICP-MS was initially 

checked for stability and sensitivity prior to instrument calibration. Prior to metal analysis, the 

instrument was standardized with a calibration curve consisting of four to six points, and a linear 

correlation of r2 greater than or equal to 0.999. Analysis of the standard curves or standard check 

was repeated routinely every 20 samples until the analysis were complete. The relative standard 

deviation (RSD) between calibration and standard check was required to be <5% or recalibration 

and reanalysis of the affected samples were performed. 

Quality control measurements for analysis 

Quality controls included duplicate sample analysis, certified reference material (CRM) 

analysis, reagent blank analysis, isotopic spike calibration, and standard checks. With each batch 

of sediment samples, at least two reagent blanks, two CRMs, and two duplicate samples were 

analyzed. With each batch of dissolved samples, several system blanks, sample duplicates, and 

reference seawater with consensus values were analyzed for a suite of trace elements. 

At least two procedural blanks were processed during each batch of leached and digested 

samples to monitor for contamination of labware or reagents. The blanks were processed and 

analyzed using the same handling techniques and procedures as the field samples. 

For seawater, melted snow, and sea ice samples, procedural blanks for the SeaFAST S2 

system were determined from the analysis of acidified ultra-pure Milli-Q water treated in the 

9
same manner as acidified field samples. Specifically, the multi-element isotope spike was added 

to the acidified Milli-Q water to determine the procedural blank for metals quantified by isotope 

dilution, and an indium spike was added to acidified Milli-Q water to determine the procedural 

blank for metals quantified against calibration curves. 

The CRM MESS-3, Beaufort Sea marine sediment from the National Resource Council of 

Canada (NRC), was used to evaluate the accuracy of our suspended sediment analytical 

procedures. Metal concentrations are required to be within 20% of accepted values for the 

certified metals. Results for the dissolved metals were monitored using a seawater CRM from 

NRC, NASS-6, as well as other seawater samples with consensus values determined by the 

oceanographic community for the US GEOTRACES program. Results for all the CRMs are in 

the Appendix. 

RESULTS

2013 Chukchi Sea Water Column 

We participated in the Japanese Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC) R/V 

Mirai cruise in the Chukchi Sea during September/October 2013. Data from this cruise are 

highly relevant to BOEM as the study area overlapped with a number of oil-related activities on 

the Chukchi Shelf at the time of the expedition. A total of 21 vertical profiles were collected 

from 11 stations (Figure 2, top). Eleven of the profiles originated from a single site (Station 41) 

that was reoccupied multiple times over a 16-day period.

Here we will highlight three sets of results from our Chukchi Sea fieldwork including results 

from a northward transect over the shelf, results from the time series at Station 41 located 

towards the north of the shelf (72.5o

 N), and results from offshore stations (including 2010 data). 

Three stations collected along 168 W (Stations 64, 77 and 84) show variability in water 

column structure and trace metal partitioning across the shelf. The Bering Strait station (Station

84) had a three-layer system (Figure 5A) with a thin layer of low-density, fresh water above ~3 

m, a layer of mid-density occupying the upper 5–15 m, and below this depth, a well-mixed, 

subsurface, denser layer with relatively higher suspended particles as seen in the transmissometer 

data (Figure 5B). At Station 77, where PW entering the Chukchi Sea bifurcates into the Central 

Channel and Herald Valley branches, the water column was mostly completely mixed (Figure

5A). Data show particles from a bottom nepheloid layer mixed up almost into the surface layer 

(Figure 5B). The northernmost station exhibited a two-layer system with fresher, less dense 

surface waters mixed down to depths of almost 30 m overlaying a thin, denser, and turbid bottom 

layer (Figure 5). 

10
Figure 5. Density (A) and transmission data (B) on the transect from Bering Strait to the northern Chukchi Sea 

along 168 W. Red/white dots indicate the location of samples taken for trace metal analysis at stations (from left to 

right) 84, 77, and 64. 

Dissolved and particulate trace elements data along the 168 W transect are presented in 

Figure 6. Concentrations of Mn, Fe, and Cu (also Al and Pb, not shown) in the leachable and 

refractory particulate phases show very different trends along the transect, as do the 

concentrations of dissolved Fe, Mn and Cu. In general, the refractory fraction of suspended 

particles (darkest color circles in Figure 6) was substantially greater than the leachable fraction at 

all depths and across the shelf for Fe (note the logarithmic scale) and Al (not shown), while for 

Mn, Cu, and Pb these particulate fractions had relatively similar magnitudes. Although similar in 

magnitude, the partitioning of suspended particles for Mn, Cu and Pb differ in that the Mn 

refractory fraction decreased across the shelf, Cu consistently exhibited a slightly higher 

refractory fraction, while Pb was consistently higher in the leachable fraction. For all metals, 

sedimentary resuspension was apparent, particularly at the middle station where transmissometer 

data shows enhanced concentrations of suspended particles (Figure 5B). Surface dissolved Mn 

and Cu were higher across the shelf, while surface dissolved Fe decreased from the Bering Strait 

northward. Subsurface input of dissolved Fe is also apparent at these three shelf stations (Figure 

6). 

11
 Figure 6. Concentrations of dissolved (D), leachable particulate (LP) and refractory particulate (RP) Fe, Mn, Cu, and Ni for Station

 E,H,K) and 64 (C, F,I,L) along the Chukchi Shelf (168o W). Note the log scale for particulate Fe.

12
This field effort allowed for the reoccupation of a single station (Station 41) over a two-week 

period. During that period, CTD profiles and water samples were collected every six hours to 

investigate the temporal variability in physical and chemical parameters. A summary of select 

CTD data is presented in Figure 7. Samples for trace metals at this station were taken on 

alternating days during the first week and daily during the second week. The structure of the 

water column at this station exhibited a fresh, low-density layer in the upper 20 m with low 

suspended particle load and intermediate dissolved oxygen values. Density and oxygen 

concentrations increased below this layer, while the suspended particle load was diminished. 

Within the densest layer, adjacent to the sediment, suspended particles exhibited maxima 

(nepheloid layer), and dissolved oxygen concentrations exhibited minima throughout the 

sampling period. Temporal variability in dissolved oxygen, beam transmission and density 

showed that approximately half way through the occupation, denser surface water relatively 

enriched in oxygen and suspended particles moved into the sampling region. 

This feature was also evident towards the end of the second week of sampling in the bottom 

10 m, and resulted in a reduction in beam transmission (enhanced suspended particles), increased 

dissolved oxygen, and lower density (Figure 7). These observations suggest advection of 

subsurface waters promoting sediment resuspension. 

Figure 7. Density data (A), beam transmission (B), and dissolved oxygen (C) collected from CTD profiles collected 

four times daily during a two-week occupation of Station 41 in the Chukchi Sea.

Short-term variability in shelf trace metal concentrations can be exemplified by Fe and Mn 

profiles at Station 41. Concentrations of dissolved Fe and Mn followed hydrographic trends. In 

general, concentrations increased with depth, and were highest below 40 m in the region where 

dissolved oxygen showed a decreased gradient towards its minimum. Surface dissolved Fe and 

13
Mn were impacted by the higher density surface water moving through the region on the second 

week of the occupation (Figure 8). Particle resuspension in the denser subsurface layer was 

evident in the leachable and refractory fraction of both metals, with highest concentrations in the 

bottommost samples. 

Figure 8. Dissolved (A, D), leachable (B, E), and refractory (C, F) Fe and Mn data (11 profiles) collected during an 

extended occupation of a single station (Station 41) in the northern Chukchi Sea. 

 Dissolved trace element profiles collected from the southern Canada Basin (Figure 9) 

during 2010 and 2013 represent some of the very limited dissolved trace element measurements 

available from the region. The depths sampled during these summer occupations allowed us to 

quantify trace metal concentrations in surface waters, water masses of Pacific and Atlantic 

origin, waters impacted by fresh water inputs (melted sea ice and/or riverine input), and waters 

modified along the Chukchi Shelf and advected in subsurface layers into the Canada Basin. 

Within the upper 1000 m, the concentration range for dissolved metals (Fe ~ 0.5–1.5 nM, Mn

~ 0.2–11.5 nM, Cu ~ 1.5–6 nM, Ni ~ 3.0–8.5 nM, and Pb ~ 2–10 pM) tended to be the lowest in 

Atlantic waters (depth > 300 m) (Figure 9). Concentrations of dissolved metals in Atlantic Water 

showed little variability with depth and were consistent in the two years we sampled in this 

region. Relative to the deeper Atlantic Water, concentrations of dissolved metals were elevated 

and much more variable within depths < 300 m in Pacific Water (Figure 9). Distinct profiles for 

each metal observed in these offshore waters. Dissolved Mn and Pb had surface maxima while

dissolved Fe, Cu and Ni had maxima in the subsurface between 100 and 200 m. 

14
 

 Figure 9. Profiles of dissolved metals for the southern Canada Basin collected in 2010 and 2013.

15
Sea Ice Tank Experiments

We successfully tested the prototype of our ice corer in early 2014 in our outdoor clean van. 

Initial testing of the prototype showed that the corer design was satisfactory for drilling and 

collecting sea ice cores, trace-metal-clean with respect to concentrations of metals commonly 

known to contaminate during sampling, and durable enough to withstand collecting a large 

number of sea ice cores before servicing cutting blades. After this initial testing, warm weather 

prevented us from continuing outdoor work. 

Tank experiments began in late October 2014. A clean enclosure was constructed to keep 

positive pressure over a tank and working area in the cold room of the Geophysical Institute at 

UAF. There was a steep learning curve to understand how to control the tank temperature so it 

would freeze slowly over a period of days to weeks for the ice growing experiments. 

In the first experiment, we froze approximately 180 liters of filtered Gulf of Alaska seawater 

slowly over a two-week period (Figure 10). Filtered seawater was used to initiate the experiment 

in the absence of particles. Samples were then collected weekly over a four-week period. Each 

sampling interval included extracting a pair of ice columns (sea ice grown inside acid-clean 

polycarbonate tubes placed inside the tank) (Figure 10) and a sample of the unfrozen water from 

the bottom of the tank (through a spigot). 

Figure 10. Filtered seawater from the Gulf of Alaska was frozen in a large polyethylene tank in the cold room of the 

UAF Geophysical Institute (left photo). Polycarbonate tubes were suspended in the seawater during ice formation 

(middle photo). The tubes were extracted from the tank and transported to a class 100 laminar flow hood where 

subsamples were collected (right photo).

Results from the tank experiment suggest that metals partition between the sea ice and the 

seawater water from which it forms. Two examples of partitioning of the metals are shown in 

Figure 11. Although sediment was not included during the first experiment, concentrations of Fe 

in unfiltered samples (tank and sea ice) (Figure 11A) showed substantial additional Fe than 

filtered samples. This was the case throughout the experiment. These data suggest that as 

seawater freezes, the resulting concentration of salts in brines can act as a mechanism to promote 

precipitation and transfer Fe from the dissolved phase to the particulate phase. This appears to 

happen early in the ice formation process (by week 1 dissolved Fe had already partitioned into 

the particulate phase) and is likely an abiotic mechanism of colloidal aggregation. This 

partitioning was more pronounced in the melted sea ice than in the seawater under the ice, 

16
suggesting that Fe in sea ice is preferentially retained in the particulate phase. In contrast to the 

results for Fe, precipitation of Cu during ice formation was much less evident (filtered and 

unfiltered samples were more similar in concentration) (Figure 11B). Concentrations of filtered 

and unfiltered Cu increased in the tank during the experiment, while Cu in the ice decreased over 

the same time period. These results suggest that during the formation of sea ice, Cu is not 

retained as dissolved nor as newly precipitated particles, but instead is rejected along with the 

brine. 

In the second tank experiment, two grams of Beaufort Sea sediment from the CRM MESS-3 

(NRC) was added to the tank and mixed and suspended throughout the experiment with a 

magnetic stirrer and Teflon-coated bar. Results show a clear rise in dissolved concentrations for 

all metals in the tank due to desorption of metals from the added particles (notice change in yaxis ranges in Figure 11). Overall, a similar trend as in the first experiment was observed for 

both Fe (Figure 11C) and Cu (Figure 11D). Partitioning between dissolved and particulate phases 

was greater for Fe than for Cu. Concentrations of Cu in the seawater under the ice increased with 

time as Cu concentrations decreased in the sea ice. Interestingly, the removal of Fe from sea ice 

over time is much more pronounced when sediment is present. 

Figure 11. Select results from the ice tank experiments conducted in 2014. The first experiment (A and B) was 

conducted in the absence of particles; suspended sediment was added in the second experiment (C and D).

A B

C D

17
Sea Ice Field Sampling

Delays in the manufacture of the ice corer caused a one-year delay in the ice sampling from 

the coastal Beaufort Sea. Due to a very tight sampling window surrounding the spring freshet, 

we targeted our field time to coordinate with the ANIMIDA III project trace metal sampling 

effort in mid-May 2015, before the rivers began to flow, and were able to sample in in 

conjunction with the ANIMIDA III investigators. Although we were ready to sample on May 15, 

we lost one day of sampling due to bad weather. On May 16 and 17, we were able to complete 

five stations (Table 1) and collect a total of 50 ice cores from fast ice north of Oliktok Point 

(Figure 1). Our sea ice data compliment dissolved and particulate data collected by Dr. Trefry 

(water column and river chemistry) and by Dr. Kasper (physical parameters), and add another 

aspect to examining the physical and chemical changes that occur in the winter to spring 

transition on the Beaufort Sea shelf. 

Table 1. Station Locations for stations occupied during May 2015 off Oliktok Point. Station names are consistent

with ANIMIDA III stations.

Station Latitude Longitude Sample Date Water Depth (m)

E10 70° 34.823 150° 0.603 May 16 9.2

E11 70° 35.949 150° 0.623 May 16 9.5

NM5 70° 35.505 150° 3.468 May 16 9.5

W07 70° 36.080 150° 14.211 May 17 10.9

S01 70° 33.345 150° 5.502 May 17 5.9

 

Data from CTD profiles (Figure 12) suggest that ~80% of the water column under the ice 

was well mixed. Considering the relatively small area (13 km2

) encompassed by our study, we 

encountered considerable variability within the CTD profiles (Figure 12). Salinities varied from 

less than 33 to almost 36. The temperature scale is exaggerated to show small deviations 

throughout the water column. Temperature across the entire study area ranged between -1.86°C 

and -1.79°C. Overall, the water column was fairly well mixed at most sites with slight decreases 

in temperature and increases in salinity in the bottom waters.

18
Figure 12. Salinity (red) and temperature (blue) profiles collected at the five stations occupied during May 2015 off 

Oliktok Point.

19
Concentrations of dissolved metals in seawater under the ice were within normal coastal 

concentrations (Figure 13, Table 2) for the Beaufort Sea, and the Chukchi Sea (MIRAI 2013 

cruise data, Trefry et al., 2009). The concentrations compared well with data collected during the 

open-water season from previous BOEM funded projects in the region with a few exceptions. 

Metals such as Cu, Ni, Cd, and Ba show less than 6% variability in the water column suggesting 

that any processes occurring in the bottom waters do not considerably alter concentrations of 

those elements.

Figure 13. Concentrations of select dissolved metals at the five stations occupied during May 2015. Stations 1–5 are 

E11, NM5, E10, W07, and S01, respectively.

20
Table 2. Concentrations of dissolved trace metals in the seawater collected below the ice at stations occupied during 

spring 2015 near the mouth of the Colville River. Concentrations in brackets are standard deviations for each 

associated concentration.

Station Depth (m) Fe

(nM)

Ni

(nM)

Cu

(nM)

Zn

(nM)

Cd

(pM)

Ba

(nM)

Pb

(pM)

E10 2 3.14 13.8 5.80 3.37 796.8 76.9 17.5

E11 2.4

8.7

2.86

4.74

14.1

14.7

5.69

5.52

3.63

4.00

825.1

856.3

76.3

79.2

15.11

13.4

NM5 2 4.00 13.6 5.56 3.39 798.4 76.3 15.3

W07 2

9

2.76

6.47

13.0

15.5

5.61

6.02

2.86

4.24

766.9

848.2

74.4

79.4

15.5

21.6

S01 2

5.25

6.03

11.5

14.2

13.9

5.85

5.74

3.55

4.02

819.9

833.1

75.6

77.8

10.4

11.5

Average Under Ice 2015 5.19

(2.91)

14.08

(0.75)

5.72

(0.17)

3.63

(0.44)

817.9

(29.5)

76.8

(1.7)

15.1

(3.7)

Coastal Beaufort Sea* Surface Water - - 6.34

(1.90)

2.95

(1.03)

303

(89)

119

(55)

44.5

(14)

*Coastal Beaufort surface water comprises water taken during the open-water season from 2000 to 2006 during ANIMIDA and 

cANIMIDA (Trefry et al., 2009). 

These results are somewhat surprising given that the amount of sediment varied substantially 

among the 50 ice cores (Figure 14). The range of total suspended solid (TSS) concentrations 

ranged from 1.47 to 174 mg/L among the 50 cores. Each station consisted of ten cores, cores 1– 

5 were collected within the 1-m

2 area, and cores 5–10 were collected randomly near the defined 

area. These data clearly demonstrate the heterogeneity of sea ice with TSS varying by as much as 

~120 fold in cores collected within a relatively small area. 

Figure 14. Concentration of total suspended solids (TSS) in sea ice cores collected during spring 2015.

21
At stations where surface and subsurface water were sampled (E11, W07, and S01), 

dissolved Fe, Zn, and Cd consistently showed higher concentrations at the subsurface. 

Concentrations of dissolved Fe were approximately double in subsurface waters when compared 

to the surface, while the increases in dissolved Zn and dissolved Cd were less pronounced (Table 

2). Concentrations of dissolved Pb were relatively low and were lower at the surface for Stations 

W07 and S01, but higher at Station E11. 

Sea ice cores obtained during the spring of 2015 were collected as two spatially distinct 

groups as detailed previously (Figure 3). In Table 3, concentrations of dissolved metals from 

each of the five cores collected either inside of the 1-m2 box or randomly outside the box are 

averaged to give a representative concentration for each population, at each station. Our results 

suggest that significant differences did not exist between the concentrations of dissolved metals 

in the two ice core populations for most metals (p > 0.05). At site W07, the coefficient of 

variance for samples collected within the defined area to those collected randomly ranged from a 

low of 5% for Fe to a high of 15% for Pb. Moreover, we found that the concentrations of 

dissolved metals did not vary greatly among stations. On average, dissolved Fe was 1.66 + 0.44 

nM in cores taken from within the 1-m

2 box at all stations, and 1.85 + 0.57 nM in cores taken 

randomly outside the box. Similarly, the average concentrations of dissolved Ni, Cu, Zn and Ba 

in cores taken inside the 1-m2 box were similar to those taken randomly (2.39 + 0.94 nM, 1.14 + 

0.29 nM, 1.99 + 1.54 nM, and 10.7 + 2.2 nM, respectively inside, vs. 2.09 + 0.56 nM, 1.16 + 

0.32 nM, 1.44 + 0.67 nM, and 10.8 + 2.2 nM, respectively for randomly collected cores). The 

same was true for Cd and Pb, however, these were three orders of magnitude lower, with the 

average of all cores inside the 1-m

2 box containing 38.6 + 13.1 pM Cd, and 2.9 + 2.1 pM Pb, and 

the randomly collected cores containing an average of 34.3 + 5.6 pM Cd, and 1.9 + 0.8 pM Pb. 

These results are somewhat surprising given that the amount of sediment varied 

substantially among the 50 ice cores (Figure 14). The range of total suspended solid (TSS) 

concentrations ranged from 1.47 to 174 mg/L among the 50 cores. Each station consisted of ten

cores, cores 1-5 were collected within the 1-m2 area, and cores 5-10 were collected randomly 

near the defined area. These data clearly demonstrate the heterogeneity of sea ice with TSS 

varying by as much as ~120 fold in cores collected within a relatively small area. 

22
Table 3. Concentrations of dissolved trace metals in the sea ice collected at stations occupied during spring 2015 

near the mouth of the Colville River. Concentrations in brackets are standard deviations for each associated 

concentration. 

Station Core Fe

(nM)

Ni

(nM)

Cu

(nM)

Zn

(nM)

Cd

(pM)

Ba

(nM)

Pb

(pM)

TSS

(mg/L)

E11 In 1.26

(0.66)

3.97

(0.93)

1.29

(0.47)

4.69

(2.10)

60.2

(39.5)

11.2

(3.9)

6.4

(5.5)

18.7

(37.6)

Out 0.96

(0.90)

2.92

(0.86)

0.68

(0.2)

2.57

(1.19)

40.6

(16.4)

7.8

(2.3)

2.04

(1.4)

12.3

(11.7)

NM5 In 2.16

(0.53)

1.98

(0.21)

1.38

(0.25)

1.45

(0.36)

30.5

(12.9)

11.7

(4.2)

1.1

(0.9)

77.8

(65.4)

Out 2.09

(0.69)

2.13

(0.55)

1.53

(0.44)

1.35

(0.35)

38.3

(14.8)

11.6

(2.4)

1.0

(0.2)

70.4

(24.5)

E10 In 2.04

(0.28)

1.79

(0.27)

1.37

(0.16)

1.12

(0.20)

35.7

(9.0)

13.8

(1.2)

2.7

(0.6)

33.8

(12.6)

Out 2.51

(0.67)

1.49

(0.54)

1.33

(0.37)

0.96

(0.38)

28.7

(12.8)

13.8

(2.9)

2.8

(1.2)

49.4

(51.8)

W07 In 1.65

(0.22)

2.54

(0.34)

0.90

(0.18)

1.72

(0.49)

40.2

(9.3)

8.06

(1.35)

1.6

(0.5)

37.2

(20.8)

Out 1.77

(0.23)

2.25

(0.15)

1.03

(0.21)

1.42

(0.22)

36.5

(5.6)

8.88

(1.11)

1.3

(0.2)

45.0

(13.9)

S01 In 1.21

(0.42)

1.69

(0.35)

0.76

(0.34)

0.98

(0.25)

26.5

(6.1)

9.2

(2.3)

2.7

(0.3)

6.9

(5.5)

Out 1.94

(0.54)

1.67

(0.51)

1.25

(0.39)

0.89

(0.30)

27.7

(13.1)

11.4

(2.9)

2.5

(0.5)

13.2

(7.9)

In Average 1.66

(0.44)

2.39

(0.94)

1.14

(0.29)

1.99

(1.54)

38.6

(13.1)

10.7

(2.2)

2.9

(2.1)

34.9

(40.7)

Out Average 1.85

(0.57)

2.09

(0.56)

1.16

(0.32)

1.44

(0.67)

34.3

(5.8)

10.8

(2.2)

1.9

(0.8)

38.0

(33.7)

All Average 1.76

(0.49)

2.24

(0.75)

1.15

(0.29)

1.72

(1.16)

36.5

(18)

10.7

(2.4)

1.9

(2.3)

36.5

(37.0)

Total particulate metals in sea ice show a striking similarity to the bottom sediments 

when comparing the metal/Al ratios (Table 4). Select elements displayed some deviation 

between the ice core particulate materials and the bottom sediments. For example, while the 

Fe/Al ratio in the ice cores was higher than that found in bottom sediments it does match 

suspended matter ratios previously published in BOEM Reports from the first ANIMIDA project 

(Boehm, 2001). In all cases the metal/Al ratio determined for suspended particles in the ice cores 

displayed a correlation coefficient of 0.8 or greater, suggesting that sediment grain size is the 

primary variable controlling concentrations as has been previously shown by Trefry et al. (2003) 

(Figure 15). 

23
Table 4. Metal to Al ratios for particulate trace metals in the sea ice cores collected at stations occupied during 

spring 2015 near the mouth of the Colville River.

Station Mn/Al V/Al Fe/Al Ni/Al Cu/Al Zn/Al Cd/Al Ba/Al Pb/Al

Ice Cores 48 21.9 0.55 5.0 4.0 18.7 0.07 74.7 2.2

Beaufort Sea Sediment 50 22.7 0.49 6.4 5.8 20.5 0.06 72.9 2.4

Figure 15. Metal to Al ratios in sea ice cores collected during May 2015 from the Colville River Delta. Regression 

lines and 99% prediction intervals are shown. 

Trace metal concentrations in snow are presented in Table 5. For Ni, Cu, Zn, and Ba,

concentrations in the snow were lower than those found in the sea ice and underlying water. 

Cadmium concentrations at stations E10, E11, and NM5 were elevated when compared to the 

remaining two samples but not when compared to the underlying seawater. Concentrations of 

dissolved Fe were higher in snow samples when compared to the sea ice and seawater. This is to 

be expected, as Fe has a lower solubility in saline solutions and particles in the snow are likely to 

leach metals and contribute to the dissolved fraction during the melting process. Concentrations 

of Pb, one of the most anthropogenically disturbed and labile metals on earth, were highly 

24
elevated in snow when compared published Arctic snow concentrations (Rember and Trefry, 

2004), and to the underlying seawater. The close proximity of the snow samples to industrial 

activities suggests infrastructure present on the North Slope is a potential source of the observed 

snow Pb. 

Table 5. Concentrations of dissolved trace metals in the snow collected at stations occupied during spring 2015 near 

the mouth of the Colville River. North Slope samples were taken during the ANIMIDA project in 2001 south of 

Prudhoe Bay.

Station

Fe

(nM)

Ni

(nM)

Cu

(nM)

Zn

(nM)

Cd

(pM)

Ba

(nM)

Pb

(pM)

E11 77.2 0.30 0.23 1.09 309 2.29 132

NM5 108.7 0.51 0.53 3.36 342 3.45 232

E10 26.6 0.34 0.46 1.86 71.2 3.15 313

W07 63.6 0.19 0.18 0.94 6.03 2.15 105

S01 26.8 0.18 1.97 0.92 7.43 2.60 147

North Slope* 17.8(7.1) - 0.91(0.47) - - 5.0(0.8) 30(7)

 *Rember and Trefry, 2004.

DISCUSSION

Chukchi Sea Trace Metal Distributions

Ocean circulation plays an important role in the concentrations of dissolved and particulate 

metals throughout the world’s ocean. The convergence of water masses in the Chukchi Sea and 

Canada Basin is perhaps unparalleled. Sources of water to the Chukchi Sea include the Alaska 

Coastal Current, the Bering Sea (Pacific Water), the Anadyr Current, the East Siberian Current, 

melting sea ice and snow, and occasional Mackenzie River water. Water moving north from 

Bering Strait through the Chukchi Sea follows along three potential paths prior to entering the 

Canada Basin (Figure 2, bottom). These three pathways, while having different characteristics

and variable residence times on the shelf (Weingartner et al., 2005a), eventually help shape the 

chemical composition of the upper 100–200 m of much of the Arctic Ocean. For example, 

Pacific Water, characterized by higher concentrations of dissolved phosphate relative to Atlantic 

Water, can be traced to the North Pole, into the Eurasian Basin, and eventually into the North 

Atlantic (Yamamoto-Kawai et al., 2006). Therefore, changes in the chemical composition of 

water masses due to varying residence times and freshwater sources in the Chukchi Sea can 

influence not only the regional chemical and biological inventories but, to some extent, the 

global inventories as well. 2 

The data gathered on the 2013 R/V Mirai expedition were able to provide a basic 

understanding of the processes influencing metal concentrations on the shelf. We were able to 

conduct a cross-shelf transect from the Bering Strait (~66 °N) to the northern Chukchi at ~72 °N, 

25
a distance of over 500 km. In addition, we participated in a Japanese experiment to study the 

variability at one site on the northern end of the Chukchi Shelf (Station 41) over a two-week 

period. 

Dissolved Fe and Zn data along the transect showed a decrease (from south to north) in these 

elements within the productive surface waters of the Chukchi Sea shelf. Differences between 

surface and subsurface waters were also evident. Figures 6A–C show these trends for dissolved 

Fe. Dissolved Zn data are not shown. Concentrations of surface (15 m) dissolved Fe decreased 

from ~ 9 nM at the Bering Strait station, to ~ 6 nM at the next northward station (Station 77), to 

~ 1 nM at the northernmost station (Station 64). This change in dissolved Fe across the shelf is 

about an order of magnitude and may result from the biological uptake of this micronutrient in 

surface waters, the advection of a different water mass from the East Siberian Sea at the northern 

station, or a combination of these. In subsurface waters, concentrations of Fe over the shelf 

appear to vary in response to suspended particulate matter (Figure 5B), with higher 

concentrations of dissolved and particulate Fe in areas of lower beam transmission. This 

sedimentary input of dissolved and particulate Fe is constrained within the bottom layers (Figure

6A-C). 

Similar to the Chukchi shelf observations, Aguilar-Islas et al. (2007) observed substantial 

decreases in cross-shelf dissolved Fe, and much higher concentrations of this micronutrient in 

subsurface waters, in the summer-stratified surface waters of the productive broad shelf of the 

Bering Sea. In combination, these data sets suggest that dissolved Fe has a sedimentary source in 

these productive shelves, but vertical input into surface waters is inhibited by stratification. The 

trends in the dissolved Zn data are analogous to the dissolved Fe data, with the highest 

concentrations found in the Bering Strait and at depth at the stations further north (data not 

shown). Low surface concentrations of micronutrients such as Fe and Zn are expected in 

productive regions due to their biological removal. In bottom waters over shallow shelves, 

elevated concentrations of dissolved micronutrients are consistent with sedimentary 

remineralization of organic matter and the subsequent flux into the water column. 

The concentrations of dissolved Mn along this transect were in contrast to those of dissolved 

Fe and Zn. Manganese is also an essential micronutrient; however, its concentration in the water 

column can be substantially increased in surface waters by photo-reduction of suspended 

particles. Similar to Fe, sedimentary input can enhance dissolved and particulate Mn. In the 

shallow waters of the Chukchi Sea, dissolved Mn concentrations throughout the water column 

increased northward along the transect (~11 nM at Bering Strait (Station 84) to ~15 nM at 

Station 77, and > 20 nM at Station 64) while concentrations of particulate Mn decreased in the 

upper 25 m. (Figure 6D–F). These results suggest that, in combination with water circulation, the 

accumulation of dissolved trace metals over the Chukchi shelf (whether on the subsurface or 

throughout the water column) provides a mechanism for the input of these elements into Arctic 

basins. Inputs from Arctic shelves likely influence the inventory of trace metals in Arctic basins 

and the associated sea ice that incorporates dissolved constituents into brine pockets. A trace 

26
metal signal from shelf inputs was observed in water profiles collected offshore in 2010 and 

2013 (Aguilar-Islas et al., 2013) and will be described in the following discussion. 

Similarly to dissolved Mn, the concentration of dissolved Cu increased from south to north, 

although not to the same extent (data not shown). Like Mn, dissolved Cu concentrations had only 

slight variations with depth for a given station. Dissolved Cu was on average 2.7, 2.8 and 4.4 nM 

at Stations 84, 77, and 64, respectively. Unlike Mn, particulate Cu is not susceptible to photoreduction in surface waters, and the higher concentrations observed in the northern Chukchi Sea 

could have resulted from water advected from Siberian Shelves into the region. If water from 

Siberian Shelves is higher in dissolved Cu, this element might serve as a tracer of this water 

mass. Concentrations of dissolved Ni were high in the study area (data not shown) and consistent 

with concentrations found in the North Pacific. Concentrations varied by only ~5% for all 

samples among the three shelf stations, suggesting that there is neither an important removal 

process nor a varying source of dissolved Ni to the Chukchi Sea shelf during summer. 

The reoccupation of a single station over the time of the field effort was extremely valuable

as it provided an opportunity to determine short term variability used to inform interpretation of 

representative profiles from sites occupied once during the expedition. In summer 2013, we were 

able to reoccupy Station 41 on the northern Chukchi shelf multiple times. The CTD data 

collected at Station 41 clearly show how dynamic the water column can be over a short period of 

time. The first week that the site was occupied shows a narrow (~10 m) but somewhat variable 

benthic boundary layer characterized by denser water with lower oxygen concentrations, 

generally < 275 μM, and lower % beam transmission (higher suspended particles) (Figure 7). A 

front of higher density surface water moved through the site toward the end of the first week and 

coincided with an enhanced mixing of the benthic boundary layer (Figure 7). The front caused 

changes in the dissolved oxygen concentration and the suspended particle content. As a result, 

the benthic boundary layer was ventilated and oxygen concentrations increased to > 300 μM. 

Particle resuspension was enhanced with suspended particles penetrating further up into the 

water column over the same period of time. When the site was reoccupied a week later, less 

dense water had returned at the surface, oxygen concentrations in the bottom waters were again 

<250 μΜ, and % beam transmission had also decreased.

Trace element profiles collected during the occupation of Station 41 suggest that in these 

shallow waters, concentrations can vary greatly depending on external variables such as fronts 

and associated events. Trace metal profiles were initially collected every other day, but 

collection was changed to daily after observing the variability in CTD profiles over the first 

week of the occupation. Initially, concentrations of dissolved metals did not vary substantially in 

the upper 30 m. Concentrations were more dynamic in the bottom boundary layer where the 

interaction between the water column and the sediments alters concentrations of some metals at 

rates that can be observed on daily cycles (Figure 8). As the above-mentioned front progressed 

into the study area, concentrations of dissolved Ni (data not shown) and labile particulate Mn 

27
increased in surface waters, marking the potential advection of a different water mass. Deeper in 

the water column, the enhanced mixing that coincided with the front caused increased 

concentrations of dissolved and leachable Fe, Mn (Figure 8), and Ni (data not shown). In some 

cases, during the strongest mixing, the higher concentrations permeated through the entire water 

column as it became less stratified. 

The extended occupation of Station 41 showed that the oceanographic conditions in the 

Chukchi Sea can change substantially over very short periods of time, especially bottom water 

and the suspended particulate metal fractions. The chemical and physical properties measured 

throughout the entire water column were altered in some way during the time the station was 

sampled. This can lead to several conclusions. Single profiles are truly only a snapshot of the 

oceanographic environment in the Chukchi Sea and extrapolation of these data to explain 

weekly, monthly, or annual trends has the potential to lead to large uncertainties in data 

interpretation or modeling. Connecting the dots along transects in a complex oceanographic 

regime such as the Chukchi Sea, where currents and sources of water are in constant flux, can 

lead to difficulties in fully understanding how the northern and southern regions of the Chukchi 

Sea interact. While there are well-defined current flows, there also seem to be events that can 

dramatically shift water column properties such that the concentrations of particles, dissolved 

metals, density, and oxygen can change from day to day. 

Few profiles of dissolved metals were available in the literature for the Canada Basin, 

particularly prior to the 2013 R/V Mirai cruise. We now have several profiles from 2010 and 

2013 for waters deeper than 1000 m and profiles from others (e.g., Nakayama et al., 2011) that 

can be used to infer how shelf processes impact the deep basin. The Canada Basin is unique in 

that Pacific Water, modified by its transect through the Bering and Chukchi Seas, overlays 

Atlantic Water entering through Fram Strait or the Barents Sea. By the time the Atlantic Water 

reaches the Canada Basin, dissolved metal concentrations in the core of this water mass do not 

appear to vary substantially. These waters have traveled several thousand kilometers along the 

margin and seem generally unaffected by local exchange with the margin or local particle export 

(Figure 9). At offshore stations, dissolved metals showed variability in the upper 300 m, 

reflecting surface influences from melting sea ice and either enhancement or scavenging at middepths from shelf waters advected offshore and mixing with basin waters. Below 300 m, the 

approximate top range of the Atlantic Water layer, dissolved metal concentrations became much 

more uniform among the various profiles. The most uniform concentrations were observed

within the core of the Atlantic Water layer, underscoring the minimal spatial and interannual 

variability. 

In surface waters down to approximately 250 m, where Pacific Water and shelf influences 

determine offshore profiles, metal concentrations showed considerable spatial variability among 

stations. These surface waters also tended to be more concentrated in dissolved metals. For 

example, concentrations of dissolved Cu and Ni were 2–3 times higher in layers influenced by 

Pacific Water than they are in the depths below (Figure 9). A similar trend exists in the Fe and 

28
Mn data where in some cases concentrations are elevated in the layer between 150 and 250 m, 

particularly at stations closer to the shelf (Figure 9). This denser ‘cold layer’ is Pacific Winter 

Water and is likely indicative of the export of dissolved Fe and Mn found in the bottom waters 

on the shelf. Fe and Mn may accumulate over the winter months when organic matter produced 

over the summer months is consumed in the sediment and diagenetic processes result in a flux of 

these metals from the sediment to bottom waters. Overall, dissolved Fe and Mn concentrations 

are greatly reduced in the basin when compared to shelf water likely due to dilution, uptake, and 

scavenging, but the peaks do coincide with water masses of known shelf origin (e.g., AguilarIslas et al., 2013; Nakayama et al., 2011), which suggests a shelf source. 

These noted peaks and higher concentrations suggest that water masses on the shelf are 

directly exported to the deep basins and that shelf processes can influence the chemical 

composition of the deep basin. This would include the export of nutrients, heat, salt, and, in this 

case, elevated levels of trace metals, which can be biologically important micronutrients. 

Sea Ice Tank Experiments

Over the past several decades our understanding of trace metal concentrations in the 

nearshore Beaufort Sea environment has gradually increased with the continuation of numerous 

projects funded by BOEM and other funding agencies. Until recently, due to the inability to 

collect clean samples, very little was known about the concentrations of dissolved and particulate 

metals in sea ice. The primary goal of this project was to build and test an ice corer capable of 

collecting trace-metal-clean samples. Initially, we intended to build a titanium corer similar to 

designs used by sea ice researchers in other countries. This proved to be exceedingly difficult 

given costs, and problems sourcing materials and finding welders capable of working with 

titanium. Therefore, we shifted our focus to a corer built primarily out of plastic but strengthened 

with sections of titanium and cutting parts made from titanium. Initial tests with a prototype 

showed that the design worked very well but construction materials needed to be altered due to 

the inability to acid wash some of the plastics used in the original design. Given the time 

constraints of the project and the delays in manufacturing, we decided to move forward with a 

scaled-back version of the tank experiments. These experiments were performed by growing sea 

ice from filtered seawater in a 200-L tank in a cold room (-5o

C) under trace-metal-clean 

conditions. The ice from the tank experiments was not collected with a corer; instead, we were 

able to grow cores inside individual polycarbonate sleeves and harvest them weekly over a 

month-long period. By growing the cores rather than trying to core from a tank, the operation 

was cleaner (with respect to trace metals) and the conditions were likely a good representation of 

initial ice growth stages like those taking place in the nearshore Beaufort Sea during the 

transition from an open-water state to an ice-covered ocean. 

Concentrations of dissolved metals in the filtered seawater used in the experiment are within 

the range we would expect to find in the Beaufort Sea. Due to time limitations, we decided to 

concentrate on three metals, Fe, Cu, and Zn. The metals selected are biologically important as 

29
they are essential micronutrients and key to biological production, but have different chemistries 

in seawater. In addition, Fe and Zn are easy to contaminate, and elevated values in sea ice would 

signify that a sample was comprised during the growth or the sampling process. The filtered 

seawater did not contain phytoplankton, this removed biological processes that are present 

during natural sea ice formation, but allowed us to concentrate on the chemical processes that 

influence the cycling of trace metals in sea ice.

In the first experiment, concentrations of dissolved Fe in the tank (filtered after collection) 

did not vary substantially, concentrations ranged from 0.55 to 0.7 nM throughout the entire 

experiment (Figure 11A). Dissolved concentrations of Fe in the ice tended to decrease over the 

duration of the experiment from ~0.8 nM to less than 0.5 nM. During the experiment, 

concentrations of dissolved Fe started out as being elevated in the sea ice relative to the seawater 

in the tank. Over the one-month period, this relationship reversed and, in the last two samples, 

concentrations were higher in the seawater than in the sea ice. Although preliminary, these 

results suggest that, as sea ice is forming and brine is rejected, dissolved Fe may also be rejected, 

decreasing the concentration over time in the ice matrix. The complication with the Fe dataset is 

that an unacidified solution containing Fe will tend to decrease (slightly) in concentration as Fe 

is adsorbed onto the walls of the container, in this case, the tank. Therefore, tank concentrations 

could reflect container artifacts, as well as natural processes. The Fe data suggest that no 

observable contamination from the tank or sample handling was encountered during the 

experiment. 

Copper is not subject to the same adsorption problems as Fe and a more conclusive trend is 

illustrated in Figure 11B. During the first two weeks of the experiments, there was no substantial 

change in dissolved or unfiltered Cu in the tank or the ice. However, in the final two weeks, 

concentrations of dissolved and unfiltered Cu increased gradually in the tank, while 

concentrations in the sea ice decreased. These trends indicate that Cu in the tank, both in

dissolved and unfiltered samples increased (concentrated) as ice was formed and suggests that, 

along with brines, Cu was being excluded from the ice during sea ice formation. 

To conduct the second experiment, the ice from the first tank experiment was thawed and 

mixed thoroughly using a large Teflon stirring bar on a large stirring plate. Canadian CRM 

(MESS) sediment (originally sourced from the Canadian Beaufort Sea) was added to the tank 

with continued stirring. The initial results from the experiment showed an immediate increase in 

the concentration of dissolved Fe in the tank as labile Fe, likely from the particles transitioning

into the colloidal phase (Figure 11C). The exchange of Fe between colloidal and particulate 

phases is well known for marine waters. Concentrations of dissolved Fe in the ice cores ranged 

from 2.3 to 41 nM with concentrations remaining relatively constant during the first two weeks 

and then doubling to an average of 36 nM before decreasing to ~2.5 nM during week four. A 

similar trend was noted in the unfiltered sea ice fraction. Although this trend is difficult to 

explain based on this limited dataset, one potential explanation is that this particle experiment

demonstrates the heterogeneity of sea ice and highlights that two cores collected side by side can 

30
have very different properties. This may be magnified in a closed system where some cores 

could potentially contain more sediment than others depending on the amount of sediment 

incorporated as sea ice formed. However, another potential explanation is that sediment is 

continually entrained into the sea ice as it grows (first two weeks), and Fe is continually leached 

from the particles within the sea ice, increasing the concentration in the unfiltered fraction in the 

ice. As the ice grows, Fe is gradually released during brine rejection and the concentration 

decreases over time. In this case, the concentration of Fe in the ice cores in the unfiltered fraction 

decreased from ~175 nM in week two to 33 nM in week four. An important distinction between 

this experiment with particles and the previous tank experiment with filtered seawater is that 

concentrations in this experiment were at least an order of magnitude higher due to the addition 

of the sediment, which allowed for exchange between dissolved and particulate phases. 

Similarities between the first and second tank experiments for Cu were striking. Overall, tank 

concentrations were slightly higher in the second experiment and generally increased over time, 

but these observations highlight the limited source of Cu from sediments. Concentrations of Cu 

in the ice cores decreased over time from a high of 6.7 nM in the first set of cores to a low of 2.1 

nM in the final core collected.

Although this dataset is somewhat limited due to the difficulty in setting up a large-scale 

clean experiment, the results suggest that concentrations of metals (in this case Fe and Cu) 

decrease over time whether the original seawater contains suspended sediment or not. This trend 

was also observed for Zn in filtered and unfiltered samples (data not shown). The results seem to 

be counterintuitive as metals should be more soluble in ‘fresher’ sea ice than in the higher 

salinity seawater below. Possible conclusions are that metals are excluded during sea ice 

formation by a physical process such as brine rejection, or that they precipitate in high salinity 

brine pockets. A more detailed study that included biological parameters would be required to 

fully investigate the impact of sea ice formation and brine rejection on the evolution of trace 

metals concentrations during the ice growing season. 

Partitioning of metals between the ice and the water in the tank suggests that, in the absence 

of particles, there were distinct differences in abundance between the three metals studied; 

however, the trend for different elements can be similar. In the first experiment, which used 

filtered seawater, the data indicate that on average 20–30% of the Fe in the sea ice was dissolved 

with the remainder classified as acid labile particulate (>0.4 μm) Fe, as unfiltered samples were 

acidified. Therefore, the data suggest that some of the dissolved Fe aggregates or precipitates as 

sea ice is forming from clean filtered seawater. Similar results were found for Zn and Cu but 

with larger fractions in the dissolved phase, approximately 52% and 40%, respectively. When 

particles were added (Figure 11D), a decrease in dissolved Fe, Cu, and Zn was observed in the 

sea ice between week two and week three. Yet, in the two subsequent sampling periods, 

concentrations of dissolved metals in the sea ice increased relative to acid labile particulate 

metals. These results suggest two scenarios: 1) particles formed during the freezing process, or 

from included sediment, are rejected during the process of ice formation/brine rejection, or 2) 

31
particles in the acid labile particulate fraction are leaching into the ice cores and increasing the 

dissolved concentrations. However, this is not substantiated by the ice core data. 

Field Samples

Dissolved trace metals in seawater 

In May 2015, five stations near the mouth of the Colville River were occupied at a time 

coincident with the ANIMIDA III sampling effort. As these are some of the first measurements 

of dissolved metals in seawater and sea ice in the coastal Beaufort Sea during the spring, our 

primary focus was on sample handling and cleanliness to be sure we collected a representative 

uncontaminated sample. With respect to ice cores, we designed the study to address 

heterogeneity among ice cores collected at each site. Due to the effort required to collect samples 

at each site, and given the limited amount of time we had after losing a day to weather, we 

decided to limit the size of the study area in lieu of more samples, and thus we collected 50 cores 

in total from five stations.

To avoid contamination of the seawater, the salinity and temperature profiles collected 

during field sampling were taken from separate ice holes (within 20 m of the holes used to pump 

seawater for the trace metal samples). Overall, the profiles resemble a well-mixed water column 

at the shallowest station (~6 m, S01), with other stations showing a slight increase in salinity 

(<0.5 psu) in the bottom water (E11, NM5, and W07). These more saline and colder bottom 

waters are likely the results of brine drainage from sea ice formation over the 2014–2015 winter 

months. 

Few data sets exist that include dissolved trace metals for under-ice seawater collected during 

the spring on Arctic shelves. We are aware of a few samples collected during cANIMIDA 2006 

at the time of the spring freshet. We collected a total of eight seawater samples ranging from 

depths of 2–9 m (Table 2) from the five stations. When compared to concentrations of several 

samples collected during the open-water period between 2000 and 2006, during the ANIMIDA 

and cANIMIDA projects, there were a few important differences. For example, concentrations of 

dissolved Cd were 63% higher under the ice than they were during the summer. The higher 

concentrations in the winter ice-covered months were likely related to biological respiration of 

organic materials produced during the summer. Relative to concentrations of dissolved Pb 

observed in the summer months (44.5±14 pM) during the ANIMIDA and cANIMIDA projects 

(Trefry et al., 2004; 2009), our observed spring Pb concentrations were approximately 66% 

lower (15.1 ± 3.7 pM) and compare well with some of the lower concentrations observed in 2006 

(>10 pM, Trefry et al., 2009). Dissolved Pb is highly particle reactive and when isolated from 

inputs such as the atmosphere and rivers during the winter months, concentrations are expected 

to decrease as Pb is stripped from the water column over time. Higher Pb concentrations are 

commonly found during the summer months from riverine and atmospheric inputs directly into 

seawater. The concentration of dissolved Ba exhibited little variability among the eight samples 

32
collected, with concentrations averaging 76.8 ± 1.7 nM. These concentrations were not 

influenced by river water concentrations as the rivers had yet to begin discharging into the coast. 

During the cANIMIDA project in 2006, samples collected at depths greater than 2 m during 

the freshet were on average 84 nM in dissolved Ba, while much higher concentrations of 

152 nM were observed in surface waters (Trefry et al., 2009), reflecting the riverine input 

of this element. Concentrations below 2 m from 2006, compared well with our observed 

spring concentrations, and the slightly lower values of dissolved Ba we observed in spring 

may reflect interannual variability of this inner shelf water. For example, the surface mixed 

layer of the Canada Basin averages approximately 75 nM (Guay and Faulkner, 1997) and 

summer Pacific Water averages between 65 and 80 nM (Guay et al., 2009). There has also been 

evidence in the Arctic for drawdown of Ba on the shelves as organisms can substitute Ba for Ca 

when building shells (Abrahamsen et al., 2009). 

Concentrations of dissolved Cu averaged ~5.5 nM in water deeper than 2 m in 2006 (Trefry 

et al., 2009). Data in this study for dissolved Cu were very similar, averaging 5.7 ± 0.17 nM for 

the eight samples. Surface water during the spring freshet can increase to over 8 nM dissolved 

Cu, but once mixed with deep waters during the summer months, it was found to average 

approximately 6.3 ± 1.9 nM (Trefry et al., 2009). Concentrations of dissolved Zn from samples 

collected in 2015 are slightly lower and less variable (3.63 ± 0.44 nM) than those collected from 

waters below 2 m depth by the cANIMIDA project in 2006 (4.89 ± 1.22 nM). This difference 

may be related to variability in the biological drawdown of Zn between the two years, or 

possibly sampling locale and depth, as Zn (and Fe, Mn) exhibited greater stratification with 

depth than other elements. 

Trace metals measured as a part of this study that were not a part of prior under-ice 

investigations included Fe, Mn, and Ni. Concentrations of dissolved Ni were high even when 

compared to deep open ocean concentrations, 14.1 ± 0.75 nM (Boehm, 2001). Nickel normally 

has a nutrient type distribution in the ocean similar to Cd, increasing with depth as organic 

matter is regenerated by bacterial respiration. Therefore, we suggest that, like Cd, the higher 

concentrations observed in the winter under the ice were the result of the respiration of organic 

matter. There are no historical data for dissolved Fe and Mn in the coastal Beaufort Sea during 

the ice-covered periods. Along with Zn, these two elements displayed the highest variability in 

concentrations between surface waters (under the ice) and water from the benthic boundary 

layer. The concentration gradient from surface waters to depth likely reflects sedimentary inputs 

from diagenetic processes occurring at the sediment-water interface where concentrations can be

more than double concentrations in the upper water column. Overall concentrations of dissolved 

Mn were high (27.8 ± 6.2 nM) when compared to the highest values found in the Chukchi Sea 

(~20 nM) during the fall of 2013; however, the higher concentrations likely reflect convective 

mixing of bottom waters (influenced by diagenetic processes) up into the water column over the 

winter months and a lack of wind or important advective currents to move the water during that 

time period. The range of concentrations for dissolved Fe was greater than any other element, 

33
from 2.86–11.5 nM. The range of concentrations was similar to those found on the Chukchi Sea 

shelf in 2013, as is the trend of higher concentrations near the sediment water interface relative 

to waters directly below the ice.

Trace metals in sea ice 

The continual decline of sea ice extent (and volume) has received a large research focus in 

recent years. Many of these studies were able to be conducted using traditional instrumentation 

while others required substantial changes to established methods of sample collection. 

Sometimes these changes were due to the harsh conditions found in the Arctic, other times tools 

commonly used by Arctic scientists needed modifications to study variables sensitive to 

contamination brought on by sampling. Thirty to forty years ago, trace metals chemists interested 

in oceanographic processes had to learn to sample the ocean cleanly using variations of existing 

technology. The story is the same today as we begin to investigate the concentrations of trace 

metals in sea ice to better understand how melting ice will change the chemical and biological 

properties/processes occurring in the euphotic zone in the Arctic Ocean. 

A major goal of this project was to ascertain a protocol that would allow us to assign 

representative trace metal concentrations to sea ice. Sea ice is well known for being highly 

heterogeneous with respect to some physical and biological parameters. If the same were true for 

trace metals, then gaining any considerable understanding of sources and sinks would be difficult 

if not impossible without representative values. 

Sea ice formation is complex and highly difficult to predict, as ice does not grow at a 

constant rate and as a single slab. Instead, smaller pieces of ice (grease, pancakes, etc.) grow, 

often overlapping and eventually forming a skin on the surface of the ocean. If that initial skin is 

not broken apart by other ice floes or a storm then the ice will grow from below until it reaches 

its full thickness in spring. At this point, it is easy to understand how sea ice could be 

heterogeneous, as ice often breaks apart only to be replaced by other ice later. In addition, some 

ice floes travel long distances while forming so they are continually adding layers from seawater 

of different sources. Ice that forms in the nearshore environment is likely to contain trace metals 

at much higher concentrations than ice formed over the deep basins because periodic fall storms 

are more likely to create near complete mixing of the water column and high turbidity. 

The ice we sampled in the spring of 2015 was land-fast ice that likely experienced various 

water column conditions during its winter growth. Concentrations of total suspended solids in the 

50 sea ice cores ranged from ~1.5 to almost 180 mg/L. While there was a large variability 

between the highest and lowest concentrations, the average concentration of TSS in the ten ice 

cores collected at each station was relatively small. For example, at station E11, the average for 

the two groupings of cores, at adjacent and random collection locations, were 18.7 mg/L and 

12.3 mg/L respectively. At station NM5, the cores within the square meter contained 77.8 mg/L 

relative to 70.4 mg/L for cores collected randomly outside the one square meter. Similar results 

34
were found for the other stations, where the average of ten cores at each station seems to provide 

a reasonable estimation of the variability in total suspended solids. Our data suggest that, while 

there is variability among and within stations, the within station variability can be minimized by 

collecting a few samples randomly throughout a station. To fully understand the impact of TSS 

on the concentrations of dissolved metals, a more detailed study would be needed where ice 

cores were sectioned into 10–20 cm segments rather than melted in bulk. Yet, our bulk results 

add an important component to the understanding of trace metal cycles in the coastal Beaufort 

Sea. Much of the previous work done in and around Prudhoe Bay has been predicated on 

providing an understanding of the natural environment in order to monitor the impacts of 

onshore and offshore development and, to some extent, climate change in this region. These data 

add one more component to conceptual and applied models. 

The ice sampled during the 2015 field effort was approximately 7–8 months old. When the 

trends in the much shorter tank experiments are extrapolated over a longer period of time, we 

would predict that concentrations of metals in the sea ice should decrease if these closed-system 

experiments are representative of sea ice growing naturally. When comparing the average trace 

metal concentrations from the 50 sea ice cores measured to historical fall seawater and spring 

under-ice seawater concentrations, the trend was similar to what would be predicted. Sea ice 

concentrations are, in some cases, more than an order of magnitude lower that the seawater from 

which the ice formed. For example, concentrations of dissolved Cd in sea ice averaged 36.5 ± 

18.0 pM when all the cores were averaged. Typical fall concentrations are approximately eight

fold higher, whereas seawater under the ice is 22 times greater than the sea ice concentration. 

Other metals, such as Ba and Pb also exhibit at least an order of magnitude shift between the 

average seawater concentrations found in the fall relative to those determined for sea ice. 

Average concentrations of Fe, Ni, Cu, and Zn are all lower in the sea ice than either fall or spring 

seawater concentrations but not as depleted as Cd, Ba, or Pb. (Trefry et al., 2004; Trefry et al., 

2009; Boehm, 2001). The partitioning of each of these metals between seawater and ice over 

winter and spring suggests that there is a process or multiple processes that are excluding, 

diminishing, or reducing the concentrations of dissolved metals in sea ice prior to summer 

melting. 

Mn was the one exception to the extreme partitioning between seawater and sea ice. The 

average concentration of dissolved Mn in sea ice samples was 22.5 nM, which is only 7% lower 

than the average surface seawater under the ice (< 2.5 m) and within 20% when the whole water 

column is averaged. While our data do not provide enough information to explain the different 

behavior of dissolved Mn, we suggest either the removal mechanism is considerably different for 

Mn or there is a source of (labile) Mn in the sea ice that counteracts the removal processes.

This study was primarily designed to gather preliminary data to understand broadly the 

interaction between surface seawater and sea ice and the potential for sea ice to influence the 

concentrations of metals in surface waters. The first hurdle was to create a field tool capable of 

collecting a clean sea ice sample and eliminating the need to manipulate the cores post35
collection. We also attempted to find field sites with proximity to previous stations occupied by 

the ANIMIDA III study and that had ice suitably flat and large enough to allow trace metal 

sample collection and CTD casts to occur simultaneously. Given the relatively low concentration 

of trace metals in the ice samples collected, and the small variability in dissolved trace metal 

concentrations in cores collected within a site and among all the sites, it appears that the newly 

designed corer works very well.

A secondary goal of the project was to understand, given the heterogeneity of sea ice, how 

many cores need to be collected to fully characterize a sampling site. The variability in 

concentrations between the cores collected within a specified area, and those selected randomly, 

suggest that five cores per site are adequate to capture a representative number for a chosen area. 

Finally, the collection of representative samples of sea ice provides data that can be used by 

managers (and others) interested in background concentrations of trace metals in the nearshore

Beaufort Sea prior to substantial environmental changes, be they natural or man-made.

PROJECT OUTREACH

Graduate student Vincent Domena traveled to St. Paul Island for Bering Sea Days. This 

program was developed by the Aleut Community of St. Paul Island (Tribal Government). The 

five day program focused on giving K–12 students the opportunity to learn about marine science 

and marine science careers by bringing in scientists to present hands-on activities. Mr. Domena 

presented a module on sea ice, where among other activities, students took a field trip to a cold 

chamber and grew ice. They then looked at the crystalline stucture of the ice including brine 

channels, took salinities of the ice and the remaining unfrozen water. Students learned about our 

Beaufort Sea ice project along with processes that occur during ice formation, such as brine 

rejection and incorporation of impurities. They also learned about processes that take place in the 

spring as ice warms and the melting begins. The activities presented were well received and 

provided a outlet for Mr. Domena to interact with students and pass on what he has learned 

during the time spent working on this project (Figure 16). 

Figure 16. Graduate student Vincent Domena lectures to students during Bering Sea Days on St. Paul Island in 

October 2016.

36
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This work was supported by BOEM Cooperative Agreement number M13AC00002 through 

the Coastal Marine Institute at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks. We wish to acknowledge the 

Japanese Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC) as the source of 

matching funds. We also wish to thank the captain, officers and crew of the R/V Mirai for their 

skillful work aboard the ship and for CTD data processing. We also thank Mark Savoie and Gary 

Lawley for logistics (Kinnetic Labs Inc, Anchorage, Alaska) help during our sampling at Oliktok 

Point and Jeremy Kasper for the field coordination effort. We appreciate the willingness of the 

ARM Climate Research Facility at Oliktok Point for use of warehouse space during our field 

sampling effort. Finally, we thank the Geophysical Institute at UAF and Hajo Eicken for use of 

the temperature controlled lab.

STUDY PRODUCTS

Rember, R.D., Aguilar-Islas, A.M. Distribution and behavior of select trace metals in Beaufort 

Sea ice. In: University of Alaska Coastal Marine Institute Annual Report 20, Calendar Year 

2013. Fairbanks, AK. OCS Study BOEM 2014-0052. 

Aguilar-Islas, A.M., Rember, R.D. Distribution and behavior of select trace metals in Beaufort 

Sea ice: preliminary findings. CMI Annual Review oral presentation, Anchorage, AK, January 

15, 2014. 

Aguilar-Islas, A.M., Seguret, M., Rember, R.D., Nishino, S. Sedimentary input of trace metals 

from the Chukchi Shelf. 2014 Fall Meeting AGU, San Francisco, CA, December 15–19, 2014. 

Aguilar-Islas, A.M., Rember, R.D. Distribution and behavior of select trace metals in Beaufort 

Sea ice: preliminary findings. CMI Annual Review oral presentation, Anchorage, AK, January 

23, 2015. 

Rember, R.D., Aguilar-Islas, A.M. Distribution and behavior of select trace metals in Beaufort 

Sea ice. In: University of Alaska Coastal Marine Institute Annual Report 21, Calendar Year 

2014. Fairbanks, AK. OCS Study BOEM 2015-015. 

Domena, V., Aguilar-Islas, A.M., Rember, R.D. Dissolved and particulate trace metal 

concentrations in sea ice at Oliktok Point, Alaska. Alaska Marine Science Symposium, 

Anchorage, AK, January 26, 2016. 

Aguilar-Islas, A.M., Rember, R.D. Distribution and behavior of select trace metals in Beaufort 

Sea ice: preliminary findings. CMI Annual Review oral presentation, Anchorage, AK, January 

29, 2016. 

Rember, R.D., Aguilar-Islas, A.M. Distribution and behavior of select trace metals in Beaufort 

Sea ice. In: University of Alaska Coastal Marine Institute Annual Report 22, Calendar Year 

2015. Fairbanks, AK. OCS Study BOEM 2016-013.

37
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40
APPENDIX

Table A1. Certified CRM concentrations and values obtained during this study.

Element HISS-1

(mg/kg)

This Study

(mg/kg)

MESS-3

(mg/kg)

This Study

(mg/kg)

NASS-6

(μg/L)

This Study

(μg/L)

V 6.8±0.78 6.1±0.37 243±10 201±6 - - 

Al 0.73±0.05 0.60±0.01 8.59±0.23 6.51 ± - - 

Fe 0.25±0.01 0.22±0.01 4.34±0.11 4.22±0.13 0.495±0.046 0.490±0.003 

Mn 66.1±4.2 56.4±0.10 324±12 246±10 0.516±0.047 0.522±0.003 

Cu 2.29±0.37 2.00±0.18 33.9±1.6 24.8±1.3 0.248±0.025 0.249±0.002 

Ni 2.16±0.29 1.94±0.10 46.9±2.2 36.0±1.9 0.301±0.025 0.300±0.001 

Zn 4.94±0.79 2.66±0.41 159±8 89±3.2 0.257±0.02 0.256±0.004 

Pb 0.006±0.002 0.006±0.000 

Cd 0.031±0.002 0.030±0.000 

41
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