Major elements and trace ferrides in deep sea cores obtained during the Swedish Deep-Sea Expedition in 1947-1948

Samples from sediment cores collected during the Swedish Deep-Sea Expedition 1947-1948 have been analyzed in the Geochemical laboratory of the Geological Survey of Sweden. Most samples were placed at our disposal by Professor Hans Pettersson, leader of the expedition mentioned. For complementary studies, samples from the Atlantic and Indian oceans were included in our investigation and the samples placed at our disposal by Professor B. Kullenberg, Göteborg. From the Tyrrhenian Sea we got samples from Professor E. Norin, Uppsala.

(Table 1) Contents of tungsten and other metals in Fe-Mn nodules from the Pacific Ocean

Tungsten contents in iron-manganese nodules and crusts from different parts of the World Ocean, as well as its relationships with a number of chemical elements are under consideration. A trend to correlation of tungsten with Fe, Ti, W, Pb, and Co is noticed. Comparison of tungsten contents in the nodules and host sediments indicates its low geochemical mobility.

Concentrations of suspended matter and heavy metals in melted ice- and snow water from the Barents Sea

In September-October 1998, during Cruise 14 of R/V Akademik Fedorov to the Barents Sea, in the region of 82° N between the Spitsbergen and Novaya Zemlya archipelagos samples of snow and ice were collected within four polygons. By means of atomic absorption with an electothermal atomizer (onboard the ship) in filtered (dissolved form) and unfiltered (sum of dissolved and particulate forms) samples of snow melt and ice melt concentrations of Fe, Mn, Cu, Cr, Ni, Co, Pb, and Cd were determined in order to estimate level of potential contamination of snow and ice with these metals. Excluding data on Ni, Cd (and probably Cu) in ice that were regarded to be unsatisfactory because of probable contamination of the ice samples during drilling concentrations of all the elements in snow and ice of the northern part of the Barents Sea appeared to be close to their background values or below. An attempt to identify the main sources of metal supply to snow from the atmosphere by comparison of ratios of metal particulate form to total content in snow of the Barents Sea and the same ratios in snow samples from clean regions of Finland and from contaminated areas of the Kola Peninsula showed that aerosols in the area of the expedition were supplied into the Barents Sea atmosphere from different sources, both natural and anthropogenic.