Assessment of the Hydrochemical Characteristics of the Carbon Observational Site ‘Carbon-Sakhalin’ (Aniva Bay, Sea of Okhotsk)

Abstract

Following a tendency of many economies to shift towards carbon neutrality, there came the necessity for certain regions to be assessed in terms of their greenhouse gas emissions from the ocean. A carbon polygon was created in Sakhalin Oblast in order to evaluate the carbon balance of this marine ecosystem in a sub-arctic region, with the possibility of deploying carbon farms for additional CO2 absorption. To obtain such an assessment, it seems crucial to analyze hydrochemical parameters that reflect the situation of the marine environment in Aniva Bay as a basis of the carbon polygon. The article presents the results of the analysis of hydrochemical parameters in Aniva Bay waters and their spatial and seasonal variability. This research was based on available published sources and measurement databases for the period of 1948–1994. Additionally, the review uses hydrochemical data for Aniva Bay in 2001–2013 weather station data for the period of 2008–2023 and weather station data for 2008–2023. Some tendencies were discovered for spatial and temporal distributions of oxygen, pH, and biogenic matter (inorganic phosphorus, inorganic nitrogen, silicon). In surface layers, the mean oxygen year maximum (9.1 mg/L) is registered with the beginning of photosynthesis, i.e., immediately after the ice melting in April. The highest pH values 8.26 are registered in the euphotic layer in May. The lowest pH values was in August (7.96) in the near-bottom layer. The maximum annual P-PO4 registered on the surface (>18 µg/L) immediately after ice melting, with a minimum (7.17 µg/L) at the end of July. Si-SiO3 concentrations have two maximums: at the end of June and at the beginning of October. N-NO2 concentration on the surface is >2 µg/L in mid-July and on the 50 m depth it is >3.5 µg/L in mid-September. Some spatial patterns of hydrochemical parameters were shown based on the analysis of maps.