Biogeochemistry of suspended and sedimentary material in the Ob and Yenisei rivers and Kara Sea: amino acids and amino sugars

Abstract Suspended particulate matter (SPM) and sediments were sampled in the Ob and the Yenisei rivers and the adjacent Kara Sea up to 77°N during the ice-free period in August and September 1997 (only sediments), 1999 and 2000. The material was analyzed for organic carbon (OC) and nitrogen (N) as well as for the content and monomeric composition of the labile organic constituents amino acids (AA) and amino sugars (AS). Despite interannual variation, surface SPM concentration generally revealed decreasing values from 8 to 4 mg/L for the Ob and Yenisei to values