Hydrochemical characteristics of the waters in the western part of the Kara Sea.

Hydrochemical study in the Kara Sea was part of the program of the integrated expedition of the 59th cruise of the RV Akademik Mstislav Keldysh. Primary hydrochemical surveys were performed on the sections in the Yenisei Gulf, along the eastern and western branches of the St. Anna Trough, and across the Novozemel'skii Trough. Moreover, a flow-through system throughout, in which pH values of the surface waters were measured and samples for hydrochemical analyses were collected, was operated during vessel movement. A wide set of hydrochemical analyses was carried out, including tests for key nutrients (silicon and different forms of nitrogen and phosphorus), dissolved oxygen, and values of pH and total alkalinity. The report describes the hydrochemical conditions in the southwestern part of the Kara Sea. The basic results are presented and compared to those of the preceding integrated expeditions (49th cruise of the RV Dmitrii Mendeleev in 1993 and 54th cruise of the RV Akademik Mstislav Keldysh in 2007). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]