Hydrology and geochemistry of river-borne material in a high arctic drainage system, Zackenberg, Northeast Greenland

The roles of chemical and mechanical weathering in permafrost regions were assessed, by measuring stream discharge and major, trace, and rare earth el ements (REE) of suspended matter (SPM), river-bed sediments (RBS), and wate r in two lithologically different catchments in the High Arctic at Zackenbe rg, Northeast Greenland. The drainage basin contains sedimentary and crysta lline rocks. In streams draining the sedimentary rock area, SPM and total d issolved solutes (TDS) are high with maximum values of 2500 mg L-1 and 105 mu S cm(-1), respectively. Variation of both relates to changes in vegetati on and morphology. Mineral fractionation during transport and soil-forming processes in the sedimentary portion of the study area lead to characterist ic chemical profiles for the SPM and RES. Streams draining the crystalline rock area have low SPM (18 mg L-1) and TDS (14 mu S cm(-1)) as a result of poor soil development and a lack of vegetation. Mechanical denudation excee ds chemical denudation by an order of magnitude for the entire catchment. B ecause the REE distributions of the crystalline differ from those in the se dimentary SPM differ, it is possible to quantify source rock contributions to the main outflow using a mixing calculation. A mass balance comparing th e SPM in the main outflow with the tributaries, using the REEs as "fingerpr ints," indicates that about 90% of the sedimentary basin suspended matter i s redeposited before reaching the outflow, at least over the period of obse rvation. Taking this redeposition into account, the rate of chemical denuda tion (100 kg km(-2) d(-1)) exceeds mechanical denudation (70 kg km(-2) d(-1 )) in the sedimentary drainage basin.