Geochemistry of Dispersed Sedimentary Matter and Its Fluxes in the Water Column of the Caspian Sea

Abstract—The first data on the chemical composition of dispersed matter from sedimentary traps are reported. The suspended components of sedimentary matter (amorphous silica, organic matter, carbonates, and lithogenic material, as well as Fe, Mn, and minor elements) are considered. As a result, it is shown that the intraannual variability in vertical fluxes of sedimentary matter is characterized by a seasonal increase in spring and autumn. The high fluxes of the components of sedimentary matter on the northern and southern slopes of the Derbent Basin in winter are explained by precipitation of material from the nepheloid layer that forms over the contour current.