Combining sediment fingerprinting and hydro-sedimentary monitoring to assess suspended sediment provenance in a mid-mountainous Mediterranean catchment

Sediment fingerprinting quantifies proportional contributions of catchment sediment sources to downstream sediment mixtures and deposits. While the sediment fingerprinting technique is well established it is still challenged by the coarse spatial resolution of sediment source discrimination which hinders understanding of catchment sediment dynamics and limits its usefulness for land management where finer resolution spatial information is required.Here, two conventional sediment fingerprinting datasets from New Zealand are used to show how spatial modelling of source loads can improve 1) the usefulness of sediment fingerprinting approaches and 2) visualization of results for end-users by combining source apportionment with terrain information and sediment budget modelling. The two case studies involve unmixing sediment source contributions to 1) overbank deposits within the Oroua River catchment, where six sediment sources (Mountain Range, Mudstone, Hill Subsurface, Hill Surface, Unconsolidated Sandstone, and Channel Bank) across two size fractions (<63 &#181;m and 125&#8211;300 &#181;m) were characterized using bulk geochemical and radionuclide tracers and 2) suspended sediment in the Manawatu catchment, where a similar six sources were characterized using bulk geochemical tracers to determine changes in source contributions to hourly suspended sediment samples during a 53hr storm event.The proportional source contributions for each case study are applied to modelled sediment loads and spatially distributed using terrain information for rock type, slope and channel network extent to produce specific sediment yield maps for both catchments and spatial visualization of sediment generation during the Manawatu catchment storm event. Integrating sediment fingerprinting results with spatial datasets and modelling can enhance interpretation of source apportionment results and improve the utility of this information for end-users focused on the spatial targeting of erosion sources for mitigation to reduce downstream sediment impacts.&#160; &#160;

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Sediment Fingerprinting to Determine the Source of Suspended Sediment in a Southern Piedmont Stream

Journal of Environmental Quality ◽

10.2134/jeq2009.0405 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 39 (4) ◽

pp. 1328-1337 ◽

Cited By ~ 94

Author(s):

R. Mukundan ◽

D. E. Radcliffe ◽

J. C. Ritchie ◽

L. M. Risse ◽

R. A. McKinley

Keyword(s):

Suspended Sediment ◽

Sediment Fingerprinting

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Estimation the contribution of geological units as sources of suspended sediment yield using sediment fingerprinting approach (case study: The Toulbane watershed, Golestan Province)

Researches in Earth Sciences ◽

10.52547/esrj.10.2.1 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 10 (2) ◽

pp. 1-20

Author(s):

Meisam Samadi ◽

Abdolreza Bahremand ◽

Ali Salajegheh ◽

Majid Ownegh ◽

Mohsen Hoseinalizadeh ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Suspended Sediment ◽

Sediment Yield ◽

Sediment Fingerprinting ◽

Suspended Sediment Yield ◽

Golestan Province ◽

Geological Units

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Exploring the potential for using hierarchical sediment fingerprinting as an urban management tool in monitoring changing sediment sources

10.5194/egusphere-egu2020-18003 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Rory Walsh ◽

Carla Ferreira ◽

William Blake ◽

Sam Higton ◽

Antonio Ferreira

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Suspended Sediment ◽

Agricultural Land ◽

Management Tool ◽

Sediment Fingerprinting ◽

Storm Events ◽

Sediment Sources ◽

Wet Season ◽

Stream Network ◽

Urban Catchments

An ability to identify and quantify changes in sediment sources and erosion within catchments would be of great use for landscape managers and planners. This is particularly the case in peri-urban catchments, which are characterized by complex and dynamically changing land-use mosaics &#8211; and where today&#8217;s planning decisions may be crucial as regards avoiding or exacerbating erosional, water quality and flooding problems. This study explores the potential for a sediment fingerprinting approach to provide a cost-effective way of assessing changes in sediment sources within a small peri-urban catchment. The study focuses on the Ribeira dos Cov&#245;es catchment (6.2 km2), on the outskirts of Coimbra in central Portugal. The climate is humid Mediterranean and the geology is 56% sandstone, 41% marly limestone and 3% alluvium. Current land-use is 56% woodland, 4% agricultural and 40% urban (mainly residential, but also a recently constructed enterprise park (5%) and major highway (1%)). Recent urbanization has largely occupied former agricultural land. The study adopts a multi-proxy sediment fingerprinting approach, based on geochemical (elemental) characterization of fluvial fine bed-sediment and soil samples, using a Niton x-ray fluorescence elemental analyser. Sampling of fluvial sediment was carried out at 33 sites within the stream network (including all significant tributaries, downstream sites and the catchment outlet). Samples were collected in July 2018 and November 2018 following contrasting &#8216;late wet season&#8217; and &#8216;end of dry season&#8217; events. In addition, in July 2018 composite samples of potential sediment sources were collected, including (i) soil surface (0-2cm) samples at 64 representative locations, (ii) 17 samples from eroding channel margin sites, and (iii) 15 samples of road sediment. All samples were sieved to obtain <63&#181;m, 63-125&#181;m, 125-250 &#181;m and 250-2000&#181;m fractions, where the <63&#181;m fraction was taken to represent suspended sediment. The elemental geochemistry of each sample fraction was derived using the XRF analyser. Differences (and similarities) in geochemical signatures between the various tributaries and the various potential sources were assessed using a range of statistical techniques. Bayesian unmixing models were used in a hierarchical (confluence-based) fashion to assess the contributions of different sub-catchments to downstream sites including the catchment outlet. Modelling results were then compared with relative contributions for three previously analysed storm events of 2012-2015, at which time construction activities had been more active. Modelling results for the two 2018 events were also validated by comparing them with independent suspended sediment records collected at five locations on the principal tributaries and at the catchment outlet. Overall, the modelling was successful in indicating and quantifying significant changes in sediment sources through time within the catchment. Reasons as to why sediment fingerprinting was successful in this case are then examined and discussed, in part drawing comparisons with the findings from a parallel sediment fingerprinting study of changing sources in the dynamically changing partly logged rainforest, partly oil palm Brantian catchment in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo. The potential for a simple sediment fingerprinting methodology to be developed for more widespread use by urban/environmental managers and planners is then explored. &#160;

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Compositional dynamics of suspended sediment in the Rhine River: sources and controls

Journal of Soils and Sediments ◽

10.1007/s11368-019-02490-5 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 20 (3) ◽

pp. 1754-1770

Author(s):

Marcel van der Perk ◽

Alvaro Espinoza Vilches

Keyword(s):

Temporal Variation ◽

Suspended Sediment ◽

Clay Content ◽

Suspended Sediments ◽

Anthropogenic Pollution ◽

Total Variance ◽

Sediment Provenance ◽

River Rhine ◽

Sediment Composition ◽

Geochemical Composition

Abstract Purpose Information on the geochemical composition of suspended sediments in rivers is crucial to identify sediment source type or area. In large river basins, however, the relation between sediment composition and its controlling factors is often obscured. This study aims to assess and improve the conceptual understanding on the factors and mechanisms that control the composition of suspended sediments in the River Rhine, one of the large European rivers, and to identify the dominant source types of elements. Materials and methods We performed log-linear regression analysis and principal component analysis (PCA) on bi-weekly monitoring data of suspended sediment composition, supplemented with daily measurements of suspended sediment concentrations (SSC) and discharge at the Lobith monitoring station near the German-Dutch border for the period 2011–2016. Results and discussion The statistical analyses show a consistent grouping of elements that display contrasting temporal variation or different responses to increased discharge. The contrasting behaviour also becomes manifest in the results from the PCA. A first component that explains about the half of the total variance in the entire dataset reflects the variation in clay content in the suspended sediment. A second component reflects anthropogenic pollution and explains about a quarter of the total variance. A third component probably reflects variation in sediment provenance. Conclusions The majority of the temporal variation in suspended sediment composition can be attributed to variations in grain size (clay content), organic matter content, and anthropogenic pollution. Only a minority of the variation can be attributed to variations in the contributions from different upstream source areas. This variation represented by the third and higher components from the PCA can potentially be used for sediment provenance analysis.

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Sediment sources in the Upper Severn catchment: a fingerprinting approach

Hydrology and Earth System Sciences ◽

10.5194/hess-1-509-1997 ◽

1997 ◽

Vol 1 (3) ◽

pp. 509-521 ◽

Cited By ~ 53

Author(s):

A. L. Collins ◽

D. E. Walling ◽

G. J. L. Leeks

Keyword(s):

Suspended Sediment ◽

Base Cation ◽

Mixing Model ◽

Sediment Provenance ◽

Sediment Sources ◽

Surface Soils ◽

Model Composite ◽

Organic C ◽

Commercial Activities ◽

Sediment Loads

Abstract. Suspended sediment sources in the Upper Severn catchment are quantified using a composite fingerprinting technique combining statistically-verified signatures with a multivariate mixing model. Composite fingerprints are developed from a suite of diagnostic properties comprising trace metal (Fe, Mn, AI), heavy metal (Cu, Zn, Pb, Cr, Co, Ni), base cation (Na, Mg, Ca, K), organic (C, N), radiometric (137Cs, 210Pb), and other (total P) determinands. A numerical mixing model, to compare the fingerprints of contemporary catchment source materials with those of fluvial suspended sediment in transit and those of recent overbank floodplain deposits, provides a means of quantifying present and past sediment sources respectively. Sources are classified in terms of eroding surface soils under different land uses and channel banks. Eroding surface soils are the most important source of the contemporary suspended sediment loads sampled at the Institute of Hydrology flow gauging stations at Plynlimon and at Abermule. The erosion of forest soils, associated with the autumn and winter commercial activities of the Forestry Commission, is particularly evident. Reconstruction of sediment provenance over the recent past using a sediment core from the active river floodpiain at Abermule, in conjunction with a 137Cs chronology, demonstrates the significance of recent phases of afforestation and deforestation for accelerated catchment soil erosion.

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Apportionment of suspended sediment sources in an agricultural watershed using sediment fingerprinting

Geoderma ◽

10.1016/j.geoderma.2014.09.024 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 239-240 ◽

pp. 25-33 ◽

Cited By ~ 38

Author(s):

Jasmeet Lamba ◽

K.G. Karthikeyan ◽

A.M. Thompson

Keyword(s):

Suspended Sediment ◽

Agricultural Watershed ◽

Sediment Fingerprinting ◽

Sediment Sources

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Multi-fractional sediment fingerprinting in monitoring sediment sources in a peri-urban Portuguese catchment

10.5194/egusphere-egu21-16224 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Rory Walsh ◽

Carla Ferreira ◽

William Blake ◽

Sam Higton ◽

Antonio Ferreira

Keyword(s):

Particle Size ◽

Suspended Sediment ◽

Agricultural Land ◽

Size Fraction ◽

Soil Samples ◽

Sediment Fingerprinting ◽

Bed Sediment ◽

Sediment Sources ◽

Geochemical Composition ◽

Size Fractions

This paper explores the potential for using multiple particle size fractions in a hierarchical geochemical sediment fingerprinting approach to the assessment of changes in sediment sources through time within a small Mediterranean peri-urban catchment. Conventional &#160;sediment fingerprinting has focussed on the <63&#181;m fraction of fine bed-sediment on the basis that this fraction represents suspended sediment, which in turn is considered dominant over bedload in catchment sediment budgets. In reality, however, coarser sediment than 63&#181;m may form part of suspended sediment and/or occurs as relatively fast-moving fine bedload.&#160; Furthermore, sediment sources vary in their particle size distribution and, as geochemical composition can vary with particle size, it is arguable that sediment fingerprinting studies should consider use of multiple size fractions.This study explores this approach using <63&#181;m, 63-125&#181;m, 125-250 &#181;m and 250-2000&#181;m size fractions.&#160; It focuses on the north-south flowing Ribeira dos Cov&#245;es catchment (6.2 km2), on the outskirts of Coimbra in central Portugal. The climate is humid Mediterranean. Catchment geology is 56% sandstone (in the east), 41 % marly limestone (in the west) and 3 % alluvium. Current land-use is 56% woodland, 4 % agricultural and 40% urban (mainly residential, but also including a recently constructed enterprise park (5%) and major highway (1%)). Recent urbanization has largely occupied former agricultural land.&#160;The study adopts a multi-proxy sediment fingerprinting approach to assessment of changes in sediment sources, based on geochemical (elemental) characterization of the four different size fractions of fluvial bed-sediment and soil samples, using a Niton x-ray fluorescence (XRF) elemental analyser. Sampling of fluvial sediment was carried out at 33 sites within the stream network (including all significant tributaries, downstream sites and the catchment outlet). Samples were collected in July 2018 and November 2018 following contrasting &#8216;late-wet-season&#8217; and &#8216;end-of-dry-season&#8217; events. In July 2018, samples of potential sediment sources were collected including: (i) soil surface (0-2cm) samples at 64 locations, (ii) 17 samples from eroding channel margin sites, and (iii) 15 samples of road sediment. All fluvial and soil samples were sieved to obtain the four target size fractions. The elemental geochemistry of each sample fraction at all fluvial and source sites was derived using the XRF analyser.&#160; (These results were added to similar datasets previously obtained on three occasions in 2012-15 in a period of enhanced urban constructional disturbance). Differences (and similarities) in geochemical signatures between the different size fractions at each survey date at and between each tributary and potential source site were assessed using a range of statistical techniques.&#160; Messages arising are discussed. For each size fraction and survey date, Bayesian unmixing models were used in a hierarchical (confluence-based) fashion to assess the contributions of sub-catchments to downstream sites and the catchment outlet. Modelling results for the two 2018 events were validated by comparing them with suspended sediment records collected at five tributary locations and at the catchment outlet.&#160; Although overall, the modelling was successful in indicating and quantifying significant changes in sediment sources through time within the catchment, uncertainties in interpretation of the multiple fractions are identified and discussed.&#160;

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