Tracing Sediment Sources Using Mid‐infrared Spectroscopy in Arvorezinha Catchment,Southern Brazil

The widespread adoption of the sediment fingerprinting approach to guide catchment management has been limited by the cost and the difficulty to prepare and process samples for geochemical and radionuclide analyses. Spectral properties have recently been shown to provide a rapid and cost‐efficient alternative for this purpose. The current research objective was (i) to quantify the sediment source contributions in a 1∙19‐km² rural catchment of Southern Brazil by using mid‐infrared (MIR) spectroscopy and (ii) to compare these results with those obtained with geochemical approach and near‐infrared and ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy methods. The sediment sources to discriminate were cropland surface (n  = 20), unpaved roads (n  = 10) and stream channel banks (n  = 10). Twenty‐nine suspended sediment samples were collected at the catchment outlet during nine significant flood events. The sources could be distinguished by MIR spectroscopy. Cropland and channel bank sources mainly differed in their clay mineral contents, but their similar organic matter content complicated the MIR‐model predictions. Unpaved road contributions were discriminated from the other sources by their lower organic carbon content. When the results of the current research based on MIR spectroscopy are compared with those obtained using other sediment fingerprinting approaches, based on geochemistry and near‐infrared and ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy, an overestimation of channel banks contribution and an underestimation of cropland and unpaved road contributions is found. These results suggest that MIR spectroscopy can provide a useful tool that is non‐destructive, rapid and cheap for tracing sediment sources in rural catchments and for guiding the implementation of soil and water conservation measures. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Multi-parameter fingerprinting of sediment deposition in a small gullied catchment in SE Australia

The determination of relative contributions of potential sediment sources is an important step in the development of management strategies to combat soil erosion. In a 1.2 km² gullied catchment in southeastern New South Wales, multi-parameter fingerprinting of sediment deposited in successive downstream pools has identified gully walls as the dominant sediment source when the grazed pasture surface was the only other potential source. The median fractional contributions remained relatively steady in the successive downstream pools, with the gully walls responsible for between 90% and 98% of the pool sediment. This result was achieved despite the ratio of the source areas varying considerably between successive nested subareas. Reliability bounds on the predictions, accounting for limited sampling of sources, were well constrained and varied between 5.4% and 13.8%. Downstream of an unsealed road crossing, sediment from the road source dominated the pool sediments such that contributions from the pasture surface and gully sources could not be determined.     

Urbanization Development under Climate Change: Hydrological Responses in a Peri‐Urban Mediterranean Catchment

Relatively few studies have so far investigated the hydrological impacts of urbanization in Mediterranean catchments, and particularly in peri‐urban catchments experiencing relatively rapid and large changes in their land‐use mosaic. This study uses data‐based model simulations to investigate such impacts, with the Ribeira dos Covões catchment in Portugal as a concrete Mediterranean peri‐urban catchment example. We distinguish the impacts of urbanization from those of climatic change on the water flux partitioning and connectivity in the catchment over the period 1958–2013. Decrease in precipitation over this period has primarily driven decreases in annual runoff and actual evapotranspiration, while the urbanization development has primarily changed the relative flux partitioning and connectivity pattern in the catchment. The relative contribution of overland flow to annual and seasonal runoff has increased, keeping the absolute overland flow more or less intact, while the baseflow contribution to the stream network has decreased. Methodologically, the present simulation approach provides a relevant means for distinguishing main drivers of change in hydrological flux partitioning and connectivity under concurrent urbanization and climatic changes. © 2017 The Authors. Land Degradation & Development Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.     

Road construction impacts on stream suspended sediment loads in a nested catchment system in Nepal

In terms of erosion and elevated suspended sediment concentrations, road construction has a major impact on the environment, which is described in this paper. In the Andheri Khola catchment, Nepal, the sediment regime of a stream at different locations within the catchment suddenly changed between 1999 and 2000. The only explanation for this change was the construction of the Bardibas‐Dhulikhel highway, which was initiated in this area in January 2000 and completed in March 2000. The changes in suspended sediment concentration could be shown both visually as well as statistically at three different locations in the catchment with a catchment without any impact of the road as a control. Other possible reasons for the change could be excluded by using the available data from the catchment. The impact of the road was estimated to range from 300 to 500 per cent in terms of change in sediment yield per annum. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

泥沙来源“指纹”示踪技术研究综述

泥沙来源"指纹"示踪技术是综合研究流域土壤侵蚀和泥沙输移的新方法。泥沙来源"指纹"示踪技术基于流域侵蚀产沙过程划分潜在物源类型,根据物源特性筛选具有诊断能力的"指纹"性质,通过定量转换模型建立流域出口泥沙与内部潜在物源间的"指纹"联系,定量描述各潜在物源对流域出口产沙的相对贡献;结合悬移质或沉积泥沙通量监测,定量分析各潜在物源对流域产沙的绝对贡献量及流域侵蚀产沙时、空变化特征。通过综述泥沙来源"指纹"示踪技术的理论基础及实施框架,流域尺度潜在物源类型,泥沙"指纹"因子类别、分布特点及诊断能力,泥沙来源复合"指纹"示踪技术的研究进展,指出泥沙来源"指纹"示踪技术的局限性,并对泥沙来源"指纹"示踪技术进行展望。     

Heavy Metals in Freshly Deposited Stream Sediments of Rivers Associated with Urbanisation of the Ganga Plain,India

Freshly deposited stream sediments from six urban centres of the Ganga Plain were collected and analysed for heavy metals to obtain a general scenery of sediment quality. The concentrations of heavy metals varied within a wide range for Cr (115–817), Mn (440–1 750), Fe (28 700–61 100), Co (11.7–29.0), Ni (35–538), Cu (33–1 204), Zn (90–1 974), Pb (14–856) and Cd (0.14–114.8) in mg kg^-1. Metal enrichment factors for the stream sediments were <1.5 for Mn, Fe and Co; 1.5–4.1 for Cr, Ni, Cu, Zn and Pb; and 34 for Cd. The anthropogenic source in metals concentrations contributes to 59% Cr, 49% Cu, 52% Zn, 51% Pb and 77% Cd. High positive correlation between concentrations of Cr/Ni, Cr/Cu, Cr/Zn, Ni/Zn, Ni/Cu, Cu/Zn, Cu/Cd, Cu/Pb, Fe/Co, Mn/Co, Zn/Cd, Zn/Pb and Cd/Pb indicate either their common urban origin or their common sink in the stream sediments. The binding capacity of selected metals to sediment carbon and sulphur decreases in order of Zn > Cu > Cr > Ni and Cu > Zn > Cr > Ni, respectively. Stream sediments from Lucknow, Kanpur, Delhi and Agra urban centres have been classified by the proposed Sediment Pollution Index as highly polluted to dangerous sediments. Heavy metal analysis in the <20-μm-fraction of stream sediments appears to be an adequate method for the environmental assessment of urbanisation activities on alluvial rivers. The present study reveals that urban centres act as sources of Cr, Ni, Cu, Zn, Pb and Cd and cause metallic sediment pollution in rivers of the Ganga Plain.     

Quantifying the contributions of sediment, sediment-P and fertiliser-P from forested, cultivated and pasture areas at the landuse and catchment scale using fallout radionuclides and geochemistry

In this paper we use a combination of fallout nuclides and geochemistry to determine the contributions of sediment and sediment bound phosphorus (sed-P) from the major diffuse sources in the Bundella Creek catchment (8700 ha), NSW, Australia. Sources include surface erosion from cultivated, pasture and steep forested land as well as subsoil erosion from channels and gullies. We determine these contributions to the <10 μm fraction of deposited sediments. Concentrations of P were higher in the surface soils of each landuse than the underlying subsoils, and erosion from these contributed more to offsite sediment-P (60%) than did subsoil erosion at the individual landuse scale. At the catchment outlet, the amount of surface sediment eroded from cultivated lands was a factor of 84 higher than from pastures; the steep forested lands contributed 9 times more than pastures. Sed-P eroded from cultivated land was 42 times higher than from pasturelands; the forests were 8 times greater than from pastures. At the catchment outlet the largest contribution of sediment (70%) and sed-P (62%) was from subsoil erosion of gullies and channels within and between the different landuse areas. There was little contribution of sediment or sed-P at the catchment scale from surface erosion of pastures. Concentrations of P were highest in ‘storm event’ suspended sediment samples taken from the pasture and cultivated areas without gullies. In a suite of samples selected for their high P contents, fertiliser P was detected in two storm event suspended sediment samples and one deposited sediment sample, using the ratio of Nd/P. This suggests fertiliser P may be transported-off landsurfaces with sediments and contribute to offsite sediment-P concentrations in some situations. However, the fertiliser contributions were episodic and variable; and probably influenced by particle size selectivity as well as timing of fertiliser application with respect to size and occurrence of subsequent rainfall.     

Core-derived historical records of suspended sediment origin in a mesoscale mountainous catchment: the River Bléone, French Alps

Purpose

Quantifying suspended sediment fluxes and dynamics across mountains, and identifying the origin of sediment in severely eroded areas, are of primary importance for the management of water resources. This contribution aims to generalise previous results from suspended sediment fingerprinting obtained during 2007?C2009 in a mesoscale Alpine catchment (the Bléone River; 905?km²) in France, and to assess variability in sediment sources throughout the second half of the twentieth century.

Materials and methods

Sediment fingerprinting, based on elemental geochemistry and radionuclide measurements, was conducted on a sediment core collected in an alluvial floodplain at the basin outlet. This technique was combined with hydro-sedimentary time-series to reconstruct the origin of suspended sediment deposited at this location over the last 50?years.

Results and discussion

Interpretation of sedimentation based on historical hydrological databases corroborates core dating obtained with ¹³⁷Cs and ²¹⁰Pb_xs activity measurements. Black marls and (marly) limestone sources provided the main fraction of sediment throughout the sequence (40 and 22?%, respectively). However, we also found evidence for the occurrence of major floods carrying large quantities of sediment originating from Quaternary deposits and conglomerates (25 and 16?%, respectively). The variability of sediment sources throughout the sequence may reflect the spatial variability of rainfall within the catchment, which in turn reflects its origin. However, the relatively homogeneous sediment composition throughout the sequence confirms that core-derived information is representative of widespread flood events.

Conclusions

These results are consistent with those obtained in previous studies. They also outline the need to take into account the entire grain size range of fine sediment in order to provide an overall picture of sediment sources and transfers within highly erosive catchments. This study also emphasizes the importance of using archival data to validate the results of sediment fingerprinting studies conducted during short contemporary monitoring programmes, and to extend fingerprinting of sediment sources over longer time-scales which include large and widespread floods.     

Sediment source analysis in the Linganore Creek watershed, Maryland, USA, using the sediment fingerprinting approach: 2008 to 2010

Purpose

Fine-grained sediment is an important pollutant in streams and estuaries, including the Chesapeake Bay in the USA. The objective of this study was to determine the sources of fine-grained sediment using the sediment fingerprinting approach in the Linganore Creek watershed, a tributary to the Chesapeake Bay.

Materials and methods

The sediment fingerprinting approach was used in the agricultural and forested, 147-km² Linganore Creek watershed, Maryland from 1 August 2008 to 31 December 2010 to determine the relative percentage contribution from different potential sources of fine-grained sediment. Fine-grained suspended sediment samples (<63 μm) were collected during storm events in Linganore Creek using an automatic sampler and manual isokinetic samplers. Source samples were collected from 40 stream bank sites, 24 agricultural (cropland and pasture) sites, and 19 forested sites. Suspended sediment and source samples were analyzed for elements and stable isotopes.

Results and discussion

Results of sediment fingerprinting for 194 samples collected in 36 separate storm events indicate that stream banks contributed 53% of the annual fine-grained suspended sediment load, agriculture contributed 44%, and forests contributed 3%. Peak flows and sediment loads of the storms correlate to stream bank erosion. The highest peak flows occurred in the winter and, along with freeze–thaw activity, contributed to winter months showing the highest rate of stream bank erosion. Peak flow was negatively correlated to sediment sources from agricultural lands which had the greatest contribution in non-winter months. Caution should be observed when trying to interpret the relation between sediment sources and individual storms using the sediment fingerprinting approach. Because the sediment fingerprinting results from individual storms may not include the temporal aspects of the sourced sediment, sediment that is in storage from previous events, remobilized and sampled during the current event, will reflect previous storm characteristics. Stream bank sediment is delivered directly to the channel during an event, whereas the delivery of upland sediment to the stream is lower due to storage on hillslopes and/or in channels, sediment from stream banks are more likely to be related to the characteristics of the sampled storm event.

Conclusions

Stream banks and agricultural lands are both important sources of fine-grained sediment in the Linganore Creek watershed. Peak flows and sediment loads for the 36 storms show a significant relation to sediment sources from stream bank erosion. Attempting to link upland sediment sources to flow and seasonal characteristics is difficult since much of the upland sediment eroded in an event goes into storage. By averaging sediment sources over several storms, it may be possible to determine not only the sediment sources that are directly contributed during the current event but also sediment from previous events that was in storage and remobilized.     

Variation in Total and Extractable Elements with Distance from Roads in an Urban Watershed,Honolulu, Hawaii

Roads play a major role intransporting sediment associated nonpoint sourcepollutants to urban stream networks via storm drains. In urban areas the relationship of erodible soil toroads may be of critical importance in controllingmetal contributions to roads. Two 50-m transects(Park and School) were investigated perpendicular toroads in Manoa basin, Oahu, Hawaii. Concentrations ofnine elements were compared to background control soillocations and to five supplemental samples from nearbyrecreational parks. Sediment from curbside areas ofroads (road deposited sediment) was collected as thestarting point of each transect, and subsequently soilwas sampled from two depths (0–2.5 cm and 7.5–10.0 cm)along the transects. Total and 0.5 M HCl extractableconcentrations were determined for aluminum (Al),calcium (Ca), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), iron (Fe),manganese (Mn), nickel (Ni), lead (Pb) and zinc (Zn)using either inductively coupled plasma-atomicemission spectroscopy (ICP-AES) or flame atomicemission spectroscopy (FAAS). Ca, Cu, Pb and Znexhibited anthropogenic enhancement, with Pb and Znhaving the greatest enrichment in road sedimentfollowed by locations nearest the road. Copperdisplayed a narrower band of contamination than eitherPb or Zn, and this may reflect larger aerosolassociations and more rapid fall velocities. Lead andZn exhibited substantial decay in concentration at 50 m compared to the road sediment, but enrichment wasstill apparent. The positioning of a band of soilbetween the road-curb area and the sidewalk for thePark transect facilitated deposition and storage oftrace metals, and with subsequent erosion by splash orconcentrated flow this area can account for continuedtransport of contaminated sediment to adjacent roadsurfaces. On the other hand the School transect hadno soil directly beside the road, and the nearestsample from the road (5 m) displayed enrichment butsubstantially lower than the Park transect. Thesepreliminary data suggest that remobilization of soilstored metals in close proximity to roads cansignificantly prolong the environmental contaminationof urban road systems and eventually stream sediments.     

Fingerprinting sediment sources in a typical karst catchment of southwest China

Due to the complex hydrogeological conditions in karst regions, it is difficult to measure sediment source contributions at a catchment scale directly. The objective of this study was to quantify the relative contributions of sediment sources and their temporal variability in a karst catchment in southwest China. Karst depressions can trap eroded sediment similar to a dam or reservoir and, thus, are representative and typical test beds for identifying sediment sources in karst regions. Three sediment cores were taken from a karst depression, 58 soil samples from three potential sediment sources were collected, and 18 soil properties were analyzed. The relative contributions of cropland, forestland, and fissure or crack soils were calculated using a multivariate mixing model. The fingerprinting results demonstrated that the cropland was the main sediment source in karst catchment. Specifically, according to the mean sediment contributions of the three deposited sediment cores, the sediment contribution from cropland topsoil was 69.3%, varying from 46.9% to 92.3%, and forestland soil and crack soil accounted for 8.6% and 22.1% of the sediment yield, and varying from 2.8% to 16.5% and 4.8%–36.6%, respectively. This result indicated that great attention should be paid when using only a single core to quantify sediment provenance. Due to the deposited sediment was generally disturbed as cropland in the karst depression, the area that has not been disturbed in recent decades in depression was more appropriate to trace sediment sources in karst catchment. To the best of our knowledge, this study was the first to quantify the contributions of sediment sources in the karst catchment of southwest China. This study provides valuable information and a preliminary reference for applying a composite fingerprinting technique to quantify sediment sources in karst catchments.     

Investigating the role of connectivity and scale in assessing the sources of sediment in an agricultural watershed in the Canadian prairies using sediment source fingerprinting

Purpose

Sediments adversely impact the quality of surface waters and are a significant source of contaminants, such as nutrients and pesticides, in agricultural watersheds. The development of effective beneficial management practices (BMPs) to minimize these impacts requires a sound understanding of the sources of sediments. The objectives of this study were: (1) to determine the sources of sediment in an agricultural watershed in the Canadian prairies using sediment source fingerprinting and; (2) to assess the results of the sediment fingerprinting study within the context of the scale of observation and the hydro-geomorphic connectivity of the watershed.

Materials and methods

Geochemical and radionuclide fingerprints were used to discriminate between the three potential sediment sources identified: topsoil, streambanks, and shale bedrock. Suspended and bed sediment samples were collected over the course of 3 years at six locations along the main stem of the creek, ranging from 3rd- (48 ha) to 7th-order (7441 ha) drainage basins. Four sediment fingerprint properties were selected that met statistical- and process-based selection criteria and the Stable Isotope Analysis in R model was used to estimate the proportion of sediment derived from each source at each sampling location in the watershed.

Results and discussion

The suspended sediments in the upper reaches were dominated by topsoil sources (64%–85%), whereas the suspended sediments moving through the lower reaches and being exported from the watershed had a higher proportion of sediment coming from streambank (32%–51%) and shale bedrock (29%–40%) sources. The switch in the sources of sediment between the headwaters and the watershed outlet are due to: (1) changes in sediment storage and connectivity; (2) a transition in the dominant erosion processes from topsoil to streambank erosion; and (3) the incision of the stream through the shale bedrock as it crosses the Manitoba Escarpment.

Conclusions

The results of this sediment fingerprinting study demonstrated that there was a switch in sediment sources between the headwaters and the outlet of the watershed. This research highlights the importance of the sampling location, in relation to the scale and geomorphic connectivity of the watershed, on the interpretation of results derived from the sediment fingerprinting technique, particularly in terms of developing suitable watershed BMPs to protect surface waters.     

Novel sediment source fingerprinting quantifying erosion-induced total nitrogen and total phosphorus outputs from an intensive agricultural catchment,North China

Intensive farming is a primary cause of increased sediment and associated nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) loads in surface water systems. Determining their contributing sources, pathways and loads present major challenges in the high-intensity agricultural catchments. Herein, we quantify the sediment sources and magnitude of sediment total N and total P from different sources using a novel application of compound-specific stable isotope (CSSI) and fallout radionuclides (FRNs) of ¹³⁷Cs and ²¹⁰Pbex in an intensive agricultural catchment in North China. Sediment sources from surface and sub-surface soils were estimated from FRNs fingerprint and accounted for 62 ± 7% and 38 ± 7% respectively, while surface soil from land uses that originated from hillslope were identified by CSSI fingerprint. Using a novel application of FRNs and CSSI sediment fingerprinting techniques, the dominant sediment source was derived from maize farmland (44 ± 0.1%), followed by channel bank (38 ± 7%). The sedimentation rate (13.55 ± 0.30 t ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹) was quantified by the ¹³⁷Cs cores (0–60 cm) at the outlet of this catchment. The total N and total P in sediment were both mostly derived from maize farmland and least from channel banks. The channel banks are significant sediment sources but contribute little to the input of sediment N and P for eutrophication. It implies that chemically-applied farmlands are the main hotspots for catchment erosion control and pollution prevention. The novel application of FRNs and CSSI techniques cost-effectively quantified sediment N and P loads from different sources with a single visit to the catchment, enabling rapid assessment for optimizing soil conservation strategies and land management practices. Keywords: Sediment sources, Land use, N and P loads, Compound-specific stable isotope, Fallout radionuclides.     

Soil and phosphorus redistribution along a steep tea plantation in the Feitsui reservoir catchment of northern Taiwan

Abstract

Feitsui reservoir, the major water supply of Taipei city, has shown declining water quality in recent years. The reservoir is located in an area famous for tea cultivation, and the question arises as to whether the hillside tea plantations have contributed to increased sediment and nutrient discharge into the reservoir. In this study, soil and phosphorus redistribution were examined along a steep tea plantation in the reservoir's catchment and the provenance of reservoir sediment was assessed. Fallout radionuclides were used as soil erosion/deposition tracers and as markers of sediment sources. Continuous fertilizer application has raised (inorganic) phosphorus levels in the studied tea plantation. The plantation's narrow bench terraces trap eroded material and slow down soil and nutrient translocation. Nevertheless, eroded soil and phosphorus have accumulated on a vegetated toeslope below the tea plantation. The reservoir sediment contained significant amounts of inorganic phosphorus and cesium-137, and application of a mixing model resulted in a surface soil contribution of approximately 30%. This points towards tea plantations as possible sediment and pollutant sources and underlines the necessity of soil conservation strategies, such as the maintenance of vegetated riparian buffer zones. However, other sources, such as landslide debris and urban wastewaters, cannot be entirely ruled out. Further research is needed to better characterize the catchment's soils and sediments and to improve sediment fingerprinting efforts. Potential point and non-point pollution sources need to be examined in detail to better understand how phosphorus enters the reservoir.     

Fingerprinting Sediment Sources After an Extreme Rainstorm Event in a Small Catchment on the Loess Plateau,PR China

Soil erosion is a severe problem on China's Loess Plateau due to its fine‐grained soils and the increasing frequency of extreme rainfall events. Accordingly, this study used a 100‐year frequency rainstorm dataset to analyse sediment deposition and sources in a 27‐km² catchment with a dam field area of 0·14 km² based on the hypothesis that sediments were intercepted by the dam (before collapse) during the rainstorm event and deposited in the dam field. This study applied composite fingerprinting, which revealed the sediment source contributions and estimated sediment deposition. Sediment deposition (626·4 kg m⁻²) decreased linearly or exponentially with increasing distance from the dam. Composite fingerprints based on the optimal parameters revealed relative sediment contributions of 44·1% ± 25·5%, 37·7% ± 35·0%, 9·0% ± 11·4% and 9·2% ± 11·5% by bare ground, croplands, grassland and forests, respectively. The 5‐year cumulative sediment deposition from normal rainfall was 2·3 × 10⁴ t less than the extreme rainstorm. Bare grounds and croplands were the dominant sediment sources following both the extreme rainstorm and normal erosive rainfall events but varied at different areas of the check‐dam. Erosion patterns and start times depended on land use type, thereby affecting sediment profiles in the dam field. Furthermore, severe erosion from bare ground that were all gully slopes and gully walls occurred throughout the rainfall, whereas grasslands and forest erosion occurred earlier and croplands later. Finally, extreme rainfall promoted mass wasting on slopes, gully slopes and gully walls, which are important in determining extreme rainstorm erosion pattern variation. This study aimed to reveal erosion pattern variation under extreme rainstorm events. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Modelling soil erosion and sediment yield at a catchment scale: the case of Masinga catchment,Kenya

Development of improved soil erosion and sediment yield prediction technology is required to provide catchment stakeholders with the tools they need to evaluate the impact of various management strategies on soil loss and sediment yield in order to plan for the optimal use of the land. In this paper, a newly developed approach is presented to predict the sources of sediment reaching the stream network within Masinga, a large‐scale rural catchment in Kenya. The study applies the revised universal soil loss equation (RUSLE) and a developed hillslope sediment delivery distributed (HSDD) model embedded in a geographical information system (GIS). The HSDD model estimates the sediment delivery ratio (SDR) on a cell‐by‐cell basis using the concept of runoff travel time as a function of catchment characteristics. The model performance was verified by comparing predicted and measured plot runoff and sediment yield. The results show a fairly good relationship between predicted and measured sediment yield (R²=0·82). The predicted results show that the developed modelling approach can be used as a major tool to estimate spatial soil erosion and sediment yield at a catchment scale. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Lead in the Soils and Stream Sediments of an Urban Catchment in Tyneside,UK

This paper focuses on lead contamination in topsoils and stream sediments of public access areas in a largely urban UK catchment. It compares severity of contamination with accepted trigger thresholds, examines spatial patterns relative to urban and industrial development, and explores potential mobility of lead using ‘plant available’: total lead ratios. Total and ‘plant available’ lead concentrations, organic content and pH were determined on 298 topsoil and 54 stream sediment samples using standard laboratory procedures. At the lowest total lead trigger threshold, approximately two thirds of topsoil and one third of stream sediment samples were contaminated. For ‘plant available’ lead the proportions were somewhat lower. The spatial pattern was characterised by ‘hot spot’ contamination, with highest values occurring in central and southern parts of the catchment which have a long urban and industrial history. Potential lead mobility is greatest in rural western and northern parts of the catchment where the lead fractions are probably derived from pedological alteration and weathering of soil parent materials. Conversely, in the urban and industrial areas, much of the lead probably consists of less mobile particulate forms. The implications of these findings for assessment, monitoring and management of contaminated areas are discussed.     

Tracing Sediment Sources in a Subtropical Agricultural Catchment of Southern Brazil Cultivated With Conventional and Conservation Farming Practices

In Brazil, agricultural expansion has increased soil erosion and sediment supply to waterways. As elevated sediment loads often degrade freshwater environments, sediment fingerprinting techniques are increasingly used to identify the sources supplying sediment to riverine and lacustrine environments. In this study, the contribution of various soil types to sediment was investigated in the Guaporé catchment (2,032 km²) in southern Brazil. Soil samples (n = 75) were collected to characterise five soil types: Ferralsols (n = 26), Nitisols (n = 13), Acrisols (n = 8), Leptosols (n = 6) and Luvisols (n = 22). Sediment samples (n = 7) were collected in a trap installed at the catchment outlet. Sediment source contributions were modelled according to soil types with elemental geochemistry and ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios. ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios, K, Ti, Co, As, Ba and Pb were selected as the optimal suite of properties discriminating between soil types. Sediment samples were modelled to mainly originate from downstream Acrisols [mean 41%, standard deviation (SD) 2%], Leptosols (mean 34%, SD 4%) and Luvisols (mean 17%, SD 4%). In contrast, contributions of upstream Ferralsols (mean 4%, SD 2%) and Nitisols (mean 4%, SD 6%) were low. These results suggest that soils found in lower parts of the catchment, cultivated with conventional agriculture on steep slopes, were the main source of sediment to the river network. In contrast, soils found in upper parts of the catchment, cultivated with soybean under direct sowing, were less eroded or deposited before reaching the sediment sampling location at the outlet. These findings demonstrate that the management of local and degraded soil sources is important for reducing sediment loads. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Source apportionment of lake bed sediments to watersheds in an Upper Mississippi basin using a chemical mass balance method

Sediment samples were collected from three known sources contributing to a depositional basin of the Upper Mississippi River, USA. The heavy silt fraction (2–63 μm, density >2.95) isolated from the sediments was analyzed for 42 elements by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrophotometry (ICP-MS) to give signature profiles characteristic of each source catchment. Known proportions of heavy silt fractions from each source were mixed and the composite samples analyzed in the same way. The proportions of components in the composite samples were compared to their apportionments calculated statistically using the US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) chemical mass balance (CMB) air quality receptor model. This showed that the CMB technique can apportion sediments to their catchment sources reliably. The technique was then applied to dated sediments of Lake Pepin, in the Upper Mississippi basin, to apportion them to their contributing catchments. The results show that almost all the recent sediments deposited in the basin originated in the Minnesota River catchment, and that the sediment load increased over time as anthropogenic impacts increased. This technique could be used elsewhere to determine sediment provenance and identify changes in sediment sources over time.     

Quantification of seasonal sediment and phosphorus transport dynamics in an agricultural watershed using radiometric fingerprinting techniques

Purpose

Phosphorus (P) is a limiting nutrient for most US Midwestern aquatic systems and, therefore, increases of P, through point or non-point sources (NPS) of pollution such as agriculture, causes eutrophication. Identifying specific NPS contributions (e.g., upland vs. stream channels) for sediments and P is difficult due to the distributed nature of the pollution. Therefore, studies which link the spatial and temporal aspects of sediment and P transport in these systems can help better characterize the extent of NPS pollution.

Materials and methods

Our study used fingerprinting techniques to determine sources of sediments in an agricultural watershed (the North Fork of the Pheasant Branch watershed; 12.4 km² area) in Wisconsin, USA, during the spring, summer, and fall seasons of 2009. The primary sources considered were uplands (cultivated fields), stream bank, and streambed. The model used fallout radionuclides, ¹³⁷Cs, and ²¹⁰Pb_xs, along with total P to determine primary sediment sources. A shorter-lived fallout radioisotope, ⁷Be, was used to determine the sediment age and percent new sediments in streambed and suspended sediment samples (via the ⁷Be/²¹⁰Pb_xs ratio).

Results and discussion

Upland areas were the primary source of suspended sediments in the stream channels followed by stream banks. The sediment age and percent new sediment for the streambed and suspended sediments showed that the channel contained and transported newer (or more recently tagged with ⁷Be) sediments in the spring season (9–131 days sediment age), while relatively old sediments (165–318 days) were moving through the channel system during the fall season.

Conclusions

Upland areas are the major contributors to in-stream suspended sediments in this watershed. Sediment resuspension in stream channels could play an important role during the later part of the year. Best management practices should be targeted in the upland areas to reduce the export of sediments and sediment-bound P from agricultural watersheds.