Fingerprinting the contribution of quarrying to fine‐grained bed sediment in a mountainous catchment, Iran

A - Papers appearing in refereed journals

Nosrati, K. and Collins, A. L. 2019. Fingerprinting the contribution of quarrying to fine‐grained bed sediment in a mountainous catchment, Iran. River Research and Applications. 35, pp. 290-300. https://doi.org/10.1002/rra.3408

AuthorsNosrati, K. and Collins, A. L.
Abstract

The contribution of quarrying in the context of multiple catchment sources of finegrained sediment has rarely been investigated. This study assessed the relative
importance of quarrying as a sediment source alongside rangeland surface soils and channel banks in a mountainous catchment in northern Tehran, Iran, using fingerprinting. Eight geochemical tracers were measured on 24 potential sediment source samples and four fine‐grained sediment samples. Statistical analysis to select three different composite fingerprints for discriminating the potential sediment sources comprised: (a) the Kruskal–Wallis H test (KW‐H), (b) a combination of KW‐H and discriminant function analysis (DFA), and (c) a combination of KW‐H and principal components and classification analysis (PCCA). A Bayesian unmixing model was used to apportion sediment source contributions using the three composite fingerprints. Using the KW‐H composite signature, the respective relative contributions (with uncertainty ranges) from channel banks, rangeland surface soils, and quarrying were estimated as 28.4% (10.9–46.8), 15.1% (6.6–22.7), and 56.6% (38.3–74.2), compared with 35.4% (11.9–60.1), 13.4% (4.1–22.2), and 51.3% (26.5–74.3) using a composite signature selected using a combination of KW‐H and DFA, or 20.7% (3.9–41.7), 17.2% (4.4–29.9), and 61.4% (44–78.8) using a fingerprint selected using KW‐H and PCCA. The different composite signatures therefore all consistently suggested that quarrying is the dominant source of the fine‐grained sediment samples. Potential mitigation measures targeting this land use include closure to permit revegetation to reduce exposure of bare surfaces to sediment mobilization. Limitations and uncertainties associated with this preliminary investigation are briefly discussed.

KeywordsBed sediment; Fingerprinting; Mountainous catchment; Multiple statistical techniques; Quarrying
Year of Publication2019
JournalRiver Research and Applications
Journal citation35, pp. 290-300
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)https://doi.org/10.1002/rra.3408
Open accessPublished as non-open access
FunderBiotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council
Funder project or codeS2N - Soil to Nutrition - Work package 3 (WP3) - Sustainable intensification - optimisation at multiple scales
Accepted author manuscript
Output statusPublished
Publication dates
Online13 Mar 2019
Publication process dates
Accepted23 Jan 2019
Copyright licensePublisher copyright
PublisherWiley
ISSN1535-1459

Permalink - https://repository.rothamsted.ac.uk/item/8wq18/fingerprinting-the-contribution-of-quarrying-to-fine-grained-bed-sediment-in-a-mountainous-catchment-iran

Restricted files

Publisher's version

Under embargo indefinitely

101 total views
68 total downloads
0 views this month
1 downloads this month
Download files as zip