Fingerprinting surficial sediment sources: Exploring some potential problems associated with the spatial variability...

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Soil Science
• Geochemistry

Background:

• Sediment source tracing relies on sediment properties for source discrimination.
• Spatial variability of these properties poses challenges for accurate source apportionment.
• Previous research has not fully explored the extent and implications of spatial variability in surface soils.

Purpose of the Study:

• To document the magnitude and nature of spatial variability in geochemical properties of surface soils.
• To explore the implications of this variability for sediment source fingerprinting.
• To provide guidelines for selecting sampling points in source fingerprinting investigations.

Main Methods:

• Collected 52 surface soil samples from a 7-hectare cultivated field.
• Analyzed 53 geochemical properties for potential fingerprinting.
• Utilized caesium-137 (137Cs) measurements to assess soil redistribution rates.

Main Results:

• Quantified the spatial variability of 53 geochemical properties within the field.
• Demonstrated the influence of soil redistribution rate on surface soil properties.
• Identified correlations between different soil properties and their impact on fingerprinting procedures.

Conclusions:

• Spatial variability of soil properties significantly impacts sediment source fingerprinting accuracy.
• Understanding soil redistribution is key to interpreting spatial variability.
• Guidelines for sampling point selection can improve the reliability of source apportionment results.