Application of hierarchical Bayesian unmixing models in river sediment source apportionment

1 .pdf copy (1 Pag.) of the abstract published by the Organization. © Author(s) 2016. CC Attribution 3.0 License.In this contribution, key components of the model are evaluated in the context of common experimental designs for sediment fingerprinting studies namely simple, nested and distributed catchment sampling programmes. Illustrative examples using geochemical and compound specific stable isotope datasets are presented and used to discuss best practice with specific attention to (1) the tracer selection process, (2) incorporation of fixed effects relating to sample timeframe and sediment type in the modelling process, (3) deriving and using informative priors in sediment fingerprinting context and (4) transparency of the process and replication of model results by other users.Peer reviewe

Preliminary evaluation of the use of soil bacterial 16S rDNA DNA markers in sediment fingerprinting in two small endorheic lagoons in southern Spain

Trabajo presentado en la EGU General Assembly 2016 (European Geosciences Union), celebrada en Viena del 17 al 22 de abril de 2016.N

Effects of a small-scale, abandoned gold mine on the geochemistry of fine stream-bed and floodplain sediments in the Horsefly River watershed, British Columbia, Canada

Mining is known to be a major source of metal contamination for fluvial systems worldwide. Monitoring and understanding the effects on downstream water and sediment quality is essential for its management and to mitigate against detrimental environmental impacts. This study aimed to examine the effects of the small-scale, abandoned, hydraulic Black Creek gold mine on the geochemical content of fine (<63 μm) stream bed and floodplain sediment in the Horsefly watershed (British Columbia, Canada), which is a part of the Quesnel River basin. Concentrations of As, Cd, Se and Zn were determined by aqua regia digestion and the modified BCR (European Community Bureau of Reference) sequential extraction procedure followed by inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectroscopy or inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry. Age-depth models for the floodplain cores were constructed using excess Pb-210 and Cs-137 activity concentration profiles. The results show that the mine caused local As contamination of the Horsefly River floodplain sediment during the first years of operation, but at present the contamination is mainly contained in the Black Creek. Present-day and recent concentrations of Cd, Se and Zn in the Horsefly River are elevated and this is probably derived from other upstream mining activities. The spatial and temporal changes in heavy-metal concentrations suggest a slight, but not particularly widespread, mining effect on the fine-sediment geochemistry in the Horsefly River system

Magnitude and extent of the impact of a small-scale gold-mine on the geochemistry of stream bed and floodplain sediments in the Horsefly catchment, British Columbia, Canada

Mining represents a major source of metal contamination for fluvial systems worldwide. Monitoring and understanding the effects on downstream water and sediment quality is essential for effective management of active and abandoned mine sites. This study aims to determine the downstream effects of the abandoned, small-scale hydraulic Black Creek gold mine on the geochemistry of fine