Multi_element Fingerprinting of River Sediments to Identify Diffuse Pollution Sources

.......................................................................................................................................... 1 Acknowledgements ......................................................................................................................... 2 1.0. Introduction .......................................................................................................................... 3 1.1. Study area and description of the problem .......................................................................... 3 1.2. Aims, hypotheses and objectives of the project ................................................................... 3 2.0. Methodology ........................................................................................................................ 4 2.1. Analysis of element concentrations in the sediments of the Souris River to identify the potential for using multi element fingerprinting technique for sediment tracking. ........................ 4 2.1.1. Study area and sample collection ......................................................................................... 4 2.1.2. Chemical analysis ................................................................................................................. 5 2.1.3. Loss-on-ignition .................................................................................................................... 5 2.1.4. Fraction of particles smaller than 63 μm (f<63) ................................................................... 5 2.1.5. Statistical analysis ................................................................................................................. 5 2.2. Laboratory study to simulate mixing and transport of chemical elements in river systems. ... 5 2.2.1. Mixing of soil at different mixing ratios ............................................................................... 5 2.2.2. Simulation of water and sediment movement in river systems ............................................ 6 2.2.3. Chemical analysis ................................................................................................................. 6 2.2.4. Loss-on-ignition .................................................................................................................... 7 2.2.5. Fraction of particles smaller than 63 μm (f<63) ................................................................... 7 2.2.6. Statistical analysis ................................................................................................................. 7 2.3. Multi element fingerprinting approach to identify phosphorus contribution from tributaries to the Souris River sediments. ........................................................................................................ 8 2.3.1. Sample collection ................................................................................................................. 8 2.3.2. Sample preparation and multi-element analysis ................................................................... 9 2.3.3. Loss-on-ignition .................................................................................................................... 9 2.3.4. Fraction of particles smaller than 63 μm (f<63) ................................................................... 9 2.3.5. Data analysis ......................................................................................................................... 9