Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Quantifying the resuspension of sediment and associated metallic contaminants with fallout radionuclide measurements in a channelized river draining an industrial catchment

  • Sediments, Sec 3 • Hillslope and River Basin Sediment Dynamics • Research Article
  • Published:
Journal of Soils and Sediments Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose

Contamination of river sediment reaches problematic levels in industrialised regions. This study investigates the relevance of using beryllium-7 (7Be), a short-lived environmental radionuclide (53 days half-life), for quantifying the deposition and resuspension of sediment and associated metallic contaminants in a heavily polluted channelized river of Northern France (The Lower Scarpe River).

Materials and methods

Activities in 7Be were measured in bed and suspended sediments collected each month over a hydrological year. Suspended sediments were analysed for metal contents (Pb, Zn, Cd, Cu). The determination of short-term sediment dynamics is based on the variation of total 7Be inventory between two successive samplings. Total inventory of 7Be consists of two components, i.e., the residual inventory and the new inventory.

Results and discussion

Inventories of 7Be in sediment varied from 1 to 135 mBq cm−2. Observed spatial and temporal variations reflected the dynamic behaviour of sediment in the studied channel section. The succession of sediment deposition and resuspension periods was demonstrated during the study, with maximum deposition and erosion rates of 0.3 ± 0.2 and −0.46 ± 0.05 g cm−2 month−1, respectively. A sediment resuspension rate of 0.06 g cm−2 month−1 supplied to the water column a flux of 12, 13, 23 and 145 μg cm−2 month−1 of Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn, respectively. During this 15-month study, 28 to 50 % of Pb that was deposited in the riverbed sediment was resuspended, thereby contributing to the (short term) degradation of water quality.

Conclusions

The present work provides a useful tool for examining the role of sediment as a sink or source of contamination for the water column. It produces knowledge of how sediment processes affect the fate and the transport of contaminants and the implications for future downstream fluxes.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Argese E, Ramieri E, Bettiol C, Pavoni B, Chiozzotto E, Sfriso A (1997) Pollutant exchange at the water/sediment interface in the Venice canals. Water Soil Air Pollut 99:255–263

    Google Scholar 

  • Audry S, Schäfer J, Blanc G, Jouanneau J-M (2004) Fifty-year sedimentary record of heavy metal pollution (Cd, Zn, Cu, Pb) in the Lot River reservoirs (France). Environ Pollut 132:413–426

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ayrault S, Roy-Barman M, Le Cloarec M-F, Rianti Priadi C, Bonté P, Göpel C (2012) Lead contamination of the Seine River, France: geochemical implications of a historical perspective. Chemosphere 87:902–910

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Baskaran M, Santschi PH (1993) The role of particles and colloids in the transport of radionuclides in coastal environments of Texas. Mar Chem 43:95–114

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ben Slimane A, Raclot D, Evrard O, Sanaa M, Lefèvre I, Ahmadi M, Tounsi M, Rumpel C, Ben Mammou A, Le Bissonnais Y (2013) Fingerprinting sediment sources in the outlet reservoir of a hilly cultivated catchment in Tunisia. J Soils Sediments 13:801–815

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Benoit G, Rozan TF (1999) Influences of size distributions on the particle concentration effect and trace metal partitioning in rivers. Geochim Cosmochim Acta 63:113–127

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Blake WH, Wallbrink PJ, Wilkinson SN, Humphreys GS, Doerr SH, Shakesby RA, Tomkins KM (2009) Deriving hillslope sediment budgets in wildfire-affected forests using fallout radionuclide tracers. Geomorphol 104:105–116

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bonté P, Mouchel JM, Thomas AJ, Le Cloarec MF, Dumoulin JP, Sogon S, Tessier L (2000) Buffering of suspended sediment transport in lowland river during low water stages: quantification in River Seine using environmental radionuclides. Acta Geol Hisp 35:339–355

    Google Scholar 

  • Bourcier L, Masson O, Laj P, Pichon JM, Paulat P, Freney E, Sellegri K (2011) Comparative trends and seasonal variation of 7Be, 210Pb and 137Cs at two altitude sites in the central part of France. J Environ Radioact 102:294–301

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Calmano W, Hong J, Förstner U (1993) Binding and mobilization of heavy metals in contaminated sediments affected by pH and redox potential. Water Sci Technol 28:223–235

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Canuel EA, Martens CS, Benninger LK (1990) Seasonal variations in 7Be activity in the sediments of Cape Lookout Bight, North Carolina. Geochim Cosmochim Acta 54:237–245

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ciutat A, Anschutz P, Gerino M, Boudou A (2005) The effects of bioturbation on cadmium transfer and distribution into freshwater sediments. Environ Toxicol Chem 24:1048–1058

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Conaway CH, Storlazzi CD, Draut AE, Swarzenski PW (2013) Short-term variability of 7Be atmospheric deposition and watershed response in a Pacific coastal stream, Monterey Bay, California, USA. J Environ Radioact 120:94–103

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Dibb JE, Rice DL (1989) Temporal and spatial distribution of beryllium-7 in the sediments of Cheasapeake Bay. Estuar Coast Shielf Sci 28:395–406

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Dominik J, Burrus D, Vernet J-P (1987) Transport of the environmental radionuclides in an alpine watershed. Earth Planet Sci Lett 93:165–180

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dominik J, Schuler C, Santschi PH (1989) Residence times of 234Th and 7Be in Lake Geneva. Earth Planet Sci Lett 93:345–358

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Du J, Wu Y, Huang D, Zhang J (2010) Use of 7Be, 210Pb and 137Cs tracers to the transport of surface sediments of the Changjiang Estuary, China. J Mar Syst 82:286–294

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Eggleton J, Thomas KV (2004) A review of factors affecting the release and bioavailability of contaminants during sediment disturbance events. Environ Int 30:973–980

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Evrard O, Némery J, Gratiot N, Duvert C, Ayrault S, Lefèvre I, Poulenard J, Prat C, Bonté P, Esteves M (2010) Sediment dynamics during the rainy season in tropical highland catchments of central Mexico using fallout radionuclides. Geomorphol 124:42–54

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Evrard O, Navratil O, Ayrault S, Ahmadi M, Némery J, Legout C, Lefèvre I, Poirel A, Bonté P, Esteves M (2011) Combining suspended sediment monitoring and fingerprinting to determine the spatial origin of fine sediment in a mountainous river catchment. Earth Surf Process Landforms 36:1072–1089

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Feng H, Cochran JK, Hirschberg DJ (1999) 234Th and 7Be as tracers for transport and sources of particle-associated contaminants in the Hudson River Estuary. Sci Total Environ 237(238):401–418

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fitzgerald SA, Val Klump J, Swarzenski PW, Mackenzie RA, Richards KD (2001) Beryllium-7 as a tracer of short-term sediment deposition and resuspension in the Fox River, Wisconsin. Environ Sci Technol 35:300–305

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Förstner U (2004) Sediment dynamics and pollutant mobility in rivers: an interdisciplinary approach. Lakes Reserv Res Manag 9:25–40

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Foucher A, Laceby JP, Salvador Blanes S, Evrard O, Le Gall M, Lefèvre I, Cerdan O, Rajkumar V, Desmet M (2015) Quantifying the dominant sources of sediment in a drained lowland agricultural catchment: the application of a thorium based particle size correction in sediment fingerprinting. Geomorphol 250:271–281

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gardner WD (1980) Field assessment of sediment traps. J Mar Res 38:41–52

    Google Scholar 

  • Gateuille D, Evrard O, Lefèvre I, Moreau-Guigon E, Alliot F, Chevreuil M, Mouchel J-M (2014) Mass balance and decontamination times of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in rural nested catchments of an early industrialized region (Seine River basin, France). Sci Total Environ 470–471:608–617

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gibbs RJ (1973) Mechanisms of trace metal transport in rivers. Sci 180:71–73

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Giffin D, Reide Corbett D (2003) Evaluation of sediment dynamics in coastal systems via short-lived radioisotopes. J Mar Syst 42:83–96

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gourdin E, Evrard O, Huon S, Reyss J-L, Ribolzi O, Bariac T, Sengtaheuanghoung O, Ayrault S (2014) Spatial and temporal variability of 7Be and 210Pb wet deposition during four successive monsoon storms in a catchment of northern Laos. J Environ Radioact 136:195–205

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Haag I, Kern U, Westrich B (2001) Erosion investigation and sediment quality measurements for a comprehensive risk assessment of contaminated aquatic sediments. Sci Total Environ 266:249–257

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hawley N, Robbins JA, Eadie BJ (1986) The partitioning of 7Be in fresh water. Geochim Cosmochim Acta 50:1127–1131

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • He, Walling DE (1996) Interpreting particle size effects in the adsorption of 137Cs and unsupported 210Pb by mineral soils and sediments. J Environ Radioact 30:117–137

  • Horowitz AJ (2000) NASQAN: the design and implementation of a large-river suspended sediment and trace element flux programme. In: The role of erosion and sediment transport in nutrient and contaminant transfer, IAHS Publ 263. IAHS Press, Wallingford, UK, pp 3–18

    Google Scholar 

  • Huang D, Du J, Zhang J (2011) Particle dynamics of 7Be, 210Pb and the implications of sedimentation of heavy metals in the Wenjiao/Wenchang and Wanquan River estuaries, Hainan, China. Estuar Coast Shelf Sci 93:431–437

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hwang K-Y, Kim H-S, Hwang I (2011) Effect of resuspension on the release of heavy metals and water chemistry in anoxic and oxic sediments. CLEAN – Soil Air Water 39:908–915

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Jagercikova M, Cornu S, Le Bas C, Evrard O (2015) Vertical distributions of 137Cs in soils: a meta-analysis. J Soils Sediments 15:81–95

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Jweda J, Baskaran M, van Hees E, Schweitzer L (2008) Short-lived radionuclides (7Be and 210Pb) as tracers of particle dynamics in a river system in southeast Michigan. Limnol Oceanogr 53:1934–1944

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kaste JM, Baskaran M (2011) Meteoric 7Be and 10Be as process tracers in the environment. In: Baskaran, M. (Ed.), Handbook of environmental isotope geochemistry. Adv Isot Geochem 1:61–85

    Google Scholar 

  • Krishnaswami S, Benninger LK, Aller RC, von Damm KL (1980) Atmospherically-derived radionuclides as tracers of sediment mixing and accumulation in near-shore marine and lake sediments: evidence from 7Be, 210Pb, and 239,240Pu. Earth Planet Sci Lett 47:307–318

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lacal J, da Silva MP, Garcı́a R, Sevilla MT, Procopio JR, Hernández L (2003) Study of fractionation and potential mobility of metal in sludge from pyrite mining and affected river sediments: changes in mobility over time and use of artificial ageing as a tool in environmental impact assessment. Environ Pollut 124:291–305

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lal D, Malhotra PK, Peters B (1958) On the production of radioisotopes in the atmosphere by cosmic radiation and their application to meteorology. J Atmos Terr Phys 12:306–328

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Le Cloarec M-F, Bonté P, Lefèvre I, Mouchel J-M, Colbert S (2007) Distribution of 7Be, 210Pb and 137Cs in watersheds of different scales in the Seine River basin: inventories and residence times. Sci Total Environ 375:125–139

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Le Cloarec M-F, Bonté PH, Lestel L, Lefèvre I, Ayrault S (2011) Sedimentary record of metal contamination in the Seine River during the last century. Phys Chem Earth 36:515–529

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lee S, Moon JW, Moon HS (2003) Heavy metals in the bed and suspended sediments of Anyang River, Korea: implications for water quality. Environ Geochem Health 25(4):433–452

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Mabit L, Benmansour M, Walling DE (2008) Comparative advantages and limitations of the fallout radionuclides 137Cs, 210Pbex and 7Be for assessing soil erosion and sedimentation. J Environ Radioact 99:1799–1807

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Martin JM, Mouchel JM, Thomas AJ (1986) Time concepts in hydrodynamic systems with an application to 7Be in the Gironde Estuary. Mar Chem 18:369–392

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Matisoff G, Wilson CG, Whiting PJ (2005) The 7Be/210Pbxs ratio as an indicator of suspended sediment age or fraction new sediment in suspension. Earth Surf Process Landforms 30:1191–1201

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Meybeck M, Lestel L, Bonté P, Moilleron R, Colin J-L, Rousselot O, Hervé D, De Pontevès C, Grosbois C, Thévenot DR (2007) Historical perspective of heavy metals contamination (Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Pb, Zn) in the Seine River basin (France) following a DPSIR approach (1950–2005). Sci Total Environ 375:204–231

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Morillo J, Usero J, Gracia I (2002) Partitioning of metals in sediments from the Odiel River (Spain). Environ Int 28:263–271

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Olley JM, Murray AS, Mackenzie DH, Edwards K (1993) Identifying sediment sources in a gullied catchment using natural and anthropogenic radioactivity. Water Resour Res 29:1037–1043

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Olsen CR, Larsen IL, Lowry PD, Cutshall H, Todd JF, Wong GTF, Casey WH (1985) Atmospheric fluxes and marsh-soil inventories of 7Be and 210Pb. J Geophys Res 90(D6):10,487–10,495

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Olsen CR, Larsen IL, Lowry PD, Cutshall H (1986) Geochemistry and deposition of 7Be in river-estuarine and coastal waters. J Geophys Res 91(C1):896–908

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Owens PN, Batalla RJ, Collins AJ, Gomez B, Hicks DM, Horowitz AJ, Kondolf GM, Marden M, Page MJ, Peacock DH, Petticrew EL, Salomons W, Trustrum NA (2005) Fine-grained sediment in river systems: environmental significance and management issues. River Res Appl 21:693–717

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Palinkas CM, Nittrouer CA, Wheatcroft RA, Langone L (2005) The use of 7Be to identify event and seasonal sedimentation near the Po River delta, Adriatic Sea. Mar Geol 222–223:95–112

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pham MK, Povinec PP, Nies H, Betti M (2013) Dry and wet deposition of 7Be, 210Pb and 137Cs in Monaco air during 1998–2010: Seasonal variations of deposition fluxes. J Environ Radioact 120:45–57

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Pinto VM, Pires LF, Bacchi OOS, Arthur RCJ, Bruno IP, Reichardt K (2013) Spatial variability of 7Be fallout for erosion evaluation. Radiat Phys Chem 83:1–7

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Prygiel E, Superville P-J, Dumoulin D, Lizon F, Prygiel J, Billon G (2015) On biogeochemistry and water quality of river canals in Northern France subject to daily sediment resuspension due to intense boating activities. Environ Pollut 197:295–308

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Roche PA, Billen G, Bravard JP, Decamps H, Pennequin D, Vindimian E, Wasson JG (2005) Research needs for the implementation of the European Water Framework Directive. C R Geosci 337:243–267

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Roos P, Valeur JR (2006) A sediment trap and radioisotope study to determine resuspension of particle reactive substances in the sound between Sweden and Denmark. Cont Shelf Res 26:474–487

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sakaguchi A, Yamamoto M, Sasaki K, Kashiwaya K (2006) Uranium and thorium isotope distribution in an offshore bottom sediment core of the Selenga Delta, Lake Baikal, Siberia. J Paleolimnol 35:807–818

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Salomons W, Förstner U (1984) Metals in the hydrocycle. Springer, New York

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Santschi P, Höhener P, Benoit G, Buchholtz-ten Brink M (1990) Chemical processes at the sediment-water interface. Mar Chem 30:269–315

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Smith HG, Blake WH, Taylor A (2014) Modelling particle residence times in agricultural river basins using a sediment budget model and fallout radionuclide tracers. Earth Surf Process Landforms 39:1944–1959

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sobanska S (1999) Etude de la spéciation du plomb et du zinc dans des poussières industrielles et dans un sol contaminé. Approches par méthodes spectroscopiques. PhD Thesis. University of Lille 1, France

    Google Scholar 

  • Sommerfield CK, Nittrouer CA, Alexander CR (1999) 7Be as a tracer of flood sedimentation on the northern California continental margin. Cont Shelf Res 19:335–361

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Superville P-J, Prygiel E, Mykkelsen O, Billon G (2015) Dynamic behaviour of trace metals in the Deûle River impacted by recurrent polluted sediment resuspensions: from diel to seasonal evolutions. Sci Total Environ 506–570:585–593

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tack FM, Callewaert OWJJ, Verloo MG (1995) Metal solubility as a function of pH in a contaminated, dredged sediment affected by oxidation. Environ Pollut 91:199–208

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Taylor A, Blake WH, Couldrick L, Keith-Roach MJ (2012) Sorption behaviour of beryllium-7 and implications for its use as a sediment tracer. Geoderma 187–188:16–23

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Taylor A, Blake WH, Smith HG, Mabit L, Keith-Roach MJ (2013) Assumptions and challenges in the use of fallout beryllium-7 as a soil and sediment tracer in river basins. Earth Sci Rev 126:85–95

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wallbrink PJ, Murray AS (1996) Distribution and variability of 7Be in soils under different surface cover conditions and its potential for describing soil redistribution processes. Water Resour Res 32:467–476

  • Wallbrink PJ, Olley JM, Murray AS, Olive LJ (1996) The contribution of subsoil to sediment yield in the Murrumbidgee River basin, New South Wales, Australia. In: Erosion and sediment yield: global and regional perspectives. IAHS Publ 236, IAHS Press, Wallingford, UK, p 347–355

  • Walling DE (2013) Beryllium-7: the Cinderella of fallout radionuclide sediment tracers? Hydrol Process 27:830–844

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Walling DE, Owens PN, Carter J, Leeks GJL, Lewis S, Meharg AA, Wright J (2003) Storage of sediment-associated nutrients and contaminants in river channel and floodplain systems. Appl Geochem 18:195–220

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Westrich B, Förstner U (eds) (2007) Sediment dynamics and pollutant mobility in rivers. Springer, Heidelberg, Germany

    Google Scholar 

  • Zebracki M (2008) Devenir des polluants métalliques associés aux sédiments contaminés dans un cours d’eau en relation avec la dynamique sédimentaire. Ph.D. Thesis. University of Paris-Sud XI, France

    Google Scholar 

  • Zebracki M, Bonté P, Alary C (2005) Particle-associated metallic contaminants transfer in a river displaying polluted sediment. Use of environmental radionuclides. In: Faganeli J, Ogrinc N, Horvat M (eds) Proceedings of the 10th International Symposium on the Interactions Between Sediments and Water, Bled, Slovenia. RMZ. Materials and Geoenvironment 52, p 371

  • Zebracki M, Bonté P, Alary C (2007) Beryllium-7 as a tracer for short-term sediment dynamics in the Scarpe River, France. In: Proceedings of the Tenth International Symposium on River Sedimentation. Effects of river sediments and channel processes on social, economic and environmental safety. Moscow State University, Russia, pp 349–358

    Google Scholar 

  • Zoumis T, Schmidt A, Grigorova L, Calmano W (2001) Contaminants in sediments: remobilisation and demobilisation. Sci Total Environ 266:195–202

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

This study was financially supported by the European Union (FEDER) and French authorities (DIREN). Water discharge data were provided by ‘Voies Navigables de France’. We gratefully acknowledge Vincent Ledoux (Société des Eaux de Douai), William Guerin (Agence de l’Eau Artois-Picardie), and Olivier Masson (Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire) for providing rainfall records, maps and 7Be and 210Pb activities in rainfall, respectively. We also gratefully acknowledge Manon Heysck, Florent Mourier, Bertrand Girondelot, Terence Daumeries and Philippe Bataillard (CNRSSP) for their assistance during fieldwork. The authors also gratefully thank the two anonymous reviewers whose suggestions greatly improved the quality of the manuscript.

Author information

Author notes

  1. Mathilde Zebracki

    Present address: Laboratoire d’étude des transferts en sub-surface, Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire (IRSN/PRP-DGE/SRTG/LT2S), Fontenay-aux-Roses, France

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre National de Recherches sur les Sites et Sols Pollués (CNRSSP), Douai, France

    Mathilde Zebracki, Claire Alary & Vasilica Nan-Hammade

  2. Département Génie Civil et Environnemental de l’Ecole des Mines de Douai (GCE/LGCgE), Douai, France

    Mathilde Zebracki & Claire Alary

  3. Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et de l’Environnement (LSCE/IPSL), Unité Mixte de Recherche 8212 (CEA/CNRS/UVSQ), Gif sur Yvette Cedex, France

    Irène Lefèvre, Olivier Evrard & Philippe Bonté

  4. Institut Scientifique de Service Public (ISSeP), Colfontaine, Belgium

    Vasilica Nan-Hammade

Authors
  1. Mathilde Zebracki
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Claire Alary
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Irène Lefèvre
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Vasilica Nan-Hammade
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Olivier Evrard
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Philippe Bonté
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Mathilde Zebracki.

Additional information

Responsible editor: Hugh Smith

Electronic Supplementary Material

Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.

Electronic Supplementary Material 1

Table S1 Grain size distribution in bed sediment (%). Table S2 Grain size distribution in suspended sediment (%). Table S3 Activities in 137Cs and 210Pbxs (Bq kg−1) and 7Be/210Pbxs activity ratio in suspended sediment. Activities in 7Be and 210Pb (Bq kg−1) and activity ratio 7Be/210Pb in rainwater samples collected each month from August 2005 to September 2006 (source: French Institute of Radioprotection and Nuclear Safety, OPERA-Air network). Fraction of recent sediment in suspended sediment (%). Table S4. Characteristics of suspended sediment collected at the lift station “Vallée de Scarpe”: fraction of fine material (<63 μm, in %); 7Be activities (Bq kg−1); metal contents (Cu and Pb in μg g−1, Cd and Zn in mg g−1). Table S5. Monthly flux of contaminants associated with sediment dynamics (μg cm−2 month−1). (XLSX 53 kb)

Electronic Supplementary Material 2

Figure S1 Plot of 137Cs activity versus fraction of fine material in bed and suspended sediment (SS). (XLSX 58 kb)

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Zebracki, M., Alary, C., Lefèvre, I. et al. Quantifying the resuspension of sediment and associated metallic contaminants with fallout radionuclide measurements in a channelized river draining an industrial catchment. J Soils Sediments 16, 294–308 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11368-015-1303-3

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11368-015-1303-3

Keywords

Search

Navigation