Heavy metal contamination in overbank sediments of the Geul river (East Belgium): Its relation to former Pb-Zn mining activities

Swennen, Rudy; Keer, Ilse Van; Vos, W. De

doi:10.1007/bf00768072

Cited by 94 publications

(57 citation statements)

References 14 publications

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“…If the flood sediment can be dated, different time periods can be compared in terms of sedimentation rate and sediment characteristics, providing information on flooding frequency and sediment deposition. Methods that have been used for dating floodplain sediment are Effects of land-use and precipitation changes on floodplain sedimentation, Geul River, The Netherlands 253 210 Pb (Walling et al, 1996), 137 Cs (Walling & He, 1993, 1997Walling et al, 1996), and heavy metal contamination in catchments with a history of industrial mining (Klimek & Zawilinska, 1985;Swennen et al, 1994;Macklin, 1996;Middelkoop, 1997).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Effects of Land‐Use and Precipitation Changes on Floodplain Sedimentation in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries (Geul River, The Netherlands)

Stam¹

2002

Flood and Megaflood Processes and Deposits

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flowing through France, Belgium and The Netherlands; Fig. 1a) flooded severely, causing extensive damage and forcing massive evacuations. These events sparked an interest in land-use and climate change as possible causes of the recent, apparent increase in flood frequency. To separate the effects of land-use change and precipitation variability on the peak discharges of the Meuse, one would ideally need single cause-effect relationships for discrete time periods and a long discharge time-series. For a river basin such as the Meuse (33 000 km 2 ) there are no such undisturbed cause-effect relationships, because it is used for international commercial shipping and various other economic purposes, and therefore has been heavily engineered. Generally, peak discharges in the Meuse lead to flooding problems when peak discharges in subcatchments such as the Ourthe and the Sambre (Fig. 1a) coincide with those of the main channel Effects of land-use and precipitation changes on floodplain sedimentation in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries (Geul River, ABSTRACTThe effects of land-use change and precipitation variability on the flow regime and sedimentation rates of floodplain deposits were studied in the Geul River in the southern part of The Netherlands. The catchment has a history of industrial mining, thus providing a means for dating the sediment. Several cut-bank sections were analysed for grain size, organic matter, Zn, Pb and 137 Cs, and sedimentation rates were calculated for the periods 1806-1845, 1845-1885, 1885-1955 and 1955-1996. Sedimentation rates were high between 1806 and 1885, very low between 1885 and 1955, and high again between 1955 and 1996. Rates of channel change derived from the analysis of aerial photographs show an increase after 1949 and 1981. Comparison with precipitation and land-use data indicates that the high sedimentation rates in the nineteenth century were caused by mining activities and deforestation, resulting in more floods in the low-magnitude-high-frequency range. The termination of industrial mining around 1885, subsequent reforestation, and the agricultural crisis of 1878-1895 all contributed to the low river activity during the first half of the twentieth century. The modernization of agriculture and increased precipitation have contributed to an increase in sedimentation rate and channel-change rate during the second half of the twentieth century. Increased soil erosion associated with the modernization of agriculture is an important new source of sediment.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…1b), a small tributary of the Meuse flowing through Belgium and the southernmost tip of The Netherlands, has good possibilities for sediment dating because it has a history of nineteenth century lead and zinc mining, which has caused elevated metal levels in the flood sediment (Leenaers, 1989;Swennen et al, 1994).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of Land‐Use and Precipitation Changes on Floodplain Sedimentation in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries (Geul River, The Netherlands)

Stam¹

2002

Flood and Megaflood Processes and Deposits

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“…Many river basins in the world are seriously affected by heavy metals released into the environment from mining and industrial activities as shown by Wolfenden and Lewin [43]; Swennen et al [44]; Hursthouse et al [45]; Hudson-Edwards et al [46]; and Pirrie et al [47]. Polluted particles are transported and deposited into the floodplains and wetlands, which act as a temporary sink for heavy metal deposition and storage in river basins [48].…”

Section: Active Stream Sedimentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Consequently a succession of layers is deposited over time, as long as no erosion occurs. Furthermore, overbank sediments are considered to give a very good indication of the geochemical signature of catchment areas and the evolution in time as shown in Ottesen et al [58], De Vos et al [59], Macklin et al [60], Macklin and Dowsett [61], Swennen et al [44,51] and Swennen and Van der Sluys [62]. The general philosophy behind sampling overbank sediments is that sediments from the deeper part of the profile can yield information on the geochemistry of the catchment area before human or industrial disturbance took place, while sediments from the near-surface reflect the recent influence of the anthropogenic input [60].…”

Section: Overbank Sedimentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Appropriate sampling strategy and analytical methodology to address contamination by industry: Part 1. Conceptual model of a sampling design and sampling types

Shtiza¹,

Tashko

2009

Open Geosciences

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This paper presents the results of a literature review on the conceptual model of a sampling design and the different types of samples that can be used to characterize the nature and the extent of contamination at a specific site. The main findings stress the importance of sampling for obtaining relevant sample types and subsequent-qualitative results. The proposed sampling design can be used for environmental studies where, the efficient use of time, money, and human resources are very critical. A good quality sampling design should meet the needs of the study with a minimum expenditure of resources.

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“…In regions with intensive rural activities the soil quality is often under pressure. The concentration of heavy metals, pesticides or nutrients may increase by soil erosion to values that are too high for drinking water consumption (Leenaers, 1989;Swennen et al, 1994;Wolfert, 2001).…”

Section: Concepts Of Dynamic Equilibrium Of Interest For River Managementioning

confidence: 99%

Catastrophic flood effects in alpine/foothill fluvial system (a case study from the Sudetes Mts, SW Poland)

Zieliński

2003

Geomorphology

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Heavy metal contamination in overbank sediments of the Geul river (East Belgium): Its relation to former Pb-Zn mining activities

Cited by 94 publications

References 14 publications

Effects of Land‐Use and Precipitation Changes on Floodplain Sedimentation in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries (Geul River, The Netherlands)

Effects of Land‐Use and Precipitation Changes on Floodplain Sedimentation in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries (Geul River, The Netherlands)

Appropriate sampling strategy and analytical methodology to address contamination by industry: Part 1. Conceptual model of a sampling design and sampling types

Catastrophic flood effects in alpine/foothill fluvial system (a case study from the Sudetes Mts, SW Poland)

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