Uncertainty-based assessment of tracer selection, tracer non-conservativeness and multiple solutions in sediment fingerprinting using synthetic and field data

Use of spatially distributed time-integrated sediment sampling networks and distributed fine sediment modelling to inform catchment management

“…Additionally, passive samplers are routinely used as the collection vessel for sediment finger-printing investigations (e.g. Lamba et al, 2015;Sherriff et al, 2015). However uptake for the explicit role of detecting temporal and spatial variation in exposure to particulate pollutants is not yet widespread, despite increasing popularity (Ankers et al, 2003;Pulley et al, 2016).…”

Preface—Addressing challenges to advance sediment fingerprinting research

“…The nonconservative behaviour of even a single tracer property included in source un-mixing may result in large changes to predicted source contributions, as was shown by Sherriff et al (2015, this issue) using synthetic data. This effect on source contributions was found to be greatly reduced by increasing the number of tracer properties used for un-mixing.…”

A new method for fingerprinting sediment source contributions using distances from discriminant function analysis

“…To mitigate this effect, Walling et al (2003) suggested including more tracers, which should be independent. That the tracers should be non-contradictory and conservative has been emphasized by other researchers (Belmont et al, 2014;Sherriff et al, 2015;Zhang and Liu, 2016). Brosinsky et al (2014) indicated that aggregating source types increase uncertainty in fingerprinting.…”

“…Various sources of uncertainty, including sampling methods, source discrimination, tracer selection, and mixing models, have been studied in detail (Belmont et al, 2014;Foster, 2000;Koiter et al, 2015;Sherriff et al, 2015;Smith and Blake, 2014). In particular, different mixing models have been investigated and their precisions have been analysed (Haddadchi et al, 2014).…”