Sediment budget of a Maumee River headwater tributary: How streambank erosion, streambed-sediment storage, and streambed-sediment source inform our understanding of legacy phosphorus
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Abstract
Objective
We described source and phosphorus (P) retention potential of soft, fine-grained, streambed sediment and associated phosphorus (sed-P) during summer low-flow conditions. Combining in-channel, sed-P storage with relative age provided context on relevance to western Lake Erie Basin management goals.
Methods
In 2019, rapid geomorphic assessment (30 reaches) compared streambed-sediment storage (S) to streambank erosion (E), providing annual sediment budgets (S:E). Streambed sediment (13 reaches) was fingerprinted and analyzed for sed-P. The P saturation ratio (PSR; four reaches) quantified potential sorption/desorption of dissolved P (DP) between the water column and streambed sediment. Analyses were supplemented with data from 2017 and 2021. The ratio of two fallout radionuclides, beryllium-7 (54-day half-life) and excess lead-210 (22.3 years), apportioned “new” sediment based on time since rainfall contact.
Results
Streambed sediment was mostly streambank (54–96%) for contributing areas > 2.7 km2; for upstream reaches, a larger percentage was apportioned as upland (cropland, pasture, forest, and road), with < 30% streambank. Streambank erosion correlated with contributing area; however, soil type (ecoregion), stream characteristics, and land use combined to drive streambed-sediment storage. Individual-reach S:E (accumulation of 0.01–35 years of streambank erosion) differentiated erosional and depositional in-channel environments. Most reaches indicated that 17–57% of sediment had recent contact with rainfall. Streambed-sediment PSR indicated a low potential for further sorption of DP from the water column; one reach was a P source when sampled.
Conclusion
Sed-P was higher in streambed sediment than in source samples, which varied by land use and ecoregion. This indicates homogenization resulting from in-stream sorption of DP during sediment transport that occurs over multiple events.
Study Area
Publication type | Article |
---|---|
Publication Subtype | Journal Article |
Title | Sediment budget of a Maumee River headwater tributary: How streambank erosion, streambed-sediment storage, and streambed-sediment source inform our understanding of legacy phosphorus |
Series title | Journal of Soils and Sediments |
DOI | 10.1007/s11368-023-03713-6 |
Volume | 24 |
Year Published | 2024 |
Language | English |
Publisher | Springer |
Contributing office(s) | Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Water Science Center |
Description | 17 p. |
First page | 1447 |
Last page | 1463 |
Country | United States |
State | Indiana, Ohio |
Other Geospatial | Maumee River |
Google Analytic Metrics | Metrics page |