Transport of Trace Elements and Semi-volatile Organic Compounds in Fluvial Sediments of the Lower Flint River (Georgia) and Apalachicola River (Georgia,Florida, Alabama) Basins During Tropical Storm Alberto, July 1994
Author(s)
Buell, Gary R.
Advisor(s)
Editor(s)
Hatcher, Kathryn J.
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Abstract
August and November of 1992, 19
main-channel, tributary, reservoir, and floodplain= sites in
the Flint and Apalachicola River basins were sampled as
part of an occurrence and distribution survey for
trace-element and organic contaminants in fluvial
sediments. Extreme flooding in much of the lower Flint
River basin resulted from Tropical Storm Alberto (July
1994) and moved large quantities of soil and sediment in the
lower Flint River basin; and to a lesser extent, in the
Apalachicola River basin. Thus, the Alberto flooding
provided an opportunity to re-examine spatial patterns in
these data. All but five of the sites sampled in 1992 were
re-sampled in August 1994; additionally, four new sites in
the lower Flint River drainage were sampled. The most distinctive post-flood difference was the
marked decrease in the concentration of fine sediments in
the stream channels—an observation consistent both with
the transport and deposition of sand-sized material in the
stream channels and with the discharge of fine-sized
material from the basin. The larger post-flood median-TOC
concentrations suggest that substantial quantities of
organic-rich fine sediments were transported out of wetland
floodplain areas. Antimony, Cr, Cd, and Hg were diluted by
the flood and Pb was enriched, but most of the trace
elements measured in this study had post-flood
concentrations that were similar to their pre-flood
concentrations. The mixed spatial and temporal pattern in
the streambed concentrations of trace elements in sediments
is an indication that a large, but variable, portion of the
trace-element loading to the lower Flint River basin derives
from atmospheric deposition. In general, the largest mean
concentrations of trace elements in sediment are for the
trace elements with the largest emissions to air. The SVOC data for sediment and air similarly indicate a variety of
sources. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons were detected
three to four times as frequently at main-channel and
reservoir sites than at tributary sites suggesting a
predominance of point-source industrial inputs. Detection.
Sponsor
Sponsored and Organized by: U.S. Geological Survey, Georgia Department of Natural Resources, The University of Georgia, Georgia State University, Georgia Institute of Technology
Date
1997-03
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Resource Type
Text
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Proceedings