Date of Award
Spring 6-14-2025
Document Type
Undergraduate Honors Thesis
Degree Name
B.A. in Environmental Science
Organizational Unit
College of Natural Science and Mathematics, Geography and the Environment
First Advisor
Eric Boschmann
Second Advisor
Helen Hazen
Third Advisor
Michael Keables
Fourth Advisor
Michael Ketterer
Copyright Statement / License for Reuse
All Rights Reserved.
Keywords
Sedimentation, Fluvial processes, Suspended sediments, Anthropogenic pollution, Sediment tracing, Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICPMS), Kansas, Urbanization, Erosion
Abstract
This exploratory study investigates whether bulk elemental analysis of sediment samples using inductively coupled mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) can reveal chemical signatures that identify anthropogenic contributions to sedimentation and increased fluvial suspended sediment loads, and whether these contribution sources can be identified. Human activity, urbanization, and changes in land use increase erosion, resulting in higher-than-natural suspended sediments (SS) in waterways and increasing sedimentation in reservoirs across the state of Kansas. These threats to freshwater storage capacity are especially urgent given the projected rise in freshwater demand in the Great Plains region driven by climate change. Understanding the origin of anthropogenic SS loads allows for implementation of more effective mitigation strategies. Therefore, several SS tracing methods have been developed, including “sediment fingerprinting” (using distinct chemical tracers to source SS); the basis of this study.
ICP-MS was used to determine the elemental constituents and concentrations of unknown soil samples across Johnson County, Kansas. These samples were sourced from road dust, construction site soil, vegetated areas, streambanks, and in-stream sediment traps from watersheds with urban land cover ranging from 15% to 90%. The ICP-MS analysis was performed blind using internal standard normalization, mass scaling, and certified reference materials to quantify elemental concentrations. Elevated levels of elements such as tungsten (W), cadmium (Cd), zinc (Zn), and lead (Pb) were found in road dust samples, while elements like aluminum (Al) and rubidium (Rb) were depleted, indicating distinct anthropogenic fingerprints compared to other sediment sources. The observed concentration patterns provide insight into suspended sediment origin, especially in the case of road-runoff, without the use of statistical modelling. The distinct characteristic patterns from this study can be used in future modeling and statistical analysis to assist in the apportionment of sediment sources, support tailored mitigation efforts and targeted best management practices (BMPs), and ultimately help to reduce source sediment pollution and preserve freshwater storage capacity in the region.
Copyright Date
5-4-2025
Publication Statement
Copyright is held by the author. User is responsible for all copyright compliance.
Rights Holder
Kiena Campbell
Provenance
Received from author
File Format
application/pdf
Language
English (eng)
Extent
46 pgs
File Size
5.7 MB
Recommended Citation
Campbell, Kiena, "Elemental Analysis of Sediments in Johnson County, Kansas: Applications in Fluvial Suspended Sediment Tracing" (2025). Undergraduate Theses, Capstones, and Recitals. 55.
https://digitalcommons.du.edu/undergraduate_theses/55
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