Characterization of suspended particulate matter in the Moselle River (Lorraine, France): evolution along the course of the river and in different hydrologic regimes

Abstract

International audiencePurposeSuspended particulate matter (SPM) plays an important role in the transport and fate of contaminants in the environment. To better understand the relationships between contaminants and SPM, SPM properties, and their variations with flow regime, river size, land use, and season should be considered.Materials and methodsThe grain size distribution, elemental composition, and mineralogy of SPM from different stations along the Moselle River (Lorraine, France) were investigated at the particle scale during different flow regimes. The resulting data were compared with the elemental composition of the dissolved compartment to understand the role of particles in element transport.Results and discussionThe grain size distribution, elemental composition, and mineralogy of SPM along the Moselle River and during different flow regimes showed only slight variations, except for the Fensch and Orne tributaries, two rivers that were impacted by inherited steel-making industrialization and different land use. In the Moselle River, SPM mainly consisted of clay minerals, while in Fensch and Orne Rivers, SPM mainly consisted of multiple types of anthropogenic particles. The diffuse urbanization gradient was hardly recognized based on the Trace Metal Element (TMEs) content in the river SPM, while the rivers impacted by the steel industries had greater TME contents. Finally, the TME content in the Moselle SPM was more strongly influenced by water flow than by the position of sampling on the linear reach of the Moselle River. The partitioning of TMEs in the particles and water at the main Moselle station (Frouard) revealed that SPM predominantly contributed to TMEs transport.ConclusionsThis study confirmed that catchment geology greatly contributed to the SPM composition in the mean-sized rivers. In addition, the high anthropogenic pressure could be deciphered for small tributaries. Furthermore, this study allowed us to observe the high contribution of particles to TMEs and Rare Earth Element (REEs) transportation. Characterization of suspended particulate matter in the Moselle River (Lorraine, France): evolution along the course of the river and in different hydrologic regimes. Available from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/287807742_Characterization_of_suspended_particulate_matter_in_the_Moselle_River_Lorraine_France_evolution_along_the_course_of_the_river_and_in_different_hydrologic_regimes [accessed Jan 15, 2016]

Iron mineralogy as a fingerprint of former steelmaking activities in river sediments

“…Indeed, the contents of light REEs were anticorrelated to Fe, Zn and Pb (SM 4). In addition, the high Si and Ca contents in the first unit were assigned to the erosion of argillaceous surface layers of the Woëvre region (Figure 1 a), and the detrital crystalline minerals (quartz and calcite) were shown to be commonly transported in the Moselle River and its tributaries (Le Meur et al, 2016;Montargès-Pelletier et al, 2007). In the deeper sediments (inferior to 11 cm), the contribution of detrital elements, minerals and diatom skeletons could still be evidenced, but significantly less than the first unit; therefore, indicating the combined contributions of natural SPM and steelmaking wastes in the deposited materials.…”

Suspended Materials in River Waters Differentially Enrich Class 1 Integron- and IncP-1 Plasmid-Carrying Bacteria in Sediments

“…In the studied case, most of the samples were collected in the middle or late stages of flood events (see Supplementary Figure 1 ), thus it can be considered that the origin of SMs sampled in the water column was predominated by particles resulting from soil leaching. In the Orne watershed, 67% of the surface is dedicated to agriculture, enhancing the generation of suspended particles during rain events ( Le Meur et al, 2016 ). Thus, although we cannot fully demonstrate the absence of sediment remobilization, its contribution is considered to be minor in such water discharge conditions.…”

“…Fifteen pairs of river raw water and SM samples were collected along the last 23 km of the Orne River and over an 11-month period from November 2014 to October 2015 (four pairs on 2014/11/04, three pairs on 2015/02/02, two pairs on 2015/02/03, three pairs on 2015/05/05, and three pairs on 2015/10/06). As previously described ( Le Meur et al, 2016 ), the river water was pumped and sent to a continuous flow field CEPA Z-41 centrifuge (20,000 RPM, equivalent to 17,000 × g , with a 600 L/h flow rate), which was used to collect a representative SM-enriched fraction from [ ca .] 1–2 m 3 of raw water.…”

Out of the blue: the independent activity of sulfur-oxidizers and diatoms mediate the sudden color shift of a tropical river

“…Lithogenic silica (coming from the weathering of minerals such as clays, silts and sand) can also represent a large fraction of the total silicon in rivers (Huang et al ., 2019). The particle size from such processes is however in the micrometer scale (Kravchishina et al ., 2011; Le Meur et al ., 2016), much larger than the particles detected here (Castellón et al ., 2013). Additionally, Río Buenavista was transparent and devoid of apparent particulate material.…”