SEDIMENT TRAPPING AND TRACE METAL ENRICHMENT IN FLUVIAL SCULPTED FORMS OF A BEDROCK RIVER (MIÑO RIVER, OURENSE, NW IBERIAN PENINSULA)

Miguel Ángel Álvarez-Vázquez; Andrian Bróż

doi:10.32435/xi.ibesymp.1

Authors

Miguel Ángel Álvarez-Vázquez Universidade de Vigo, Departamento de Historia Arte e Xeografía, 32004, Ourense, Spain https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4446-3499
Andrian Bróż Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas (IIM-CSIC), 36208, Vigo, Spain; Uniwersytet Warszawski, Warszawa, Poland https://orcid.org/0009-0003-5189-3179

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.32435/xi.ibesymp.1

Keywords:

Bedrock river, Trace elements, Sedimentation microenvironments, Miño River, Urban river

Abstract

This study focuses on sediment composition and trace metal accumulation in the Miño/Minho River, with an emphasis on bedrock rivers. The research employs robust non-parametric statistics to analyze sediment composition in three distinct deposition microenvironments: (i) surface sediments trapped in rock cavities, (ii) permanent sediment trapped in a pothole, and (iii) untrapped river sediment. Robust regression is used for reference level estimation. Enrichment assessment through local enrichment factors reveals Cu and Pb accumulation in rock cavities, potentially linked to post-depositional processes influenced by seasonal water dynamics. The study highlights the effectiveness of robust statistics for sediment data analysis and identifies rock cavities as significant traps for trace elements, possibly of anthropogenic origin, in urban river settings. However, the study acknowledges the necessity of further research to comprehensively understand the intricate processes shaping sediment composition in bedrock rivers, considering the multifaceted physical, chemical, and biological factors at play.

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Author Biographies

Miguel Ángel Álvarez-Vázquez, Universidade de Vigo, Departamento de Historia Arte e Xeografía, 32004, Ourense, Spain

Área de Xeografía Física, Grupo GEAAT, Departamento de Historia Arte e Xeografía, Universidade de Vigo, 32004, Ourense, Spain.

Andrian Bróż, Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas (IIM-CSIC), 36208, Vigo, Spain; Uniwersytet Warszawski, Warszawa, Poland

Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas (IIM-CSIC), 36208 Vigo, Spain; Wydział Geografii i Studiów Regionalnych, Uniwersytet Warszawski, 00-927 Warszawa, Poland.

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