Fine sediment-associated contaminants in gravel bed rivers: Evaluating storage times and turnover using fallout radionuclides (FRNs).

Excess fine sediment supply and its associated contaminants can have detrimental effects on water quality and river ecology with sediment deposition on, and subsequent infiltration in, streambeds impacting riverine habitats. Fallout radionuclides (FRNs) are used as tracers in aquatic systems, and the Be/Pb ratio is a useful indicator for sediment residence/storage time. Suspended and submerged mid-channel bar sediments were collected during five surveys within a 5 km reach of a typical temperate lowland agricultural river system.

Temporal trends and identification of the sources of volatile organic compounds in coastal seawater.

Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) in the marine environment are produced by biogenic sources (marine macroalgae, phytoplankton, sediments, etc.) as well from anthropogenic sources. The temporal variation of such VOCs was studied together with their relationship to biological, meteorological and physico-chemical factors.

Analysis of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in sediments using in situ SPME sampling.

A new method of determining the composition of sediment/soil gases and their volatile organic compound (VOC) content is described. VOCs were collected in situ from intertidal sediments in the Menai Strait and surrounding areas. The sampling was performed using a portable sampler comprising a funnel coupled to a SPME fibre.