Geochemical Fingerprinting - Application of Geochemical Tracers to Fluvial Sediment - page 32

Fig. 2.6 Comparison of relative contributions of sediment estimated using a Monte Carlo approach
(frequency diagrams) versus using only source means for wetland core samples collected within
the Mkabela Basin, South Africa. Red arrows represent average contribution derived using only
source means. In general, results are similar for these data, but the Monte Carlo method allows for
an assessment of result uncertainty
generally comparable. The primary difference is, of course, that uncertainty can be
accessed using the Monte Carlo method.
2.4 Applications
Thus far we have focused on the methods of using geochemical fingerprinting to
determine the provenance of river sediments, and the assumptions and uncertain-
ties inherent in the produced results. We will now examine a few individual studies
in more detail. The review is not intended to be exhaustive of the wide range of
investigations that have utilized geochemical fingerprinting, but rather to provide an
overview of some the types of problems that may be addressed using the fingerprint-
ing approach.
A number of early geochemical fingerprinting studies were aimed at deter-
mining the source of contemporary sediments in rivers by sampling suspended