University of Tehran Press Iranian Journal of Soil and Water Research 2008-479X 56 1 2025 03 21 The efficiency of weathering indices and geochemical elements in sub_basin spatial sediment sources fingerprinting (case study: Alvand watershed, Kermanshah province) The efficiency of weathering indices and geochemical elements in sub_basin spatial sediment sources fingerprinting (case study: Alvand watershed, Kermanshah province) 1 16 101485 10.22059/ijswr.2024.378696.669743 FA Parvin Roshanneko Department of Physical Geography, Faculty of Earth Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran 0009-0000-2172-1833 Kazem Nosrati Department of Physical Geography, Faculty of Earth Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran 0000-0001-8124-5445 Reza Dehbandi Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Science and Technology of Mazandaran, Behshahr , Iran 0000-0001-5575-4713 Journal Article 2024 06 30 Erosion caused by water and sediment transport in watersheds leads to on-site and off-site effects that can cause significant damage to lands and infrastructure. Understanding the source of sediment yield in river systems is essential for effective watershed management. A key challenge in sediment source fingerprinting is the use of appropriate tracers. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of weathering indicators and geochemical elements in detrmining the contribution of sub-basin sediment sources in Alvand watershed by using a Bayesian sediment fingerprinting model. First, 27 samples were taken from the outlest of three sub-basins as sediment sources and 9 samples were taken from the outlet of the main basin as sediment target. 9 geochemical elements (Al-Ca-Fe-K-Na-Mg-Si-Ti-P) were measured for the predominant particle size farction (<125 µ) and 42 weathering indices were calculate based on the geochemical elements in sediment source samples and target sediment samples. Using Kruskal-Wallis test and discriminant function analysis three geochemical elements (Na, Mg, Si) and three weathering indices (CPA, ALK, R) were selected as compsite fingerprints. The sediment source apportionment technique was prepared based on the Bayesian model, and the percentage contribution of each sediment source was determined. For the three sediment sources in the Alvand watershed, namely Basin 1 (Ghaleh Shahin), Basin 2 (Patagh), and Basin 3 (Rijab), the estimated percentages were 97.7%, 0.8%, and 1.1%, respectively. The Ghaleh Shahin sub-basin was identified as the dominant sediment source. The results showed that a combination of weathering indicators and geochemical elements can create an appropriate combination of tracers to be used in sediment provenance. Erosion caused by water and sediment transport in watersheds leads to on-site and off-site effects that can cause significant damage to lands and infrastructure. Understanding the source of sediment yield in river systems is essential for effective watershed management. A key challenge in sediment source fingerprinting is the use of appropriate tracers. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of weathering indicators and geochemical elements in detrmining the contribution of sub-basin sediment sources in Alvand watershed by using a Bayesian sediment fingerprinting model. First, 27 samples were taken from the outlest of three sub-basins as sediment sources and 9 samples were taken from the outlet of the main basin as sediment target. 9 geochemical elements (Al-Ca-Fe-K-Na-Mg-Si-Ti-P) were measured for the predominant particle size farction (<125 µ) and 42 weathering indices were calculate based on the geochemical elements in sediment source samples and target sediment samples. Using Kruskal-Wallis test and discriminant function analysis three geochemical elements (Na, Mg, Si) and three weathering indices (CPA, ALK, R) were selected as compsite fingerprints. The sediment source apportionment technique was prepared based on the Bayesian model, and the percentage contribution of each sediment source was determined. For the three sediment sources in the Alvand watershed, namely Basin 1 (Ghaleh Shahin), Basin 2 (Patagh), and Basin 3 (Rijab), the estimated percentages were 97.7%, 0.8%, and 1.1%, respectively. The Ghaleh Shahin sub-basin was identified as the dominant sediment source. The results showed that a combination of weathering indicators and geochemical elements can create an appropriate combination of tracers to be used in sediment provenance. https://ijswr.ut.ac.ir/article_101485_a2ec2a17cffa0bcb8f676780d1d08910.pdf