Geochemical Sediment Fingerprinting Using a Multivariate Composite Model in the Baghan Watershed

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Soil and water Research Department, Bushehr Agricultural and Natural Resources Research and Education Center, Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization (AREEO), Bushehr, Iran.

2 Associate Prof., Soil Science Department, Faculty of Agriculture University of Shahrekordm,iran

3 Department of Soil Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Shahrekord University. Shahrekord. Iran

4 Soil and water Research Department, Bushehr Agricultural and Natural Resources Research and Education Center, Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization (AREEO), Bushehr, Iran

Abstract

Mismanagement of soil and land resources for meeting food demands has led to increased sediment load and exacerbated environmental issues in watershed areas. The Baghban Watershed, covering an area of 929 km², is located in the arid and warm climate of Bushehr Province, Iran. In recent years, agricultural expansion, the establishment of the Fajr Jam gas refinery, population growth, and industrial development have exerted growing pressure on the region’s soil and water resources. This study aimed to identify sediment sources in the watershed using the sediment fingerprinting method. For this purpose, 120 potential sediment source sites were selected using the Latin hypercube sampling method, and 30 sediment samples were collected from stream confluences and sub-watershed outlets. Source samples included 63 from rangelands, 33 from agricultural lands (rainfed and irrigated), and 24 from orchards, taken from 0–20 cm soil depth. Geochemical data analysis revealed that only five tracers met the criteria for discriminant function analysis, with lead (Pb) being the most effective tracer. The first discriminant function accounted for 71.84% of the total variance. Results of the multivariate composite model showed that rangelands were the dominant sediment source (34%), followed by orchards, rainfed, and irrigated agricultural lands. This was attributed to steep slopes, highly erodible geological formations, and overgrazing. The model yielded an average relative error of 10.5% and an efficiency coefficient of 0.88, indicating a high level of accuracy and reliability in estimating the relative contributions of sediment sources in the Baghban watershed.

Keywords

Main Subjects

Background and Aim:

Human mismanagement in the exploitation of land and soil resources to meet growing food demands has led to increased sediment loads and numerous on- and off-site issues in watershed areas. The Baghan watershed, covering an area of 929 km² and located in the coastal region of Bushehr Province, Iran, has a hot and arid climate. Agricultural development, the establishment of the Fajr Jam gas refinery, population growth due to migration, and industrial expansion have intensified the exploitation of the watershed’s soil and water resources. This study aimed to identify the sources of sediments transported within the Baghan watershed using the sediment fingerprinting technique.

Methodology:

To achieve this objective, 120 potential sediment source points were selected using Latin Hypercube Sampling, and 30 sediment samples were collected from the confluences of channels and the main stream during field surveys. Composite sampling included 63 samples from rangelands, 33 from agricultural lands (rainfed and irrigated), and 24 from orchards, taken from 0–20 cm soil depth. Chemical analyses were conducted using standard laboratory methods. Sediment source differentiation was performed using chemical tracers, including organic carbon (OC), total nitrogen (TN), available phosphorus (P), and total concentrations of Fe, Zn, Cu, Mn, Pb, Ni, and Cd, along with element ratios such as Fe/Mn, Fe/P, and Pb/Ni. A multivariate composite model was employed to quantify the relative contributions of each sediment source.

Findings:

Results from the composite multivariate model based on geochemical tracers indicated that, among the land use types, rangelands were the dominant source of sediment, followed by orchards, rainfed, and irrigated agriculture. Rangelands contributed the highest proportion (34%) of sediment sources in the watershed.

Conclusion:

The high sediment contribution from rangelands is attributed to their extensive area, steep slopes, fragile geological formations, and overgrazing. These findings highlight the importance of managing rangeland use to reduce sediment production and support sustainable watershed management in arid regions.

Author Contributions.

 

Conceptualization, S. D and M. N.; methodology, A. K and S. D.; software, S. D and validation, S. D and M.D; formal analysis, S. D and investigation, S. D and M. N.; resources, S. D and; data curation, S. D and; writing—original draft preparation, S. D and Z. N writing—review and editing, S. D, M. N, A. K and Z. N visualization,  S. D, M. N and A. K.; supervision, M. D.; project administration, S. D. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

Data Availability Statement

The data supporting the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank all participants of the present study for their valuable contributions. Special thanks are extended to the technical staff at the University of Shahrekor for their support during data collection and analysis.

Ethical Considerations

This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of the University of Shahrekor. The authors adhered to ethical research standards and avoided data fabrication, falsification, plagiarism, and other forms of research misconduct.

Conflict of Interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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Iranian Journal of Soil and Water Research
Volume 56, Issue 9
December 2025
Pages 2503-2519

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