Investigation of Correlation Between Suspended Sediment Discharge and Activity Concentration of Natural Radionuclides in Langat River Basin

Wei-Koon Lee, Tuan Resdi Asmaa Tuan

Abstract


Investigation of the correlation between natural radionuclide activity concentrations (RC) in river sediment and suspended sediment discharge (SD) is carried out for Langat river basin over a period of 4 years. Three river stations with suspended sediment discharge rate derived from validated sediment rating equation are paired with three radionuclide observation stations by geographical proximity. Long-term correlation of the quarterly RC observation with maximum SD is generally poor. However, for specific time window, the data trend correlation ranges from moderate to good, indicative of the influence of SD on the transport process of NORM within the river basin. Examination of the seasonal variation shows that Station 2 exhibits good correlation of RC and SD in the months of March and August/September, corresponding to the pre-storm seasons, with R2 value as high as 0.9799. Despite the limitation of the undated RC observation and the use of hindcasted SD data, the present study shows the increase of radionuclide activity concentration of Ra-226, Ra-228 and K-40 in river sediment can be associated with the suspended sediment discharge rate and hence, the river streamflow especially during the pre-storm season.

Keywords


Correlation, Langat river, natural radionuclides, NORM, suspended sediment

Full Text:

PDF

References


R. L. Kathren, “NORM Sources and Their Origins,” Appl. Radiat. Isot., vol. 49, pp 149-168,1997.

A.C. Arriola-Velásquez, A.Tejera, J.G. Guerra, W. Geibert, I. Stimac, F. Cámara, H. Alonso, J.G. Rubiano, P.Martel, “226Ra, 228Ra and

K as tracers of erosion and accumulation processes: A 3-year study on a beach with different sediment dynamics”, Catena, Vol. 207, 105705, 2021.

T. E. Myrick, B. A. Berven and F. F. Haywood, “Determination of concentrations of selected radionuclides in surface soil in the U.S.,” Health Phys., vol. 45, pp 631-642, 1983.

J. García-Comendador, N. Martínez-Carreras, J. Fortesa, J. Company, A. Borràs, J. Estrany, “Combining sediment fingerprinting and hydro-sedimentary monitoring to assess suspended sediment provenance in a mid-mountainous Mediterranean catchment,” J. Environ. Manag., vol. 299, 113593, 2021.

N.A. Majid, R. Rainis and A. F. Mohamed, “Spatial analysis of development pressure in the Langat Basin, Selangor, Malaysia, “ IOP Conf. Series: Earth and Environ. Sci., vol. 169, 012016, 2018.

R. Elfithri, M. Mokhtar, M. P. Abdullah and M. E. Toriman, “Restoring and Managing Langat River Basin, Malaysia: Challenges for a Sustainable Future,” Int. J. Env. and Sustainability, vol. 6(4), pp. 1-10, 2017.

S.H. Mohd Yusoff, F. Mohamad Hamzah, O. Jaafar, H. Tajudin, “Long Term Trend Analysis of Upstream and Middle-Stream River in Langat Basin, Selangor, Malaysia,” Sains Malaysiana, vol. 50(3), pp. 629-644, 2021.

N.F. Yusof, T. Lihan, W.M.R. Idris, Z. Ali Rahman, M.A. Mustapha, M.A.W. Yusof, “Spatially distributed soil losses and sediment yield: A

case study of Langat watershed, Selangor, Malaysia,” J. Asian Earth Sci., vol. 212, 104742, 2021.

T. A. Tuan Resdi, W. K. Lee and Z. U. Wan Mahmood, “Correlation of Natural Radioactivity in Surface Soil and River Sediment along the Middle Reach of Langat River,” IOP Conf. Series: Earth & Env. Sci., 498, 012071, 2020.

T. A. Tuan Resdi, W. K. Lee and Z. U. Wan Mahmood, “Correlation of Natural Radionuclides (Ra-226, Ra-228 and K-40) in catchment soil and river sediment from Middle Langat River Basin,” IOP Conf. Series: Earth & Env. Sci., 685, 012006, 2021.

R. Zainal Abidin, M.S. Sulaiman and N. Yusoff, “Erosion risk assessment: A case study of the Langat River bank in Malaysia,” Int. Soil and Water Conserv. Res., 5(1), pp. 26-35, 2017.

W.K. Lee, T.A. Tuan Resdi, and J. Asfar, “Analysis of Sediment Rating Curve and Sediment Load for Langat River Basin,” The Journal of Sustainability Science and Management (in press).

Drainage and Irrigation Department (DID) Malaysia, “Review of the National Water Resources Study (2000-2050) and Formulation of National Water Resources Policy,” 2011.




DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.33021/icsecc.v1i1.4158

Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.


President University Press

Lembaga Riset dan Pengabdian Masyarakat

President University

Jalan Ki Hajar Dewantara, Mekarmukti, Bekasi

Jawa Barat, Indonesia 17530