A review of studies on catchment sediment sources discrimination with fingerprinting techniques

Sediment sources discrimination with fingerprinting procedures has been established as a novel technique in investigating catchment soil erosion and sediment redistribution. Within-catchment potential sediment sources were initially identified and classified according to catchment-specific soil erosion and sediment redistribution characteristics, sediment fingerprints with source-specific diagnostic ability were then selected and analyzed according to the previously determined source types, and the relative contributions of potential sediment sources to sediment yield at the catchment outlet can be quantitatively differentiated by establishing the fingerprint link between mixed sediment samples and source materials.Furthermore, combined with suspended or deposited sediment flux monitoring, sediment load at catchment outlet contributed by specific sediment source type can be quantitatively determined and the spatiotemporal variance of soil erosion and sediment export in a catchment can be explicitly understood.The present paper reviewed the theoretical basis of the fingerprinting technique and implementing framework of fingerprinting procedures, potential sediment source types, categories, distribution patternand diagnostic ability of sediment fingerprints, and development of composite finger printing. Finally,limitations and prospects associated with sediment fingerprinting were analyzed and discussed.