When we think of pollution in our rivers, lakes, or oceans, we often picture oil slicks or floating plastic bottles. But suspended sediment is an important agent that must not be overlooked. Suspended sediment can act like a vehicle for pollutants, carrying them far from their original source.
Many pollutants—especially heavy metals, pesticides, hydrocarbons, and microplastics—tend to bind to sediment particles. This happens because:
- Sediment has a large surface area, making it a perfect “magnet” for contaminants.
- Many pollutants are hydrophobic, so they prefer to stick to solids rather than dissolve in water.
Once attached, pollutants essentially hitch a ride with the suspended sediment. This means that it is now the suspended sediment dynamics that determine the transport of the pollutant. Understanding suspended sediment dynamics is therefore of great importance when investigating pollutant transport in the aquatic environment.
This entire process can turn sediment into a pollution delivery system. For example:
- Heavy metals like lead or mercury can be transported from industrial sites to wetlands or estuaries where they typically deposit, potentially impacting the flora and fauna.
- Pesticides and nutrients from fertilizers used on farmland can end up in drinking water sources.
- Microplastics can bind to organic-rich sediment and accumulate in aquatic food webs.
The pollutants can also be re-released into the water when sediment is disturbed—by storms, currents, dredging, or sometimes even by fish activity.
Because of this dynamic, suspended sediment plays a critical role in water quality monitoring. Scientists and environmental agencies often study, monitor and/or test sediment to:
- Track and understand pollution source
- Assess and improve ecosystem health
- Design better land-use and erosion control practices.
Basically, better understanding of sediment transport helps us to predict where pollutants will go, and how to prevent them from causing harm. Smaller particles settle more slowly and travel farther, but flocculation can change this behavior. That is why measuring particle size and studying their dynamics is crucial.
All the LISSTs below can help with that, depending on what kind of environment you’re operating in!
Get in touch with us to discuss!
Read also our trace metal sampling article related to this topic!
| Instrument | Marine Environment | Freshwater Environment | Some interesting links |
|---|---|---|---|
| LISST-200X |  | | Particle size studies Suspended Sediment Studies |
| LISST-Holo2 | | | Links |
| LISST-RTSSV | |  | Links |
| LISST-Tau | | | - |
| LISST-Deep | | | Links |
| LISST-Glider | | | Links |
| LISST-SL2 |  | | Links |
| LISST-ABS | | | Links |
| LISST-AOBS | | | Links |