Sediment Geochemistry from Two UK Reservoir Cores After 2018 Wildfire

Two sediment short cores were collected from Higher Swineshaw and Cowbury Dale reservoirs in Stalybridge Tameside, Manchester, UK, following a severe moorland wildfire in July 2018. The dataset contains geochemistry, loss-on-ignition, and median particle size data sampled at 2.5 mm intervals from the deepest parts of the reservoirs. The work was supported by the Natural Environment Research Council grant NE/S011560/1.

Use Cases

• Analyze sediment geochemistry changes to assess post-wildfire contamination transport into reservoirs.
• Correlate loss-on-ignition data with sediment particle size to infer organic matter deposition patterns.
• Model wildfire impact on reservoir sedimentation using geochemistry profiles from two distinct catchment cores.

Strengths

• Data is sampled at a high-resolution 2.5 mm interval within each core.
• Covers two distinct reservoir catchments affected by the same 2018 wildfire event.
• Includes multiple analytical measures: geochemistry, loss-on-ignition, and median particle size.

Limitations

• Dataset scope is limited to only two cores, restricting statistical power for broad generalizations.
• Temporal coverage is a single snapshot from 2018, lacking pre-fire baseline or long-term recovery data.
• Sample data and column definitions are unavailable, complicating initial data exploration.

Provenance

Source

Environmental Information Data Centre

Collection Method

Cores collected via gravity coring from the deepest part of each reservoir and sampled at 2.5 mm intervals.

Time Range

2018

Freshness

Data last updated in March 2026, but core collection and primary analysis date from 2018.

Geography

Higher Swineshaw and Cowbury Dale reservoirs, Stalybridge Tameside, Manchester, United Kingdom.