Sediment Grain Size and Trace Metal Data from Limpopo River Basin Dams

37 sediment cores from dams across the Limpopo River Basin contain grain size distributions, organic matter content, and trace metal concentrations for Fe, Zn, Cu, Cr, and Pb. The cores were collected by a BIUST team led by Dr. Franchi between July 2018 and April 2021. Data from two oxbow lake cores in Mozambique are also included.

Use Cases

• Analyze trace metal distribution (Fe, Zn, Cu, Cr, Pb) across sediment cores from different dams to assess pollution sources.
• Correlate grain size distributions with organic matter content to understand sediment deposition patterns in the river basin.
• Compare trace metal concentrations in dam sediments versus oxbow lake cores to study environmental differences.
• Map the spatial distribution of sediment geochemistry across dams in Botswana, South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique.

Strengths

• Data from 37 distinct sediment cores provides a multi-location snapshot of the basin.
• Covers a defined time range from July 2018 to April 2021.
• Includes samples from nine named dams and an oxbow lake across four southern African countries.
• Measures multiple geochemical variables: grain size, organic matter, and five trace metals.

Limitations

• Sample size is limited to 37 cores, which may not be sufficient for high-resolution spatial modeling.
• No information on sampling depth intervals or vertical profile data for each core is provided in the input.
• The dataset appears static with no stated update frequency for ongoing monitoring.

Provenance

Source

Environmental Information Data Centre, via the UK Data Service.

Collection Method

Cores collected with a gravity corer using 5 cm diameter PVC pipes by a BIUST team.

Time Range

July 2018 to April 2021

Freshness

Data collection ended in April 2021; metadata was last updated in March 2026.

Geography

Limpopo River Basin, covering dams in Botswana, South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique.