Transport of dissolved and particulate arsenic in the Orbiel River during minor flood events downstream the historic Salsigne gold mining district, Southern France
, with enrichment factors up to 29 relative to the local geochemical background. Although these recurring, low-intensity floods did not generate strong As concentration peaks, the total As load (i.e., the sum of dissolved and particulate As) transported during the quick-flow phases of individual flood events ranged from 7.5 to 93.2 kg at the catchment outlet, reaching up to 3.9 times that measured during a 50-day low-flow summer period (24 kg). These results demonstrate that recurring minor floods, which occur several times each year, substantially contribute to As export from the Orbiel River catchment despite their moderate magnitude. These findings highlight the need to account for frequent low-intensity floods in contaminant transport assessments and management of legacy mining areas under climate change.
Authors
- Aurélien Domeau
- Eléonore Resongles (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8542-8433)
- Corinne Casiot (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3318-5876)
- Jérôme Viers (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3974-5993)
- Rémi Freydier (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6250-0391)
- Eva Schreck (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5053-8595)
- Pierre Horgue (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2358-8113)
- Lali Carrière
- Marie Heydon (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9822-3189)
- Pierre Marchand (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5225-3021)
- Philippe Behra
- Hélène Roux
Institutions
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (FR)
- Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (FR)
- Université Fédérale de Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées (FR)
- Université de Montpellier (FR)
- Institut National Polytechnique de Toulouse (FR)
- Institut National de Recherche pour l'Agriculture, l'Alimentation et l'Environnement (FR)
- Institut de Mécanique des Fluides de Toulouse (FR)
- Laboratoire de Chimie Agro-Industrielle (FR)
- Géosciences Environnement Toulouse (FR)
- Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (FR)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Journal of Contaminant Hydrology
- Published
- 2026-04-17
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jconhyd.2026.104955
- Citations
- 1
- Primary Topic
- Mine drainage and remediation techniques
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 13.15
Funders
- Région Occitanie Pyrénées-Méditerranée