The study focused on tracing where the sediment in a river comes from, which is important for understanding erosion. Researchers used a method called 'fingerprinting' to identify different sources of sediment in the River Culm in Devon, UK. By analyzing nine different properties of the sediment, they found that material from cultivated and pasture areas, as well as eroded channel banks, were the main sources. They also discovered that the contributions of these sources changed during different floods, depending on factors like where the water came from and how long it traveled. This method has limitations but shows promise for tracking sediment sources in large river basins.