Luminescence holds unique potential as a sediment tracer and provenance method. The tracer application of luminescence has key advantages including ease of measurement, relatively low cost, and applicability to geologically ubiquitous quartz and feldspar sand and silt. These advantages can help answer fundamental questions about geomorphology, sediment transport, sediment production, and the tectonic/climatic controls on source‐to‐sink sedimentary systems. There is a notable body of research on luminescence as a sediment tracer. These tracer methods range from identifying source locations based on unique luminescence characteristics, to observing changes in luminescence characteristics with transport, to using residual luminescence to infer rates of transport. Previous applications of luminescence include provenance and quantification of fluvial transport rate, tracing of coastal longshore drift, estimations of mixing rates in soil or sediment, and provenance of wind‐blown deposits. The few studies that compare luminescence methods with nonluminescence tracer methods show good agreement. However, more work is needed to test the application of luminescence tracers in sediments. Future research directions should focus on comparing luminescence‐based with nonluminescence tracer methods. Furthermore, research is needed on the effects of specific geomorphic processes on luminescence characteristics and residual doses. While there is significant potential for future research, luminescence is already a useful sediment tracer and provenance tool applicable to a wide range of geomorphic environments. Plain Language Summary We live on a surface that is constantly changing. These changes occur as sediment is moved around by various forces in the environment. We want to be better able to predict sediment movement so we can minimize its negative effects. Examples of these negative effects include erosion of soil on farms, filling of reservoirs we use for water with sediment, and pollution of sediment in waterways and ecosystems. To get better at predicting negative effects, we need to know how fast sediment moves and where it comes from. Some techniques scientists use to answer these questions include using unique properties of sand grains to track their movement. However, there is not a technique that works for every environment, so we have to develop new techniques to expand our capability. In this paper, we review the use of luminescence, a property that changes in sunlight, to track the movements of sediment. Luminescence is not commonly used as a sediment tracker but shows lots of potential. We outline the past uses of luminescence as a sediment tracker and describe the future research that is needed to improve its use as a tool for scientists.

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发光作为沉积物示踪剂和来源工具

发光作为沉积物示踪剂和来源方法具有独特的潜力。发光示踪剂应用具有关键优势，包括易于测量、成本相对较低以及适用于地质普遍存在的石英和长石砂和粉砂。这些优势可以帮助回答有关地貌、沉积物输移、沉积物生产以及源-汇沉积系统的构造/气候控制等基本问题。有大量关于发光作为沉积物示踪剂的研究。这些示踪方法的范围从基于独特的发光特性识别源位置到观察发光特性随传输的变化，再到使用残余发光来推断传输速率。以前发光的应用包括河流传输速率的来源和量化、沿海沿岸漂移的追踪、土壤或沉积物混合速率的估计以及风吹沉积物的来源。将发光方法与非发光示踪剂方法进行比较的少数研究显示出良好的一致性。然而，还需要做更多的工作来测试发光示踪剂在沉积物中的应用。未来的研究方向应侧重于比较基于发光和非发光示踪方法。此外，需要研究特定地貌过程对发光特性和残留剂量的影响。虽然未来研究具有巨大潜力，但发光已经是一种有用的沉积物示踪剂和来源工具，适用于广泛的地貌环境。简明语言总结 我们生活在一个不断变化的表面上。当沉积物被环境中的各种力量移动时，就会发生这些变化。我们希望能够更好地预测沉积物运动，从而最大限度地减少其负面影响。这些负面影响的例子包括农场土壤侵蚀、我们用水的水库被沉积物填满，以及水道和生态系统中的沉积物污染。为了更好地预测负面影响，我们需要知道沉积物移动的速度和来源。科学家用来回答这些问题的一些技术包括使用沙粒的独特特性来跟踪它们的运动。然而，没有一种技术适用于所有环境，因此我们必须开发新技术来扩展我们的能力。在本文中，我们回顾了发光的使用，一种在阳光下发生变化的属性，用于跟踪沉积物的运动。发光不常用作沉积物追踪器，但显示出很大的潜力。我们概述了发光作为沉积物追踪器的过去用途，并描述了未来需要改进其作为科学家工具的用途的研究。