Use of 137Cs and 210Pbex fallout radionuclides for spatial soil erosion and redistribution assessment on steeply sloping agricultural highlands

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (11) ◽  
pp. 2888-2899
Author(s):  
Jung-Hwan Yoon ◽  
Young-Nam Kim ◽  
Kye-Hoon Kim ◽  
M. B. Kirkham ◽  
Hyuck Soo Kim ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soil Erosion ◽  
Fallout Radionuclides

scholarly journals A review of radiometric analysis on soil erosion and deposition studies in Africa

2018 ◽  
Vol 45 (1) ◽  
pp. 10-19 ◽  
Author(s):  
Caroline W. Maina ◽  
Joseph K. Sang ◽  
Benedict M. Mutua ◽  
James M. Raude
Keyword(s):  
Soil Erosion ◽  
Storage Capacity ◽  
Sediment Cores ◽  
Sustainable Use ◽  
Soil Productivity ◽  
Reservoir Sedimentation ◽  
Erosion And Deposition ◽  
Reservoir Storage ◽  
Fallout Radionuclides ◽  
Capacity Loss

Abstract Soil erosion is one of the main soil degradation phenomena that threaten sustainable use of soil productivity thus affecting food security. In addition, it leads to reservoir storage capacity loss because of sedimentation. This not only affects water quantity but also water quality. Worldwide, annual loss in reservoir storage capacity due to sedimentation is 0.5 to 1%. Similarly, about 27% of land in Africa is largely degraded by erosion. As a result, there is need to minimize soil erosion and deposition through site specific estimation of soil erosion and deposition rates in the reservoirs. To achieve this, Fallout RadioNuclides (FRNs) are some of the methods in use. The most common radionuclides include; 137Cs, 210Pb and 7Be. Only few countries in Africa have exploited these FRNs. In these countries, 137Cs has been largely exploited but in some regions, it has been reported to be below minimum detection limit. Using 137Cs and 210Pb, maximum reference inventory in Africa is found to be 1450 and 2602 Bq/m2, respectively. However, there is minimal application of 7Be within the continent. Also, very little has been done in Africa to assess chronology and sedimentation rates of reservoirs using FRNs measured from sediment cores. In conclusion, a gap still exists on FRNs application in Africa in assessing soil erosion, deposition and reservoir sedimentation.

scholarly journals Assessing soil redistribution of forest and cropland sites in wet tropical Africa using <sup>239+240</sup>Pufallout radionuclides

SOIL ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 399-414
Author(s):  
Florian Wilken ◽  
Peter Fiener ◽  
Michael Ketterer ◽  
Katrin Meusburger ◽  
Daniel Iragi Muhindo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soil Erosion ◽  
Arable Land ◽  
Tropical Africa ◽  
Tropical Regions ◽  
Soil Redistribution ◽  
Fallout Radionuclides ◽  
Forest Sites ◽  
Degradation Rates ◽  
Topographic Gradients

Abstract. Due to the rapidly growing population in tropical Africa, a substantial rise in food demand is predicted in upcoming decades, which will result in higher pressure on soil resources. However, there is limited knowledge on soil redistribution dynamics following land conversion into arable land in tropical Africa that is partly caused by infrastructure limitations for long-term landscape-scale monitoring. In this study, fallout radionuclides 239+240Pu are used to assess soil redistribution along topographic gradients at two cropland sites and at three nearby pristine forest sites located in the DR Congo, Uganda and Rwanda. In the study area, a 239+240Pu baseline inventory is found that is higher than typically expected for tropical regions (mean forest inventory 41 Bq m−2). Pristine forests show no indication of soil redistribution based on 239+240Pu along topographical gradients. In contrast, soil erosion and sedimentation on cropland reached up to 37 cm (81 Mg ha−1 yr−1) and 40 cm (87 Mg ha−1 yr−1) within the last 55 years, respectively. Cropland sites show high intra-slope variability with locations showing severe soil erosion located in direct proximity to sedimentation sites. This study shows the applicability of a valuable method to assess tropical soil redistribution and provides insight into soil degradation rates and patterns in one of the most socio-economically and ecologically vulnerable regions of the world.

scholarly journals Tracing erosion rates in loess landscape of the Trzebnica Hills (Poland) over time using fallout and cosmogenic nuclides

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aleksandra Loba ◽  
Jarosław Waroszewski ◽  
Dmitry Tikhomirov ◽  
Fancesca Calitri ◽  
Marcus Christl ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soil Erosion ◽  
Temporal Trends ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Undisturbed Soil ◽  
Erosion Rates ◽  
Erosion Processes ◽  
Fallout Radionuclides ◽  
Soil Erosion Rates

Abstract Purpose Loess landscapes are highly susceptible to soil erosion, which affects soil stability and productivity. Erosion is non-linear in time and space and determines whether soils form or degrade. While the spatial variability of erosion is often assessed by either modelling or on-site measurements, temporal trends over decades to millennia are very often lacking. In this study, we determined long- and short-term erosion rates to trace the dynamics of loess deposits in south-western Poland. Materials and methods We quantified long-term (millennial) erosion rates using cosmogenic (in situ 10Be) and short-term (decadal) rates with fallout radionuclides (239+240Pu). Erosion processes were studied in two slope-soil transects (12 soil pits) with variable erosion features. As a reference site, an undisturbed soil profile under natural forest was sampled. Results and discussion The long-term erosion rates ranged between 0.44 and 0.85 t ha−1 year−1, whereas the short-term erosion rates varied from 1.2 to 10.9 t ha−1 year−1 and seem to be reliable. The short-term erosion rates are up to 10 times higher than the long-term rates. The soil erosion rates are quite consistent with the terrain relief, with erosion increasing in the steeper slope sections and decreasing in the lower parts of the slope, while still maintaining high values. Conclusions Soil erosion rates have increased during the last few decades owing to agriculture intensification and probably climate change. The measured values lie far above tolerable erosion rates, and the soils were found to be strongly imbalanced and exhibit a drastic shallowing of the productive soils horizons.

scholarly journals Assessing soil erosion of forest and cropland sites in wet tropical Africa using <sup>239+240</sup>Pu fallout radionuclides

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Florian Wilken ◽  
Peter Fiener ◽  
Michael Ketterer ◽  
Katrin Meusburger ◽  
Daniel Iragi Muhindo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soil Erosion ◽  
Arable Land ◽  
Tropical Africa ◽  
Local Conditions ◽  
Soil Redistribution ◽  
Fallout Radionuclides ◽  
Forest Sites ◽  
Degradation Rates ◽  
Topographic Gradients

Abstract. Due to the rapidly growing population in tropical Africa, a substantial rise in food demand is predicted in upcoming decades, which will result in higher pressure on soil resources. However, there is limited knowledge on soil redistribution dynamics following land conversion to arable land in tropical Africa that is partly caused by challenging local conditions for long-term landscape scale monitoring. In this study, fallout radionuclides 239+240Pu are used to assess soil redistribution along topographic gradients at two cropland sites and at three nearby pristine forest sites located in the DR Congo, Uganda and Rwanda. In the study area, a relatively high 239+240Pu baseline inventory is found (mean forest inventory 41 Bq m−2). Pristine forests show no indication for soil redistribution based on 239+240Pu along topographical gradients. In contrast, soil erosion and sedimentation on cropland reached up to 37 and 40 cm within the last 55 years, respectively. Cropland sites show high intra-slope variability with locations showing severe soil erosion located in direct proximity to sedimentation sites. This study shows the applicability of a valuable method to assess tropical soil redistribution and provides insight on soil degradation rates and patterns in one of the most vulnerable regions of the World.

ANALYZING THE EFFECTS OF LAND USE ON SOIL EROSION IN SOUTHWESTERN CHINA USING FALLOUT RADIONUCLIDES

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sophia Maffie ◽  
◽  
Alexandra Grande ◽  
Natalie Soord ◽  
Amanda H. Schmidt ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Soil Erosion ◽  
Southwestern China ◽  
Fallout Radionuclides ◽  
Effects Of Land Use

Quantification of soil erosion (using 239+240Pu) on periglacial chronosequences reveals the importance of vegetation cover in soil stabilisation

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alessandra Musso ◽  
Michael E. Ketterer ◽  
Konrad Greinwald ◽  
Clemens Geitner ◽  
Markus Egli
Keyword(s):  
Soil Erosion ◽  
Vegetation Cover ◽  
Swiss Alps ◽  
Vegetation Coverage ◽  
Vegetation Development ◽  
Erosion Rates ◽  
Fallout Radionuclides ◽  
Soil Stabilisation ◽  
Soil Erosion Rates ◽  
Chemical Soil

&lt;p&gt;High mountainous areas are are strongly shaped by redistribution processes of sediments and soils. Due to the projected climate warming and the continued retreat of glaciers in the 21&lt;sup&gt;st&lt;/sup&gt; century, we can expect the area of newly exposed, highly erodible sediments and soils to increase. While soil and vegetation development is increasingly well understood and quantified, it has rarely been coupled to soil erosion. The aim of this study was to assess how soil erosion rates change with surface age. We investigated two moraine chronosequences in the Swiss Alps which were situated in a siliceous and calcareous lithology and spanned over 30 &amp;#8211; 10&amp;#8217;000 yrs and 110 &amp;#8211; 13&amp;#8217;500 yrs, respectively. We used &lt;sup&gt;239+240&lt;/sup&gt;Pu fallout radionuclides to quantify the average soil erosion rates over the last 60 years and compared them to physico&amp;#8722;chemical soil properties and the vegetation coverage. At both chronosequences, the erosion rates were highest in the young soils. The erosion rates decreased markedly after 3&amp;#8722;5 ka of soil development to reach a more or less stable situation after 10&amp;#8722;14 ka. This decrease &amp;#160;goes hand in hand with the development of a closed vegetation cover. We conclude that depending on the relief and vegetational development, it takes up to at least 10 ka to reach soil stability. The establishment of a closed vegetation cover with dense root networks appears to be the controlling factor in the reduction of soil erodibility in periglacial areas.&lt;/p&gt;

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