Beryllium-7 in soils and vegetation along an arid precipitation gradient in Owens Valley, California

Details Beryllium-7 in soils and vegetation along an arid precipitation gradient in Owens Valley, California Beryllium-7 in soils and vegetation along an arid precipitation gradient in Owens Valley, California

May 2011

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2011georl..3809401k&link_type=abstract

Geophysical Research Letters, Volume 38, Issue 9, CiteID L09401

Mathematics

Logic

1

Geochronology: Geomorphological Geochronology, Hydrology: Erosion

Scientific paper

Beryllium-7 is a potentially powerful tracer of atmospheric deposition and recent sediment transport, but the quantity and distribution of 7Be on arid landscapes have not been described. We measured 7Be in soil, vegetation, and dust in Owens Valley, California, and describe its distribution in aridisols and mollisols to evaluate its potential as a sediment tracer in desert environments. Beryllium-7 in vegetation and the upper few cm of soil is low but detectable (>20 Becquerels [Bq] m-2). Surface inventories of 7Be at sites on the valley floor vary by a factor of five between the end of the rainy season (April) and the end of the dry season (November). In mollisols, live grasses hold ˜50 Bq 7Be m-2, which is on the order of half of the total springtime surface inventory. We find that within-site variability at the 5 m scale is 5 to 22% (1 relative standard error) and can be explained by localized rain shadowing and erosion, but between site variability at the km scale can be explained by differences in rainfall. Our alpine site has more than triple the inventory that is predicted from the rainfall-7Be flux relationship that we generate using our springtime soil measurements and previously reported deposition data. Dust deposition does not appear to contribute significantly to 7Be inventories, but anomalously high 7Be on the eastern flank of the Sierras may be explained by a higher altitude air mass source and better scavenging efficiency of snow.

Affiliated with

Also associated with

No associations

Rating

Beryllium-7 in soils and vegetation along an arid precipitation gradient in Owens Valley, California does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this scientific paper.

If you have personal experience with Beryllium-7 in soils and vegetation along an arid precipitation gradient in Owens Valley, California, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Beryllium-7 in soils and vegetation along an arid precipitation gradient in Owens Valley, California will most certainly appreciate the feedback.

Rate now

Comments { 0 }

Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-926754