What can we learn about soil erosion from the use of 137 Cs?

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137 Cs, Soil Erosion, Atmospheric Fallout, Processes Of Fallout Redistribution, 137 Cs Conversion Models

Scientific paper

The radioisotope 137 Cs has been extensively used to provide information about soil erosion. The technique relies upon a number of assumptions that this review evaluates in order to establish what can be learned about soil erosion from the use of 137 Cs. The assumption of locally spatially uniform fallout is broken down into three components: (1) atmospheric fallout is spatially uniform; (2) transfer to the soil is spatially uniform; and (3) no redistribution occurs during the transfer process. Evidence is presented to show that none of these assumptions is valid. Similarly, it is shown that the literature that continues to examine both the processes of adsorption of 137 Cs onto soil particles, the conditions under which it may be desorbed and the uptake of 137 Cs by plants, makes the assumption that 137 Cs is rapidly and irreversibly adsorbed onto soil particles contestable. Evidence is presented for the movement of 137 Cs across the landscape other than by movement of soil particles across the surface. Methods used to convert 137 Cs inventories into rates of erosion are reviewed, as are errors associated with obtaining 137 Cs inventories. Finally, the relationship of 137 Cs inventories to current understanding of soil-erosion processes is assessed. It is concluded that that no current rates of soil erosion that are based upon the use of this technique are reliable, and that 137 Cs cannot be used to provide reliable information about rates of soil erosion.

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