The use of a numerical mass-balance model to estimate rates of soil redistribution on uncultivated land from 137Cs measurements

Abstract A numerical mass-balance model is developed which can be used to estimate rates of soil redistribution on uncultivated land from measurements of bombderived 137 Cs inventories. The model uses a budgeting approach, which takes account of temporal variations in atmospheric fallout of 137 Cs, radioactive decay, and net gains or losses of 137 Cs due to erosion and deposition processes, combined with parameters which describe internal 137 Cs redistribution processes, to estimate the 137 Cs content of topsoil and the 137 Cs inventory at specific points, from the start of 137 Cs fallout in the 1950s to the present day. The model is also able to account for potential differences in particle size composition and organic matter content between mobilised soil particles and the original soil, and the effect that these may have on 137 Cs concentrations and inventories. By running the model for a range of soil erosion and deposition rates, a calibration relationship can be constructed which relates the 137 Cs inventory at a sampling point to the average net soil loss or gain at that location. In addition to the magnitude and temporal distribution of the 137 Cs atmospheric fallout flux, the soil redistribution rates estimated by the model are sensitive to parameters which describe the relative texture and organic matter content of the eroded or deposited material, and the ability of the soil to retain 137 Cs in the upper part of the soil profile.

[1]  John A. Dearing,et al.  Soil erosion on agricultural land. , 1990 .

[2]  D. Walling,et al.  Applications and limitations of chernobyl radiocaesium measurements in a carpathian erosion investigation, Poland , 1992 .

[3]  D. Walling,et al.  A preliminary assessment of the potential for using caesium-137 to estimate rates of soil erosion in the Loess Plateau of China , 1990 .

[4]  D. Walling,et al.  Interpreting particle size effects in the adsorption of 137Cs and unsupported 210Pb by mineral soils and sediments , 1996 .

[5]  D. Robinson,et al.  Soil Erosion and Conservation , 1988 .

[6]  J. Boardman,et al.  The calculation of net soil loss using caesium-137. , 1990 .

[7]  R. Duck,et al.  Geomorphology and sedimentology of lakes and reservoirs , 1995 .

[8]  F. B. Smith,et al.  The transport and deposition of airborne debris from the Chernobyl nuclear power plant accident with special emphasis on the consequences to the United Kingdom , 1989 .

[9]  E. Clark,et al.  The off-site costs of soil erosion , 1985 .

[10]  P. Brimblecombe,et al.  Ecological aspects of radionuclide release , 1984 .

[11]  F. Livens,et al.  Particle size and radionuclide levels in some west Cumbrian soils , 1988 .

[12]  R. G. Menzel.  Transport of Strontium-90 in Runoff , 1960, Science.

[13]  E. Jong,et al.  Predicting the Temporal Relationship between Soil Cesium‐137 and Erosion Rate , 1984 .

[14]  R. W. Gillham,et al.  Evaluation of distribution coefficients for the prediction of strontium and cesium migration in a uniform sand , 1982 .

[15]  D. Walling,et al.  THE DISTRIBUTION OF FALLOUT 137CS AND 210PB IN UNDISTURBED AND CULTIVATED SOILS , 1997 .

[16]  K. Bunzl,et al.  The Migration of 137 Cs and 90 Sr in Multilayered Soils: Results from Batch, Column, and Fallout Investigations , 1982 .

[17]  Ian D L Foster,et al.  137Cs losses from a loamy surface water gleyed soil (Inceptisol); a laboratory simulation experiment , 1996 .

[18]  A. S. Rogowski,et al.  Erosional behavior of Cesium-137. , 1970, Health physics.

[19]  R. L. Miller,et al.  Using cesium-137 to estimate soil erosion on a clearcut hillside , 1987 .

[20]  D. Walling,et al.  The behaviour of bomb-derived caesium-137 fallout in catchment soils , 1996 .

[21]  D. Walling,et al.  The use of caesium-137 measurements in soil erosion surveys , 1992 .

[22]  M. Anderson,et al.  The particle-size selectivity of sediment mobilization from Devon hillslopes. , 1996 .

[23]  J. Ritchie,et al.  Fallout Cs 137: a tool in conservation research , 1975 .

[24]  D. Walling,et al.  Spatial variability of caesium-137 inventories at reference sites: an example from two contrasting sites in England and Zimbabwe , 1996 .

[25]  Jerry C. Ritchie,et al.  Application of Radioactive Fallout Cesium-137 for Measuring Soil Erosion and Sediment Accumulation Rates and Patterns: A Review , 1990 .

[26]  B. L. Sawi-Iney.  SELECTIVE SORPTION AND FIXATION OF CATIONS BY CLAY MINERALS: A REVIEW , 1972 .

[27]  D. Walling,et al.  Calibration of caesium-137 measurements to provide quantitative erosion rate data , 1990 .

[28]  Jerry C. Ritchie,et al.  Estimating Soil Erosion from the Redistribution of Fallout 137Cs1 , 1974 .

[29]  D. Walling,et al.  The use of caesium-137 measurements to investigate sediment delivery from cultivated areas in Devon, UK , 1988 .

[30]  D. Walling,et al.  Estimating rates of ground retreat on mining spoils using caesium-137 , 1994 .

[31]  John A. Dearing,et al.  Phosphorus transport in agricultural runoff: the role of soil erosion. , 1990 .

[32]  R. Loughran,et al.  Correlation of erosion measurements and soil caesium-137 content , 1990 .

[33]  Calvin Wyatt Rose,et al.  Mapping soil erosion and accumulation with the fallout isotope caesium-137 , 1983 .

[34]  K. Bunzl,et al.  Residence times of fallout 239+240Pu, 238Pu, 241Am and 137Cs in the upper horizons of an undisturbed grassland soil , 1994 .

[35]  I. Foster,et al.  Sediment and water quality in river catchments , 1995 .

[36]  C. Bernard,et al.  Variabilité de la relation entre les pertes de césium et de sol par érosion hydrique , 1992 .

[37]  R. Sutherland.  Caesium‐137 soil sampling and inventory variability in reference locations: A literature survey , 1996 .

[38]  R. Loughran.  The measurement of soil erosion , 1989 .

[39]  D. Carey.  Erosion and Sediment Transport Monitoring Programmes in River Basins , 1994 .

[40]  R. Loughran,et al.  Rates of soil erosion in Australia determined by the caesium-137 technique: a national reconnaissance survey , 1996 .

[41]  A. S. Rogowski,et al.  Movement of 137Cs by Runoff, Erosion and Infiltration on the Alluvial Captina Silt Loam , 1965 .