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Use of 7 Be and 137 Cs measurements to document short‐ and medium‐term rates of water‐induced soil erosion on agricultural land
Author(s) -
Walling D. E.,
He Q.,
Blake W.
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
water resources research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.863
H-Index - 217
eISSN - 1944-7973
pISSN - 0043-1397
DOI - 10.1029/1999wr900242
Subject(s) - erosion , environmental science , hydrology (agriculture) , radionuclide , sediment , soil water , tracer , term (time) , medium term , redistribution (election) , soil science , geology , geotechnical engineering , geomorphology , nuclear physics , physics , economics , macroeconomics , quantum mechanics , politics , political science , law
Although 137 Cs measurements have now been employed for assessing medium‐term (∼45 years) rates of soil redistribution on cultivated land in many areas of the world, the potential of 7 Be as a sediment tracer in soil erosion investigations has largely been neglected. Because of its much shorter half‐life, 7 Be measurements should provide a basis for documenting short‐term (or event based) rates of soil loss. This paper presents some preliminary results from a detailed investigation of erosion and sediment delivery within a 6.7 ha cultivated field in Devon, England, using both 137 Cs and 7 Be. Measurements of both radionuclides have been employed to derive estimates of medium‐ and short‐term rates of soil redistribution within the study field. The results obtained from the investigation confirm the potential for using 7 Be measurements in soil erosion investigations, both in their own right and in conjunction with 137 Cs measurements.