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Analysis of Gamma‐Ray Spectra From Soils and Plants: II. Effect of Trees on the Distribution of Fallout
Author(s) -
Franklin R. E.,
Gersper P. L.,
Holowaychuk N.
Publication year - 1967
Publication title -
soil science society of america journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.836
H-Index - 168
eISSN - 1435-0661
pISSN - 0361-5995
DOI - 10.2136/sssaj1967.03615995003100010015x
Subject(s) - beech , stemflow , maple , fagaceae , canopy , soil water , fagus orientalis , environmental science , botany , leaching (pedology) , sugar , yellow birch , bark (sound) , throughfall , horticulture , agronomy , forestry , chemistry , soil science , biology , geography , biochemistry
A detailed study of the distribution of fallout in soil from a forested area has been initiated. Surface soil samples (0 to 7.5 cm) collected at several distances from the stems of beech‐( Fagus grandifolia ), sugar maple ( Acer saccharum ), tulip ( Liriodendron tulipfera ), scarlet oak ( Quercus coccinea ), hickory ( Carya glabra ), and white oak ( Quercus alba ) trees were analyzed by gamma‐ray spectroscopy. The concentration of Cs 137 in the soil near the stem of a beech tree was about five times higher than at other positions under the canopy. This effect was about one‐half as great for sugar maple and much less for the other species. The magnitude of this concentration is apparently related to the quantity of stemflow water, which may be appreciable with some species and negligible with others. Samples collected at four depth intervals (0 to 7.5, 7.5 to 15, 15 to 22.5 and 22.5 to 30 cm), in an area which included three of the trees, were also analyzed. Considerable leaching of Cs 137 occurred in soil adjacent to tree stems, apparently as a result of stemflow.