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Fallout 137CS in the Soils and Sediments of Three Small Watersheds
Author(s) -
Ritchie Jerry C.,
McHenry J. Roger,
Gill Angela C.
Publication year - 1974
Publication title -
ecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.144
H-Index - 294
eISSN - 1939-9170
pISSN - 0012-9658
DOI - 10.2307/1934426
Subject(s) - soil water , watershed , environmental science , hydrology (agriculture) , sediment , ecology , geology , soil science , biology , geomorphology , geotechnical engineering , machine learning , computer science
A budget for the distribution of fallout 1 3 7 Cs was calculated for three small watersheds in northern Mississippi. The cover in one contributing watershed is predominantly forest, in the second it is predominantly grass, and in the third predominantly grass and crops. Of the total 1 3 7 Cs input, 97%, 88%, and 85%, respectively, remained in the forest, the grass, and the grass—crop watersheds. The concentration of 1 3 7 Cs per unit area in the reservoir sediments was 2.8, 3.8, and 4.0 times that of the soils from the respective contributing watersheds, indicating that the reservoirs are acting as "traps" for 1 3 7 Cs. Of the 1 3 7 Cs eroded from the three contributing watersheds, 57%, 38%, and 25% was found in the respective sediments. The calculated loss of 1 3 7 Cs per unit area was in this order: eroded soils > croplands > grass > forest.