C 137 is a cesium isotope used to study the soil erosion

I think it is very difficult to get it

Dear Claudia

You could look at the paper by GRZEGORZ J. PORÊBA on CAESIUM-137 AS A SOIL EROSION TRACER: A REVIEW in Geochronometria 2006 25 37-46

http://www.geochronometria.pl/pdf/geo_25/Geo25_06.pdf

I hope this is useful. Personnally I investigated, a long time ago, soil erosion using Be7 this this is for short term events.

Alain

Alain C.M. Bourg, Professor

Dept Geosciences

University of Pau, France

Maybe you can contact Darden Hood, he do measure 137Cs in sediments.

http://www.lead210.com

For Europe, we have an atlas of deposits but for USA, I don't know.

Maybe, have a look in the vast collection of IAEA documents, hopefully, a good source for such information

Yves

Andra

Direction R&D

Service transferts

1-7, rue Jean-Monnet

92298 Châtenay-Malabry cedex

There is no difficulty in procuring a Cs 137 radioactive solution that you need to handle with care because of its long half Life. It goes into the soil as other other group elements of this group like Barium will go in. A beta radiation detector or a gamma radiation detector than will quantify the results for you through sampling from depths in the soil or otherwise. IAEA precautionary rules may be followed. It acts as a tracer for your study.

Please refere research paper on '' Application of Radioactive Fallout Cesium-137 for Measuring Soil Erosion and Sediment Accumulation Rates and Patterns : A Review'' by Jerry Ritchie, J Roger Mchenry Spring (1990)

Volume: 233, Issue: 2, Pages: 215-233

Available from www.scopus.com

Abstract

Radioactive fallout 137Cs (cesium-137) deposited across the landscape from atmospheric nuclear tests is strongly absorbed on soil particles limiting its movement by chemical and biological processes. Most 137Cs movement in the environment is by physical processes; therefor, 137Cs is a unique tracer for studying erosion and sedimentation. Cesium-137 loss from a watershed has been shown to correlate strongly with soil loss calcualted by the Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE) or measured from small runoff plates. By measuring spatial patterns of 137Cs in vertical and horizontal planes across the landscape, rates of soil loss or deposition can be measured for different parts of a watershed. Even within landscape units, redistribution of soil can be mapped and erosion or deposition rates for different parts of individual fields measured and mapped. Sediment accumulation rates can be measured by comparing the vertical distribution of 137Cs in sediments with the temporal deposition of fallout 137Cs from the atmosphere to locate sediment horizons. Using these dated sediment horizons, sediment accumultion rates can be measured. Interpretations about the location of these dated horizons must consider particle size of the sediments, reworking of deposited sediments, diffusional movement of 137Cs, and time rates of physical process in the sedimentation process. The 137Cs technique can be used to determine sediment accumulation rates in a wide variety of depositional environments including reservoirs, lakes, wetlands, coastal areas, and floodplains. The bibliography shows that 137Cs has been used widely for studying erosion and sedimentation in many different environments around the world.

Please refere research paper on '' Application of Radioactive Fallout Cesium-137 for Measuring Soil Erosion and Sediment Accumulation Rates and Patterns : A Review'' by Jerry Ritchie, J Roger Mchenry Spring (1990) Volume: 233, Issue: 2, Pages: 215-233 Available from www.scopus.com Abstract Radioactive fallout 137Cs (cesium-137) deposited across the landscape from atmospheric nuclear tests is strongly absorbed on soil particles limiting its movement by chemical and biological processes. Most 137Cs movement in the environment is by physical processes; therefor, 137Cs is a unique tracer for studying erosion and sedimentation. Cesium-137 loss from a watershed has been shown to correlate strongly with soil loss calcualted by the Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE) or measured from small runoff plates. By measuring spatial patterns of 137Cs in vertical and horizontal planes across the landscape, rates of soil loss or deposition can be measured for different parts of a watershed. Even within landscape units, redistribution of soil can be mapped and erosion or deposition rates for different parts of individual fields measured and mapped. Sediment accumulation rates can be measured by comparing the vertical distribution of 137Cs in sediments with the temporal deposition of fallout 137Cs from the atmosphere to locate sediment horizons. Using these dated sediment horizons, sediment accumultion rates can be measured. Interpretations about the location of these dated horizons must consider particle size of the sediments, reworking of deposited sediments, diffusional movement of 137Cs, and time rates of physical process in the sedimentation process. The 137Cs technique can be used to determine sediment accumulation rates in a wide variety of depositional environments including reservoirs, lakes, wetlands, coastal areas, and floodplains. The bibliography shows that 137Cs has been used widely for studying erosion and sedimentation in many different environments around the world.

Thanks everybody for your inputs in this topic, I will take a look in your recommendations.

I can recommend an article for you, which can be interesting for You: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0265931X07003360

This is written by my collegues, if You have questions, just send an email, I give their email addresses.

Regards, Szilard

You may contact to dr sridhar patra of cswcrti, dehradun. They are running one project on d same topic.

Claudia, you've looked at the USDA researchers?

Sorry have worked extensively on soil erosion issues but not with isotopes

Hello Dr. Manisha, would be possible you send me an email with the Dr. Sridahar's contact information to ask him about his project?

Hello Oswaldo, yes, I found some USDA researchers, I am trying to contact them to get some information. Thanks

Hello Adelaide, can you tell me more in detail how has been you work with soil erosion? study areas? validation data? models? or if you have publications about, can you share it to me, please?

Dear Claudia, soil erosion quantification under different tillage systems, small holder farmers, semi arid areas of Zimbabwe, validation of a local model, Soil Estimation Model for Southern Africa (SLEMSA). Impact of soil erosion on productivity, assessment of nutrient losses with soil erosion, plant uptake and leaching. Am on the go right now will send some of my publications once am in the office. Besides 137Cs what other aspects of soil erosion are you interested in?

adelaide, please share with me your validation work of the SLEMSA model