239+240 Pu from “contaminant” to soil erosion tracer: Where do we stand?

Alewell, Christine; Pitois, A.; Meusburger, Katrin; Ketterer, Michael E.; Mabit, Lionel

doi:10.1016/j.earscirev.2017.07.009

Cited by 68 publications

(91 citation statements)

References 132 publications

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“…Especially anthropogenic radionuclides (e.g. 137 Cs, 239+240 Pu, 210 Pb, 7 Be) have demonstrated their ability to determine changes in topography (Parsons and Foster, 2011;Alewell et al, 2017;Deumlich et al, 2017). Nuclear weapon tests lifted radioisotopes up to the stratosphere, where mixture led to an almost homogeneous distribution and corresponding fallout by rain (Alewell et al, 2017).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…137 Cs, 239+240 Pu, 210 Pb, 7 Be) have demonstrated their ability to determine changes in topography (Parsons and Foster, 2011;Alewell et al, 2017;Deumlich et al, 2017). Nuclear weapon tests lifted radioisotopes up to the stratosphere, where mixture led to an almost homogeneous distribution and corresponding fallout by rain (Alewell et al, 2017). The main period of atmospheric nuclear weapon tests is from 1953 to 1964 (Schimmack et al, 2001), while the limited test ban treaty caused a rapid end of atmospheric bomb tests in [1963][1964] (Wallbrink and Murray, 1993).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Hence, the use of 137 Cs as a soil redistribution tracer in Europe is associated with large uncertainties. Furthermore, due to the 137 Cs half-life of about 30 yr, decay has already been led to a pronounced reduction of the activity until today (Alewell et al, 2017). Over the past decade, 239+240 Pu has been discussed and tested as an alternative radioisotopic tracer for soil erosion studies.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Understanding the role of water and tillage erosion from <sup>239+240</sup>Pu tracer measurements using inverse modelling

Wilken¹,

Ketterer²,

Koszinski³

et al. 2020

Preprint

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Abstract. Soil redistribution on arable land is a major threat for a sustainable use of soil resources. The soil redistribution process most studies focus on is water erosion, while wind and tillage erosion also induce pronounced redistribution of soil materials. Especially, tillage erosion is understudied, as it does not lead to visible off-site damages. The analysis of on-site/in-field soil redistribution is mostly based on tracer studies, whereas radionuclide tracers (e.g. 137Cs, 239+240Pu) from nuclear weapon tests are commonly used to derive the erosion history over the past 50–60 yr. Tracer studies allow to determine soil redistribution patterns, but integrate all kinds of soil redistribution processes and hence do not allow to unravel the contribution of different erosion processes. The aim of this study is to understand the contribution of water and tillage erosion leading to soil patterns found in a small hummocky ground moraine catchment under intensive agricultural use. Therefore, 239+240Pu derived soil redistribution patterns were analysed using an inverse modelling approach accounting for water and tillage erosion processes. The results of this analysis clearly point out that tillage erosion is the dominant process of soil redistribution in the small catchment, which also affects the hydrological and sedimentological connectivity between arable land and the kettle hole. A topographic change up to 17 cm (53 yr)−1 in the eroded parts of the catchment is not able to explain the current soil profile truncation that exceeds the 239+240Pu derived topographic change substantially. Hence, tillage erosion is not limited to the time since the onset of intense mechanisation since the 1960s. In general, the study stresses the urgent need to consider tillage erosion as a very important soil degradation process that drives patterns of soil properties in our arable landscapes.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Understanding the role of water and tillage erosion from <sup>239+240</sup>Pu tracer measurements using inverse modelling

Wilken¹,

Ketterer²,

Koszinski³

et al. 2020

Preprint

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“…These hot particles became distributed in a more limited geographic zone, as discussed elsewhere (e.g., Ketterer, Hafer, & Mietelski, ; Mietelski & Was, ). Recent work (Alewell et al, ; Alewell, Pitois, Meusburger, Ketterer, & Mabit, ) has shown 239+240 Pu to be an advantageous, Chernobyl‐devoid soil erosion tracer in central Europe. The activities of Pu are commonly expressed as 239+240 Pu, the summed activities of 239 Pu ( t 1/2 = 24,110 years) and 240 Pu ( t 1/2 = 6,563 years).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Erosion of archaeological sites: Quantifying the threat using optically stimulated luminescence and fallout isotopes

et al. 2018

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Although visible evidence shows that erosion has damaged many archaeological sites, especially when tilled, there has hitherto been scant attention to its quantitative assessment. Accordingly, the archaeology communities lack insight into whether long‐term threats to the stability and integrity of soils at these sites allow these cultural repositories to be preserved for future human generations. Of the techniques that are available to measure erosion rates, few have been tested on the timescales needed. We selected three archaeological sites with high expected erosion rates. We combined optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating with analyses of radioactive fallout isotope distributions to assess erosion patterns and rates. An age–depth representation of OSL single‐aliquot results was developed to determine past erosion, and to identify stable land surfaces on centennial to millennia timescales. Fall‐out isotopes of cesium (Cs) and plutonium (Pu) were suitable for shorter timescales: The 240Pu/239Pu ratios and a correlation between activities of 239+240Pu and 137Cs demonstrated the weapons testing fallout origin of these isotopes in the ~1952–1966 timeframe. Erosion rates in recent decades ranged from 2 to 6 mm/year on the studied sites. Our results indicate that erosion is not only tied to the past, but keeps on threatening archaeological sites.

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“…The varying constraints that have prevented quantifying soil loss from livestock‐poached grassland were overcome through the development of a field‐based tracing approach based around the established catchment‐scale erosion estimation technique using fallout radionuclides (FRNs), caesium‐137 ( 137 Cs), excess lead‐210 ( 210 Pb excess ), beryllium‐7 ( 7 Be), or plutonium‐239 + 240 ( 239 + 240 Pu; Alewell, Pitois, Meusburger, Ketterer, & Mabit, ; Blake, Walling, & He, ; Mabit, Benmansour, & Walling, ; Walling, He, & Blake, ). The approach is based on establishing a reference inventory at a stable site within a predefined study area.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Documenting soil redistribution on livestock‐poached pasture using caesium‐134 and cobalt‐60 as tracers

Greenwood

Meusburger

2018

Land Degrad Dev

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Poaching is caused by the excessive trampling of soil and vegetation by herd animals and is prevalent in intensively managed grasslands. It is viewed as detrimental to soil fertility, has the potential to contribute to soil erosion, and thus represents a form of land degradation that is unsustainable. Attempts to document sediment redistribution by poaching have been hampered by a lack of techniques capable of measuring the movement of poached material at requisite spatial and temporal scales. We present a new tracing technique, using caesium‐134 (134Cs) and cobalt‐60 (60Co), which is designed to overcome those problems. Nine areas (plots) of grassland, each measuring 0.04 m2, were directly labelled with a known activity of either 134Cs or 60Co. Three plots were located on level, unpoached ground for use as controls, and six were located in livestock‐poached areas. Initial surface inventories were documented and then remeasured on three occasions after rainfall. Inventory changes were converted to estimates of sediment redistribution, which was documented across all poached plots at each remeasurement. Erosion represented the predominant mechanism, with average soil losses estimated at an equivalent of 0.03 kg m−2 d−1 at the first remeasurement (T1), 0.11 kg m−2 d−1 at T2, and 0.18 kg m−2 d−1 at T3. Despite assuming erosion would diminish, increasing soil loss is attributed to reduced surface roughness. These findings not only confirm the viability of the tracing technique but also demonstrate that livestock‐poached areas act as sediment sources over timescales of at least a few months after poaching has ceased.

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239+240 Pu from “contaminant” to soil erosion tracer: Where do we stand?

Cited by 68 publications

References 132 publications

Understanding the role of water and tillage erosion from <sup>239+240</sup>Pu tracer measurements using inverse modelling

Understanding the role of water and tillage erosion from <sup>239+240</sup>Pu tracer measurements using inverse modelling

Erosion of archaeological sites: Quantifying the threat using optically stimulated luminescence and fallout isotopes

Documenting soil redistribution on livestock‐poached pasture using caesium‐134 and cobalt‐60 as tracers

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239+240 Pu from “contaminant” to soil erosion tracer: Where do we stand?

Cited by 68 publications

References 132 publications

Understanding the role of water and tillage erosion from &lt;sup&gt;239+240&lt;/sup&gt;Pu tracer measurements using inverse modelling

Understanding the role of water and tillage erosion from &lt;sup&gt;239+240&lt;/sup&gt;Pu tracer measurements using inverse modelling

Erosion of archaeological sites: Quantifying the threat using optically stimulated luminescence and fallout isotopes

Documenting soil redistribution on livestock‐poached pasture using caesium‐134 and cobalt‐60 as tracers

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Product

Resources

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Understanding the role of water and tillage erosion from <sup>239+240</sup>Pu tracer measurements using inverse modelling

Understanding the role of water and tillage erosion from <sup>239+240</sup>Pu tracer measurements using inverse modelling