Plutonium as a tracer for soil erosion assessment in northeast China

Xu, Yihong; Qiao, Jixin; Pan, Shuguo; Hou, Xiaolin; Roos, Per; Cao, Liguo

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2014.12.006

Cited by 60 publications

(63 citation statements)

References 40 publications

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“…This result was consistent with previous studies at similar latitudes in South Korea [33]. Additionally, the 240 Pu/ 239 Pu atomic ratios (Table 1) in all uncultivated and cultivated soil samples (0.180-0.195 for uncultivated samples and 0.178-0.201 for cultivated samples) were generally in the range of global fallout values of 0.14-0.24 [24,25]. These findings further manifested that global fallout is the major source of Pu and the contribution of the other sources Pu to the total Pu input in the study area is negligible.…”

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 92%

“…For cultivated soil, cultivation depths are typically 20-30 cm in the study region. Previous research has shown that 239?240 Pu concentrations are distributed homogeneously through the cultivation depth [25,26]. If we take the annual thickness of soil loss and the cultivation depth as h t and H (m), the annual relative loss of 239?240 Pu as a fraction of the total amount (last year's amount and fallout of the same year) in the profile could be expressed approximately as follows:…”

Section: Simplified Mass Balance Model For Estimating Soil Erosion Ratesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…According to the former literatures on 239,240 Pu for uncultivated study sites [22,24,25], the activities of 239?240 Pu decline exponentially with the soil depth x (m), which can be expressed as:…”

Section: Simplified Mass Balance Model For Estimating Soil Erosion Ratesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For detailed information on soil core samples, refer to the previous companion paper [24,25]. Pu isotopes in all soils were analyzed using the method described in Xu et al [24,25].…”

Section: Simplified Mass Balance Model For Estimating Soil Erosion Ratesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In the previous companion paper, the use of 239?240 Pu to estimate soil erosion was performed. This method relies on the assumption that the total global fallout input 239?240 Pu in soils was received in the year 1963, then the average soil erosion rate over the time period 1963 to the sampling year can be estimated [24,25]. However, in the current study, we investigate and quantify the 239?240 Pu atmospheric deposition in the Liaodong Bay based on the records of 239?240 Pu atmospheric deposition from 1957 to 2005 in Tokyo and Tsukuba in Japan.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Using 239+240Pu atmospheric deposition and a simplified mass-balance model to re-estimate the soil erosion rate: a case study of Liaodong Bay in China

Zhang

Pan

et al. 2015

J Radioanal Nucl Chem

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By using the mass balance model of 137 Cs and introducing 239?240 Pu atmospheric deposition, a simplified mass balance model of 239?240 Pu was developed and the soil erosion rate was re-estimated. The results indicated that the reference inventory of 239?240 Pu was estimated to be 88.4 Bq/m 2 in Liaodong Bay. In addition, the atomic ratios of 240 Pu/ 239 Pu in all core samples were approximately 0.18, which indicated that the major source of Pu was the global fallout. Statistical analysis of the erosion rates derived from the model demonstrates that the 239?240 Pu atmospheric deposition is a feasible way to estimate the soil erosion rate and further improve tracer technique to assess the soil erosion rate.

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Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 92%

Section: Simplified Mass Balance Model For Estimating Soil Erosion Ratesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Simplified Mass Balance Model For Estimating Soil Erosion Ratesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For detailed information on soil core samples, refer to the previous companion paper [24,25]. Pu isotopes in all soils were analyzed using the method described in Xu et al [24,25].…”

Section: Simplified Mass Balance Model For Estimating Soil Erosion Ratesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Using 239+240Pu atmospheric deposition and a simplified mass-balance model to re-estimate the soil erosion rate: a case study of Liaodong Bay in China

Zhang

Pan

et al. 2015

J Radioanal Nucl Chem

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Plutonium isotopes can be used to model soil erosion in Kenya

Dowell,

Humphrey,

Isaboke

et al. 2024

Environ Geochem Health

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Climate change poses an immediate threat to tropical soils with changes in rainfall patterns resulting in accelerated land degradation processes. To ensure the future sustainability of arable land, it is essential to improve our understanding of the factors that influence soil erosion processes. This work aimed to evaluate patterns of soil erosion using the activity of plutonium isotopes (Pu) at sites with different land use and clearance scale in the Winam Gulf catchment of Lake Victoria in Kenya. Erosion rates were modelled at potential erosive sites using the MODERN model to understand small-scale erosion processes and the effect of different management practices. The lowest soil redistribution rates for arable land were 0.10 Mg ha−1 yr−1 showing overall deposition, resulting from community-led bottom-up mitigation practices. In contrast erosion rates of 8.93 Mg ha−1 yr−1 were found in areas where steep terraces have been formed. This demonstrates the significance of community-led participation in effectively managing land degradation processes. Another key factor identified in the acceleration of soil erosion rates was the clearance of land with an increased rate of erosion over three years reported (0.45 to 0.82 Mg ha−1 yr−1) underlining the importance vegetation cover plays in limiting soil erosion processes. This novel application of fallout plutonium as a tracer, highlights its potential to inform the understanding of how soil erosion processes respond to land management, which will better support implementation of effective mitigation strategies. Graphical abstract Modelling of soil erosion and deposition patterns using the MODERN model to calculate the depth of soil loss/gain.

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