Using Cs and Pbex for quantifying soil organic carbon redistribution affected by intensive tillage on steep slopes

Studying on spatial and temporal variation in soil organic carbon (SOC) is of great importance because of global environmental concerns. Tillage-induced soil erosion is one of the major processes affecting the redistribution of SOC in fields. However, few direct measurements have been made to investigate the dynamic process of SOC under intensive tillage in the field. Our objective was to test the potential of ¹³⁷Cs and ²¹⁰Pb_ex for directly assessing SOC redistribution on sloping land as affected by tillage. Fifty plowing operations were conducted over a 5-day period using a donkey-drawn moldboard plow on a steep backslope of the Chinese Loess Plateau. Profile variations of SOC, ¹³⁷Cs and ²¹⁰Pb_ex concentrations were measured in the upper, middle and lower positions of the control plot and the plot plowed 50 times. ¹³⁷Cs concentration did not show variations in the upper 0–30 cm of soil whereas ²¹⁰Pb_ex showed a linear decrease (P < 0.05) with soil depth in the upper and middle positions, and an exponential decrease (P < 0.01) at the lower position of the control plot. The amounts of SOC, ¹³⁷Cs and ²¹⁰Pb_ex of sampling soil profiles increased in the following order: lower > middle > upper positions on the control plot. Intensive tillage resulted in a decrease of SOC amounts by 35% in the upper and by 44% in the middle positions for the soil layers of 0–45 cm, and an increase by 21% in the complete soil profile (0–100 cm) at the lower position as compared with control plot. Coefficients of variation (CVs) of SOC in soil profile decreased by 18.2% in the upper, 12.8% in the middle, and 30.9% in the lower slope positions whereas CVs of ¹³⁷Cs and ²¹⁰Pb_ex decreased more than 31% for all slope positions after 50 tillage events. ¹³⁷Cs and ²¹⁰Pb_ex in soil profile were significantly linearly correlated with SOC with R² of 0.81 and 0.86 (P < 0.01) on the control plot, and with R² of 0.90 and 0.86 (P < 0.01) on the treatment plot. Our results evidenced that ³⁷Cs and ²¹⁰Pb_ex, and SOC moved on the sloping land by the same physical mechanism during tillage operations, indicating that fallout ¹³⁷Cs and ²¹⁰Pb_ex could be used directly for quantifying dynamic SOC redistribution as affected by tillage erosion.     

Using caesium-137 measurements to investigate soil erosion rates in western Istanbul (NW Turkey)

Buyukcekmece Reservoir, located in the western outskirts of Istanbul, is one of the major water resources of Istanbul, and supplies drinking water to about 4 million people. Erosion in the catchment of the reservoir is an important problem in terms of its longer-term sustainability for water supply. There is an urgent need to obtain reliable quantitative data regarding erosion and deposition rates within the catchment to assess the magnitude of the problem and to plan catchment management strategies. In the absence of existing data, attention has focussed on the potential for using ¹³⁷Cs measurements to provide retrospective estimates of medium-term soil erosion rates within the catchment over the past ca. 40 years. To date, the ¹³⁷Cs approach has not been used to document soil redistribution rates in Turkey and this contribution reports an attempt to confirm the viability of the approach and the results of a preliminary investigation of rates of soil loss from uncultivated areas within the catchment. The soil redistribution rates estimated using the profile distribution conversion model varied from − 16.11 (erosion) to 4.59 (deposition) t/ha/year.     

Soil redistribution in abandoned raised fields in French Guiana assessed by radionuclides

Pre‐Columbian agricultural raised fields are widespread in Neotropical wetlands. Many seasonally flooded coastal savannahs of French Guiana are dotted with thousands of small, round mounds, which current research indicates are vestiges of raised fields. It is surprising that these elevated structures persist under the erosive force of heavy tropical rainfall. One hypothesis for this stability is that “engineer” organisms such as plants, earthworms, termites and ants colonize abandoned raised fields and maintain the raised structures against erosion. This “erosion/deposition balance” hypothesis assumes that the landscape is subject to non‐negligible rates of erosion, but that actions of engineer organisms reduce the erodibility of mounds, compensate for erosion by transporting materials to mounds, or both. The hypothesis also predicts greater bioturbation on mounds than in other parts of the landscape. To test these assumptions and predictions, we estimated soil erosion and bioturbation rates in abandoned raised fields in a seasonally flooded savannah in French Guiana by using two radionuclides (¹³⁷Cs and unsupported ²¹⁰Pb) as tracers for soil redistribution. Analysis of the vertical and horizontal distribution of radionuclides at the study site showed that soil erosion in the mounds either occurs at a rather low rate or that organisms counteract erosion, or both. We also showed that mounds were heavily influenced by bioturbation. These results validate the fundamental assumptions of the erosion/deposition balance hypothesis.     

~(137)Cs示踪法估算滇池流域土壤侵蚀

用13 7Cs示踪法探讨滇池流域的土壤侵蚀表明 ,不同利用方式农田的侵蚀量从 2 2 4t km2 yr(菜地 )～ 345 6t km2 yr(园地 )。与太湖地区相比 ,粗放的耕作方式也改变了当地农田的侵蚀排序。特别是土壤中的13 7Cs含量为 35 5～ 872Bq m2 ,比世界其他许多地区都低 ,却与青藏高原相邻地区的数值相近。原因可能是气候特点及远离核试验中心。经与其他方式所得结果比较可见 ,用13 7Cs示踪法研究滇池流域的中长期土壤侵蚀既简便快速又合理可行。     

侵蚀引起的苏南坡地土壤退化

Soil erosion accelerates soil degradation. Some natural soils and cultivated soils on sloping land in southern Jiangsu Province, China were chosen to study soil degradation associated with erosion. Soil erosion intensity was investigated using the ¹³⁷Cs tracer method. Soil particle-size distribution, soil organic matter (OM), total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP) were measured, and the effects of erosion on soil physical and chemical properties were analyzed statistically using SYSTAT8.0. Results indicated that erosion intensity of cultivated soils was greater than that of the natural soils, suggesting that cultivation increased soil loss. Erosion also led to an increase of coarser soil particle proportion, especially in natural soils. In addition, silt was the primary soil particle lost due to erosion. However, in cultivated fields, coarser soil particles over time were attributed not only to soil erosion but also to mechanical eluviation as a result of farming activities. Moreover, erosion caused a decrease in soil OM, TN and TP as well as thinning of the soil layer.     

坡耕地黑土有机碳和全氮的迁移与累积平衡

本文利用137CS示踪技术计算东北黑土坡耕地土壤再分布速率,结合表层土壤有机碳(SOC)和全氮(TN)含量动态,探索典型漫岗坡地SOC和TN流失量的空间分布特征,据此计算研究区近50年来SOC和TN迁移、累积平衡。研究结果表明:研究区土壤再分布速率介于-24.61~33.56 T/HM2/A,绝大部分地区处于中度和轻度侵蚀状态,约占研究区总面积的83.66%,沉积面积占总面积的15.62%。SOC和TN的流失量与土壤再分布速率相一致,坡肩部位SOC和TN流失量最大,侵蚀损失率分别为407.57 KG/HM2/A和39.94 KG/HM2/A;其次为坡背和坡顶,平均流失量分别为244.2 KG/HM2/A和17.93 KG/HM2/A;坡脚和坡趾表现为累积,平均累积量分别为-207.2 KG/HM2/A和-20.56 KG/HM2/A。整个研究区SOC和TN的相对流失量>50%的面积分别占10.45%和11.21%。整个研究区48年来土壤净迁移泥沙量为45.54 T/A,其中,SOC流失量为612.62 KG/A,TN流失量为47.20 KG/A。考虑迁移泥沙对土壤有机质的富集作用,迁移损失的SOC和TN量比原计算值高52%。     

小麦抗氧化能力对Cs+富集响应的研究

以小麦(Triticum aestivum L.)为材料,在三叶期用不同浓度Cs+(CsCl)进行处理,处理浓度分别为0、0.5、1、5、10和20mmol·L-1,处理7、14、21和28d后分别取样,研究小麦对不同浓度Cs+的富集差异,并探讨Cs+对小麦幼苗抗氧化能力的影响.结果表明,小麦幼苗中Cs+含量与处理浓度...     

The role of field studies in landscape-scale applications of process models: an example of soil redistribution and soil organic carbon modeling using CENTURY

Field studies on soil properties and processes in southern Saskatchewan have clearly indicated the need to account for both lateral and vertical transfers of components in the landscape for a better understanding of soil dynamics at a given point. Extrapolation of these studies requires greater integration of the site-specific field results with the current generation of process models. In this paper, we use the results of a field study to assess the ability of the CENTURY model to describe the influence of soil redistribution on soil organic carbon (SOC) dynamics. After modifying the erosion input of CENTURY to account for soil deposition, the results from CENTURY were compared to measured SOC levels from a chronosequential study of cultivation effects on SOC levels in southern Saskatchewan. CENTURY closely simulated the effects of soil loss on SOC levels in landform segments with dominantly convex profile (i.e., downslope) curvature. CENTURY estimates of SOC changes for landform segments experiencing soil gain are less comparable to the field results; it overestimated SOC loss after 80 years by 16 Mg ha⁻¹ for depressional complexes and 10 Mg ha⁻¹ for footslope complexes. This leads to a 14% difference in total SOC loss on a landscape-weighted basis (estimated loss based on field data of 36 Mg ha⁻¹ versus a CENTURY-simulated loss of 41 Mg ha⁻¹).     

137Cs、HCHs测定岩溶洼地沉积物年代及流域产沙强度

以青木关岩溶槽谷区内代表性耕地型与林地型洼地小流域为研究对象,从洼地沉积物入手,探明各洼地沉积物剖面~(137)Cs比活度、六六六(HCHs)、有机质、黏粒含量及容重的深度分布特征;运用~(137)Cs示踪法,辅以HCHs进行沉积物断代,追溯流域近60年来的土壤侵蚀量演变特征及探讨其驱动因素。结果表明:(1)炮台院子耕地型洼地沉积物剖面~(137)Cs、HCHs仅有个别层位检出,无法利用~(137)Cs、HCHs深度分布进行沉积物断代,反映了发育的落水洞对其沉积物剖面影响大。(2)龙洞槽耕地型和劳动村林地型洼地小流域1963—1983,1984—2019年产沙模数分别为231.78,82.04 t/(km~2·a)和68.79,39.46 t/(km~2·a),表明流域生态环境得到明显改善。与1963—1983年时段相比,该地区1984—2019年时段年平均降水量无明显变化,2个小流域产沙模数均显著减小,表明近60年流域产沙强度主要受土地利用方式、水土保持措施等人类活动控制。(3)龙洞槽洼地剖面~(137)Cs、HCHs峰值,表层泥沙~(137)Cs、HCHs数值和不同时期流域产沙模数均明显大于劳动村洼地,主要是由2个洼地分别控制的耕地型与林地型小流域在人类活动影响下产沙强度的差异所致。另外,~(137)Cs和HCHs相结合的示踪方法可较好地用于评估西南岩溶流域产沙量的时间变化。     

Assessment of erosion in the Boyer River watershed (Canada) using a GIS oriented sampling strategy and Cs measurements

Starting in the 1980's, the Rainbow Smelt (Osmerus mordax) population of the Boyer River (Canada) gradually declined due to water eutrophication and excessive siltation in the spawning area. Sediments and agricultural nutrients reach hydrosystems through runoff and soil erosion. The objectives of the study were to quantify the soil and sediment loss from agricultural fields and to identify the areas at risk, using ¹³⁷Cs measurements. Using a Geographical Information Systems (GIS), the watershed was subdivided into 6 isosectors presenting specific soil/slope combinations. Representative fields from each isosector were sampled for ¹³⁷Cs. Using GIS, the data for individual fields were extrapolated to isosectors and the whole cultivated area of the watershed. Based on this approach, it was estimated that around 30% of the arable lands of the watershed show erosion rates higher than 6 t ha^− 1 yr^− 1, which is considered as a tolerable level for Canadian soils, and that 45% of the residual area presents an erosion rate close to that limit. The average sediment production at the edge of fields was estimated at 2.8 t ha^− 1 yr^− 1, for an annual production of more than 60 000 t of material. Loamy soils with a slope higher than 2% were estimated to generate the highest sediment rate (6.9 t ha^− 1 yr^− 1) and nearly 40% of the overall sediment production.