Comparative assessment of the contents of magnetic spherules, 137Cs, and 210Pb in soils as applied for the estimation of soil erosion

The contents of magnetic spherules and ¹³⁷Cs and ²¹⁰Pb isotopes were determined in gray forest soils of the Novosil Agroforest Experimental Station in Orel oblast (central part of European Russia). The spatial variability in the contents of these substances was studied, and their distribution in the soil profiles and along soil transects within the afforested and cultivated slopes was analyzed. Factors and processes favoring the accumulation of magnetic spherules and ¹³⁷Cs and ²¹⁰Pb isotopes in the soils, as well as their removal from the soils, were revealed. Similarities and distinctions in the patterns of their behavior were interpreted. Prospects for the combined use of these three tracers to estimate the rates of soil erosion and sediment deposition on the soil surface were tested.     

137Cs Contamination from Chernobyl of Soils in Piemonte (North-West Italy): Spatial Distribution and Deposition Model

¹³⁷Caesium was measured in soils sampled from 101 locationsdistributed across the Piemonte Region (North-West of Italy). The contamination levels found ranged from a few kBq m^-2 to about 60 kBq m^-2, the regional average being of the order of 15 kBq m^-2. The data obtained were interpolated with geostatistical functions in order to obtain a detailed mapof radioactive contamination for the whole region. A second map,representing the rainfall for the period of Chernobyl atmospheric contamination, weighted with the estimated values of air contamination, was produced.The comparison of the two maps and a statistical analysis of the data show that 84% of the ¹³⁷Cs global inventory is due to wet deposition, associated with 9% pre-Chernobyl fallout and a 7% attributed to Chernobyl dry deposition.A deposition model based on a linear relationship betweenwet deposition (D _w) and `weighted rainfall'(R _w) isproposed, applied and tested with available data. On this basisthe following parameters were estimated: scavenging factor, washout ratio, cloud height, dry deposition velocity, mediandiameter of the particles.     

强度耕作对^137Cs、^210Pbex和有机质剖面分布的影响

很少有关于直接测定强度耕作侵蚀引起土壤退化过程的报道。我们的目的是确定应用137Cs和210Pbex直接定量评价耕作侵蚀对土壤有机质(SOM)坡面运移影响的可能性。我们在黄土高原陡坡耕地上进行了50次犁耕活动,并将与其相临的另一块陡坡耕地作为对照。在对照坡地不同坡位,137Cs浓度均匀分布于上部0～30cm土层,而210Pbex浓度在坡上部和坡中部随土层深度增加呈现线性递减,在坡下部呈指数函数递减。0～30cm土层中土壤有机质含量显著大于30cm深度以下土层,并在坡中部和坡下部呈现与210Pbex类似的土壤剖面分布特征。与对照坡地比较,50次犁耕活动导致坡上部、坡中部0～45cm土层的SOM含量分别降低了38%和47%,坡下部0～100cm土层中的SOM含量却提高了18%。坡上部土壤剖面中137Cs浓度的加权平均值从1.48Bq/kg降低到0.29Bq/kg,坡中部从2.53Bq/kg减少到0.33Bq/kg,坡下部从1.48Bq/kg提高到2.81Bq/kg。210Pbex浓度的剖面加权平均值在坡上部从27.71Bq/kg下降到6.15Bq/kg,在坡中部和坡下部分别从35.46Bq/kg和25.53Bq/kg降低到1.57Bq/kg和19.40Bq/kg。137Cs和210Pbex的剖面分布与SOM在p<0.001水平呈显著相关,相关系数R2值在对照坡地为0.81～0.86,在犁耕实验坡地为0.86～0.91。实验结果表明,环境放射性核素137Cs和210Pbex在黄     

137Cs法测算梁峁坡农耕地土壤侵蚀量的初探

本文介绍了¹³⁷Cs法测算农耕地土壤侵蚀量的基本原理和方法。梁峁坡农耕地和梯田5个土壤剖面的¹³⁷Cs含量的测定结果表明,土壤剖面的¹³⁷Cs总量很好地表征了农耕地的侵蚀程度。根据卡钱诺斯基和奎因（Kachanoski and Quine）1987年分别提出的曲线和本文提出的公式求得的侵蚀模数值和实测资料分析值基本吻合。     

Land husbandry: an agro-ecological approach to land use and management Part 1: Considerations of landscape conditions

In this, the first of two papers, the roles of key features of any landscape in determining potentials for erosional losses of soil and water are considered from an agro-ecological viewpoint. In this light, the effectiveness of past commonly-accepted approaches to soil and water conservation are often found to have been inadequate. In many cases they have tackled symptoms of land degradation without appreciating fully the background causes, which often relate to inadequate matching of land-use/land-management with features of the landscape. A number of reasons for this mismatch are suggested. Understanding the ecological background to land husbandry (as defined below) will improve the effectiveness of attempts to tackle land degradation. In particular, an ecologically based approach to better land husbandry helps to foresee potential problems in some detail, so that appropriate forward planning can be undertaken to avoid them. This paper describes some practical ways of undertaking an appropriate survey of significant landscape features, enabling the definition and mapping of discrete areas of different land-use incapability classes. This is accompanied by an example of how the outcome was interpreted and used to guide the selection of appropriate areas which were apparently suitable for growing flue-cured tobacco within an area of ca. 140 km² in Malawi. This process relied on knowledge and experience in various disciplines (interpretation of air-photos, topographic survey, soil survey, vegetation analysis, hydrology, soil & water conservation, geology, agronomy) so as to ensure that the mapping process was based on the principles of better land husbandry.     

Land husbandry: an agro-ecological approach to land use and management Part 2: Consideration of soil conditions

This paper, complementing the first part (Shaxson et al., 2014), sketches the outlines of an ecologically-based approach to better care of soils, within the overarching context of ‘land husbandry’, contributing to more-effective conservation of soil and water. It suggests an up-dated paradigm which concentrates more on renewing and conserving the biologically-moderated spaces in the soil in the root-zone rather than on the solid soil-particles themselves. When read in sequence, the two papers offer contributions to better understanding of both the problems and the possibilities for solving the ongoing uncertainties of how best to repair damaged lands, to maintain and improve those areas already in use, and to safeguard the potentials of those as-yet-unopened areas which surely will be brought into production in the future, by the planning and executing of optimum strategies for assuring sustainability of their uses into the future. These two papers do not set out to challenge existing knowledge, but rather to suggest additions to, and alternative interpretations of, what may already be known. The conclusions suggest some important amplifications to any curriculum for the training and/or up-dating of people involved in those subject-areas which contribute to better land husbandry and more-effective conservation of soil and water, as well as to the buffering of soils’ productive capacities against the possible adverse effects of climate change.     

Assessment of deforestation impact on soil erosion in loess formation using 137Cs method (case study: Golestan Province,Iran)

Golestan, a province in the North-East of Iran, is characterized by high coverage of loess deposits. Since 1963, the area has experienced approximately 200,000 ha deforestation due to land-use changes in agriculture and increasing demand for wood. Approximately, 110,000 ha of the clear-cut lands are under dry-farming, mainly for wheat cropping, and about 86,000 ha have been reforested. This IAEA funded project is the first attempt to use nuclear techniques in the East of Hircanian Forest for determination of on-site impacts of deforestation due to two land-use changes (i.e. dry farming and reforestation). Practicing long-term dry-farming led to 60% soil losses with a mean rate of 2 mm per year. The net erosion rate of croplands on loess deposits in the study area was 32.27 t ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹. Reforestation, cultivation of even-aged Cypress trees since 1993, showed 13 to 60 percent effectiveness in soil conservation. Dry-farming land use resulted in the loss of 95 t ha⁻¹ soil organic carbon (SOC) stock at a mean rate of 1.7 t ha⁻¹ over 54 years. Cultivating Cypress trees successfully restored the SOC content by 100% compared with the SOC in original forests. The conversion of dry-farming lands to orchards of olive trees since 2004, brought more income for farmers but were less effective in soil conservation because of low canopy cover of olive trees. Our data provide key information and guidance for land users and decision-makers about implementing strategic and sustainable conservation practices to restore degraded land.     

Applications of the continuous-flow stirred-cell (CFSC) technique: II. The adsorption behaviour of Na, Cs, Sr, Cu, Ni and Pb on humic acids

The first part of this paper deals with the sorption of Na, Cs, Sr, Ni, Cu and Pb on two humic fractions derived from a soil. The sorption data for individual elements were obtained using the continuous-flow stirred-cell (CFSC) technique, in which the metal sorptive solution is pumped through a cell containing a known mass of the humic acid retained by a filter and the solution emerging from the cell was analysed by either atomic absorption spectrometry (Cu, Ni and Pb) or by the combined use of radioisotope dilution and gamma-ray spectroscopy (Na, Cs and Sr). Sorption isotherms were determined at two flow rates. It was found that, in general, the sorption isotherms for all the metals studied could be described by the Langmuir equation and parameters derived from the fitted line provided information on the metal-humate binding strengths and the maximum amount of metal sorbed per unit mass of humic acid. Caesium showed anomalous behaviour at certain flow rates in both its sorption and desorption behaviour. In the second part of the paper we discuss the sequential sorption and desorption of one metal by another on the same humic fraction, using Na, Cs, Zn and Cd. The aim was to elucidate the nature of the binding process when several metals were competing simultaneously for the functional groups on the humic acids. In addition, at the end of the experiment, the humic material was isolated and analysed by gamma-ray spectroscopy to determine the metals still bound in this fraction. Some tentative conclusions concerning the nature of the metal-humate complexes are made on the basis of these data.     

内蒙古太仆寺旗北部地区不同地表类型~(137)Cs含量及其分布特征

选择内蒙古太仆寺旗北部地区为研究区,采用野外取样和室内分析,初步探讨了不同土地利用类型地表(灌丛沙堆、草地、耕地)的137Cs含量及其分布特征。研究表明,在0～30cm深度,137Cs活度平均值为4.97±0.31Bqkg-1,137Cs总量平均值为2149±133.8Bqm-2。不同地表137Cs活度排序为草地耕地灌丛沙堆,137Cs总量的排序为:灌丛沙堆草地耕地。灌丛沙堆的137Cs活度和137Cs总量的变异系数(ν=S/X)分别达到了146.1%、142.1%,而草地和耕地的137Cs活度和137Cs总量的变异系数分别为63.90%、74.67%和62.98%、55.61%。通过典型样点的深度分布可以看出,灌丛沙堆137Cs剖面分布形态大体符合侵蚀-沉积剖面,草地137Cs剖面为负指数分布,耕地地表137Cs分布比较均匀。     

The use of land evaluation information by land use planners and decision-makers: a case study in Santa Catarina, Brazil

Abstract. Land evaluation is the prediction of land performance over time under specific uses, to guide strategic land use decisions. Modern land evaluation has a 30 year history, yet the results have often been disappointing. Land users and planners have been reported to ignore land evaluations, perhaps reflecting poor quality, low relevance, or poor communication. To test the success of a large land evaluation exercise undertaken as part of micro-catchment project in Santa Catarina State, southern Brazil, we queried agricultural extensionists, considered as the primary land evaluation clients. We used a questionnaire with both structured and open questions, to determine their experiences with, and attitudes to, the current land evaluation method. The soil resource inventory and associated land evaluation had some usefulness, but were not in general used for their intended purpose, namely farm planning. This was mainly because they did not contain crucial information necessary to such planning in the actual context of the farmer taking decisions. The primary deficiencies were identified as:

• (1)

  no estimate of environmental degradation risk;

       
  
  

Determining the effects of wildfire on sediment sources using 137Cs and unsupported 210Pb: the role of landscape disturbances and driving forces

Purpose

Wildfires represent one of the major natural disturbances within forested landscapes and have potential implications for the quality and function of downstream aquatic ecosystems. This study aimed to determine if a wildfire in a mountainous, forested watershed in British Columbia, Canada, caused a change in the dominant sediment source in the immediate 1?C2?years following the wildfire, and if the sediment sources changed over the medium term (3?C7?years) as the landscape recovered.

Materials and methods

Source materials (surface soil, subsurface soil and channel bank material) and fluvial (suspended and channel bed) sediment samples were collected over the period 2004 to 2010 from a watershed burnt by a wildfire in 2003, and from an adjacent watershed that was not impacted by the fire. Samples were analysed for the fallout radionuclides (FRNs) caesium-137 (¹³⁷Cs) and unsupported lead-210 (²¹⁰Pb_un). An unmixing model was used to calculate the relative source contributions of the fluvial sediment samples.

Results and discussion

¹³⁷Cs and ²¹⁰Pb_un were concentrated in the upper layers of surface soils in both watersheds and were statistically different to concentrations in subsurface and channel bank material. In the burnt watershed, FRN concentrations were greatest in the ash layer. Sediment sources as determined by the unmixing model were 100?% subsurface/channel bank material in the unburnt watershed, while in the burnt watershed 8.5?±?2.5?% was derived from surface soils. In both watersheds, there were no major changes in the relative contributions from surface soil and from subsurface/channel bank material over the period 2004 to 2010. Thus, while the wildfire did cause a change in sediment sources, it was fairly subtle and did not conform to the effects following wildfire described for other studies in contrasting environments, which typically document a major increase in hillslope contributions relative to channel bank sources.

Conclusions

There was a limited response in terms of fine-grained sediment sources (and also sediment fluxes) in the burnt watershed. The reason for this muted response to a severe wildfire is likely to be the lack of precipitation, especially winter precipitation and the associated snowmelt, in the first year following the wildfire. Thus while the landscape was primed for erosion and sediment transport, the lack of a driving force meant that there was a limited immediate post-fire sediment response.     

Implications of soil substrate and land use for properties of fen soils in North-East Germany Part I: Basic soil conditions,chemical and biological properties of topsoils

Abstract

The objective of the paper was to analyse the implications of the origin of peat (muck) soil substrate, the current type of land use and the state of anthropogenic soil development for the topsoil properties of fens. Chemical and biological properties of peat soils of the Rhin-Havelluch lowland and the Uckermark rural landscape were analyzed. The unit water content according to Ohde and the ash content were utilized to characterize the anthropogenic development status of peat topsoils. Several chemical properties were significantly influenced by soil substrate, in particular by the proportion and kind of the mineral component. The substrate was associated with the hydrological type of mire and the soil development state. TOC/N ratio and microbial activity were increased in cases of high lime spring mires and moorshified low ash peat. The proportion of easily soluble organic carbon increased, whereas the sulphur content decreased with the soil development state. The nitrogen content and the proportions of oxalate soluble iron and aluminium reached maxima in the moorshified state. The type of land use (grassland, forest) significantly influenced the topsoil pH and the proportion of oxalate soluble phosphorus. Soils under forest were clearly determined by topsoil acidification.     

The effects of land use and climate on red kite distribution in the Iberian peninsula

The main breeding populations of the red kite (Milvus milvus L.), have been declining in the Iberian peninsula during the last decade. However, there is a lack of regional assessments of habitat suitability that identifies limiting ecological factors for the species and areas with conservation problems. In this work we present a regional model for the distribution and abundance of breeding red kites in the Iberian peninsula. The occurrence and estimated abundance in 100 km² UTM squares resulting from road censuses were modelled with broad-scale explanatory variables obtained from satellite imagery, thematic digital cartography, climatic data and spatial coordinates. The occurrence model incorporated mainly climatic variables and had a good discrimination ability, while the abundance model incorporated mainly land-use variables and had a lower explanatory power (r²=0.14). The predictions somewhat overestimated the results of the censuses, and this agrees with the decline of population size and range observed for this species in the Iberian peninsula. These models are relevant in the conservation of the species: first, they suggest the limiting factors for red kite in the Iberian peninsula, and, second, they generate predictive maps pointing out both areas in which conservation problems may be acute (suitable locations that are unoccupied), and areas where no data is available but the red kite is likely to be present (thus guiding further survey and research).     

Bioaccumulation of 110mAg, 60Co, 137Cs and 54Mn by the Freshwater Crustacean Daphnia magna from Dietary sources (Scenedesmus obliquus and Cyclotella meneghiana)

The importance of food as radionuclide source for the crustaceanDaphnia magna was investigated using a planktonic food chain composed of young pre-adult daphnids and two algal species(Scenedesmus obliquus and Cyclotella meneghiana). Daphnids placed in a tank containing natural 0.45 μm filteredwater were fed on algae previously kept during 4 days in natural water contaminated by ^110mAg, ⁶⁰Co, ¹³⁷Cs and ⁵⁴Mn. After about one week of exposure, daphnids wereplaced in non-contaminated water on a diet of non-labelled algae,in order to monitor radionuclide release. The results suggest that the Trophic Transfer Factor (TTF) of radionuclides in daphnids was generally greater for the transfer via Scenedesmus than via Cyclotella> and that it could be linked to the intracellular fraction of accumulated radionuclidesand consequently to their biochemical behaviour. For theradionuclide transfer via Cyclotella meneghiana, the biological periods ranged, for the first compartment, from 7 to 30 min and for the second, from 10 h to 1.8 d. As regards thetransfer via the green algae Scenedesmus obliquus the biological half-lives were longer, since Tb₁ characterizing the first compartment, ranged from 11 min to 5.2 h, whereas Tb₂ ranged from 1.2 to 2.1 d. From an operational point of view, this paper underlines the importanceof considering the food contamination in the models of radionuclide transfer through trophic chains, in order to widentheir applications in different seasons or ecosystems.     

Local faces,global flows: The role of land use and land cover in global environmental change

The emergence of land-use and land-cover change (LUCC) as one of the major themes within the global environmental change research community poses a series of difficult but not insurmountable problems. LUCC takes place incrementally through the operation of sets of human and biophysical forces largely specific to the locale in question, but cumulatively LUCC contributes significantly to global environmental change. Linking LUCC to global change requires the cooperation of the natural and social sciences to bridge the local to global dynamics involved. The International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme and the Human Dimensions of Global Environmental Change Programme are undertaking the development of an international research project with such aims in mind. This project seeks to improve understanding of LUCC dynamics by balancing the need for a nuanced understanding at the local level with the need from improved regional and global LUCC models. The rudiments of this effort and some of problems confronting it are outlined here.     

Habitat use and preliminary demographic evaluation of the critically endangered Mediterranean monk seal (Monachus monachus) in the Cilician Basin (Eastern Mediterranean)

Over the last few decades a dramatic decline in the number of Mediterranean monk seals (Monachus monachus) limited scientific studies on the biology, behaviour, and ecology of the species. This lack of information impaired the effectiveness of conservation strategies. Thus, any further information gathered on the monk seal has utmost value in the work to halt and reverse the plight of the species. A hitherto unknown Cilician Basin colony of the Mediterranean monk seal has been investigated during a 6-year period between 1995 and 2001. Results of direct in-cave surveys and land based seal-watch observations enabled the evaluation of habitat use and preliminary demographic information. A total of 39 caves were discovered among which only three were used for breeding. Scarcity of the breeding caves emphasised the importance of breeding habitat in the survival of the colony. Common features of the breeding caves are found as an entrance with a protective barrier against strong waves; a chamber with a wide beach; and a well-sheltered shallow pool. Supplementary data obtained from infrared monitors installed in three actively used caves were used to assess the number of individuals. Throughout the study period, 25 individuals were identified and 11 newborn pups were found. Evaluation of the results suggests the presence of sub-regions inhabited by an individually identified sub-group of monk seals. Recommendations for conservation guided by this information is a Marine Protected Area consisting of two zones; a restricted core zone prohibiting any human activity securing breeding habitat and a restricted fishery zone securing sustainability of the food source.     

Soil physical quality: Part I. Theory, effects of soil texture, density, and organic matter, and effects on root growth

A soil physical parameter, S, is defined. It is equal to the slope of the soil water retention curve at its inflection point. This curve must be plotted as the logarithm (to base e) of the water potential against the gravimetric water content (kg kg⁻¹). The value of S is indicative of the extent to which the soil porosity is concentrated into a narrow range of pore sizes. In most soils, larger values of S are consistent with the presence of a better-defined microstructure. Much previous work has shown that this microstructure is responsible for most of the soil physical properties that are necessary for the proper functioning of soil in agriculture and the environment. The use of S is illustrated with examples of soils with different texture, density (or degree of compaction), and organic matter (OM) content. The effects of S on root growth in soil are investigated, and S is shown to be a better indicator of soil rootability than bulk density. It is suggested that S can be used as an index of soil physical quality that enables different soils and the effects of different management treatments and conditions to be compared directly.     

The effects of soil moisture variability on the vegetation pattern in Mediterranean abandoned fields (Southern Spain)

The demographic pressure decrease in Southern Spanish Mediterranean mountainous areas in the mid twentieth century led to the abandonment of agriculture and rupture in the geo-ecosystem balance which had existed until then. Since then, different phases of recovery have been put into action to return the landscape to its earlier natural condition according to climate and soil degradation state after the abandon. In Mediterranean climatic conditions (between subhumid and semi-arid regimes), degraded soil recovery has followed different tendencies rendering the landscape in heterogenic and complex one. This heterogeneity has manifested in the vegetation pattern of abandoned fields. In this paper, we analyze the state of three abandoned fields situated under different Mediterranean climatic conditions from the recovery point of view by means of monitoring the effects of spatial and temporal variability of soil moisture in the vegetation pattern over a period of two years sampling (Nov. 2002–Nov. 2004). The results showed that: i) more annual rainfall volume did not guarantee success in the biological recovery of the system due to the influence of other factors such as the degradation state of the soil post-abandonment or the steep slope gradient; ii) soil moisture variability tended to play a more important role in affecting vegetal cover in semi-arid conditions; and iii) in dry climatic conditions the system demonstrated greater signs of recovery (greater biodiversity).