137 Cs is an artificial radionuclide with a half-life of 30.2 years,which was released into the environment as a byproduct of atmospheric testing of nuclear weapons during the period of 1950s to 1970s with a peak depo...137 Cs is an artificial radionuclide with a half-life of 30.2 years,which was released into the environment as a byproduct of atmospheric testing of nuclear weapons during the period of 1950s to 1970s with a peak deposition in 1963.137 Cs fallout was strongly and rapidly adsorbed by soil particles when it deposited on the ground mostly with precipitation.Its following movements will associate with the adsorbed particles.137 Cs tracing technique has been widely used in soil erosion and sedimentation studies since 1980s.This paper introduces the basis of the technique and shows several case studies of assessment of soil erosion rates,investigation of sediment sources and dating of reservoir deposits by using the technique in the Loess Plateau and the Upper Yangtze River Basin.展开更多
The level-trench method is a traditional tillage operation to develop a drainage system on slope land in the Three Gorges region. Before crops are planted, farmers prepare the land with level trenches spaced 3-1o m ap...The level-trench method is a traditional tillage operation to develop a drainage system on slope land in the Three Gorges region. Before crops are planted, farmers prepare the land with level trenches spaced 3-1o m apart, depending on the slope gradient： steeper slopes require shorter distances. Little scientific analysis has been done on the use of traditional level trenches for soil conservation. We conducted a field investigation and simulation experiments, and present a comparison between the spacing of level trenches and the slope length required for rill initiation. The results indicate that the spacing of level trenches in farmland is close to the slope length required for rill initiation in the experimental plots, and regression models of trench spacing with the gradient and the slope length required for rill initiation with the gradient have similar formats; the coefficients of determination （R2） for the two equations are 0.99 and 0.88, respectively. There were some differences between the field survey and experiments, but we conclude that the traditional level-trench method has an important role in preventing rill initiation.展开更多
Accelerated soil erosion and land degradation represent major environmental problems for agricultural lands.Reliable information on the rates of soil loss is urgently needed.The traditional techniques for documenting ...Accelerated soil erosion and land degradation represent major environmental problems for agricultural lands.Reliable information on the rates of soil loss is urgently needed.The traditional techniques for documenting rates of soil loss may meet this need,but face many limitations.The fallout radionuclides,especially 137 Cs and 210 Pb ex,are increasingly used as effective tracers to quantify soil erosion rates,and they represent a valuable complement to the existing classical methods.This paper aims to introduce the basis for assessing soil erosion rates on cultivated and uncultivated slopes by using 137 Cs and 210 Pb ex measurements,to compare the 137 Cs and 210 Pb ex reference inventories,and to report several case studies undertaken in the hilly area of Sichuan Basin and the Three Gorges area of China.展开更多
基金supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 40971169,41101259)Ministry of Environmental Protectionof China (Grant No. 2009ZX07104-002-06)State Key Laboratory of Environmental Geochemistry (Grant No. SKLEG9008)
文摘137 Cs is an artificial radionuclide with a half-life of 30.2 years,which was released into the environment as a byproduct of atmospheric testing of nuclear weapons during the period of 1950s to 1970s with a peak deposition in 1963.137 Cs fallout was strongly and rapidly adsorbed by soil particles when it deposited on the ground mostly with precipitation.Its following movements will associate with the adsorbed particles.137 Cs tracing technique has been widely used in soil erosion and sedimentation studies since 1980s.This paper introduces the basis of the technique and shows several case studies of assessment of soil erosion rates,investigation of sediment sources and dating of reservoir deposits by using the technique in the Loess Plateau and the Upper Yangtze River Basin.
基金supported by the Ministry of Science and Technology of China (Grant No.2011BAD31B03)the Ministry of Environment of China (Grant No.2009ZX07104-002-06)
文摘The level-trench method is a traditional tillage operation to develop a drainage system on slope land in the Three Gorges region. Before crops are planted, farmers prepare the land with level trenches spaced 3-1o m apart, depending on the slope gradient： steeper slopes require shorter distances. Little scientific analysis has been done on the use of traditional level trenches for soil conservation. We conducted a field investigation and simulation experiments, and present a comparison between the spacing of level trenches and the slope length required for rill initiation. The results indicate that the spacing of level trenches in farmland is close to the slope length required for rill initiation in the experimental plots, and regression models of trench spacing with the gradient and the slope length required for rill initiation with the gradient have similar formats; the coefficients of determination （R2） for the two equations are 0.99 and 0.88, respectively. There were some differences between the field survey and experiments, but we conclude that the traditional level-trench method has an important role in preventing rill initiation.
基金by the National Key Technology R&D Program (2011BAD31B03)the Important National Science & Technology Specific Projects (2009ZX07104-002-06)the ActionPlan for West Development of Chinese Academy of Sciences (KZCX2-XB3-09)
文摘Accelerated soil erosion and land degradation represent major environmental problems for agricultural lands.Reliable information on the rates of soil loss is urgently needed.The traditional techniques for documenting rates of soil loss may meet this need,but face many limitations.The fallout radionuclides,especially 137 Cs and 210 Pb ex,are increasingly used as effective tracers to quantify soil erosion rates,and they represent a valuable complement to the existing classical methods.This paper aims to introduce the basis for assessing soil erosion rates on cultivated and uncultivated slopes by using 137 Cs and 210 Pb ex measurements,to compare the 137 Cs and 210 Pb ex reference inventories,and to report several case studies undertaken in the hilly area of Sichuan Basin and the Three Gorges area of China.
