Using 137Cs to investigate net soil erosion at two soil benchmark sites in Quebec

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Abstract
137Cs in the soil was used to estimate soil erosion at two National Soil Conservation Program benchmark sites in the province of Quebec (sites 15-QU and 16-QU). The 137Cs baseline in an uneroded forest area was approximately 3100 Bq m−2. The 137Cs content at site 15-QU ranged from 1072 Bq m−2 to 6389 Bq m−2, while at site 16-QU it ranged from 663 Bq m−2 to 5444 Bq m−2. Computed net erosion over the past 30 yr at site 15-QU varied from a loss of 9.65 kg m−2 yr−1 to a gain of 10.88 kg m−2 yr−1 and at site 16-QU from a loss of 6.38 kg m−2 yr−1 to a gain of 1.73 kg m−2 yr−1. The average net erosion rates were 2.43 kg m−2 yr−1 at site 15-QU and 1.29 kg m−2 yr−1 at site 16-QU. Soil samples collected on a grid pattern indicated that 90% and 83% of the area at sites 15-QU and 16-QU, respectively, was subjected to net soil loss. A comparison of total 137Cs movement from eroded areas to depositional areas showed that 24.2% of 137Cs was lost from site 15-QU, while about 17.6% of 137Cs was lost from site 16-QU. Mapping of 137Cs content and calculated soil loss and deposition showed that soil erosion was closely related to topography.Under similar slope conditions, the soil erosion rates were 27–68% higher at site 15-QU than at site 16-QU. Higher tillage frequency and use of silage corn were the suggested reasons for the higher soil erosion rates at site 15-QU compared with site 16-QU, which had been used for hay and small grains. Key words: 137Cs, erosion, deposition, soil conservation

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