Fallout 137CS in the Soils and Sediments of Three Small Watersheds

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
A budget for the distribution of fallout 137Cs was calculated for three small watersheds in northern Mississippi. The cover in one contributing watershed is predominantly forest, in the second it is predominantly grass, and in the third predominantly grass and crops. Of the total 137Cs input, 97%, 88%, and 85%, respectively, remained in the forest, the grass, and the grass—crop watersheds. The concentration of 137Cs per unit area in the reservoir sediments was 2.8, 3.8, and 4.0 times that of the soils from the respective contributing watersheds, indicating that the reservoirs are acting as "traps" for 137Cs. Of the 137Cs eroded from the three contributing watersheds, 57%, 38%, and 25% was found in the respective sediments. The calculated loss of 137Cs per unit area was in this order: eroded soils > croplands > grass > forest.

This publication has 0 references indexed in Scilit: