A model of 137Cs activity profile for soil erosion studies in uncultivated soils of Mediterranean environments

Abstract

A model to simulate 137Cs profiles in soils during the time in which they are being eroded is proposed. The model uses one parameter to characterize the cesium transference in the soil and another to express the erosion rate. To test the model, 137Cs profiles of stable and eroded soils were collected at sampling sites located on semi-arid and temperate slopes in the Central Ebro basin, Spain. The 137Cs profiles, corresponding to uncultivated soils with natural vegetation cover, were simulated using this model. The 137Cs inventories and profiles calculated with the model are very similar to those measured experimentally, and thus it is possible to calculate soil erosion rates in physiographically diverse Mediterranean environments.