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Distribution characteristics of 137Cs in soil profiles under different land uses and its implication

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Abstract

This paper presents a study of the distribution of 137Cs in soils under three different land uses in a semiarid watershed. The results showed the average inventory of 137Cs in the cultivated land, woodland and grassland was 888, 1489 and 1650 Bq/m2, respectively. The pattern of depth distribution of 137Cs in the soil profiles with cultivated land, woodland and grassland was disturbed, eroding and aggrading, and normal profiles, respectively. The coefficient of variation of 137Cs inventory varied from 8.9 to 38.8 % for different land uses.

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Acknowledgments

The study was funded by the National Basic Research Program of China (2011CB403303) and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (41371284).

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Correspondence to Mian Li.

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Li, M., Yao, W., Yang, J. et al. Distribution characteristics of 137Cs in soil profiles under different land uses and its implication. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 308, 173–178 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-015-4319-7

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