Abstract
Background and aims
7Be has been used as a powerful tracer for estimating short-term soil redistribution by virtue of its short half-life. However, the existing conversion model associated with this radionuclide means that it can only be applied to bare soils because vegetation will intercept a large proportion of 7Be fallout. A modified model which takes into consideration the impact factor of vegetation was reported in this paper and the estimation of soil redistribution was compared by using both the conventional and the modified models.
Methods
Field experiment on 7Be distribution in above-ground grasses and soils was carried out on a 100 m2 grass-covered slope. The vegetation interception factor (P) was determined and the soil redistribution rates were calculated by using the previous model and the modified model.
Results
The result shows that nearly 40 % of the atmospherically deposited 7Be will be sequestered by leaf surfaces of herbaceous plants. Soil loss rates on grassland will be remarkably overestimated by using the previous model.
Conclusions
The net soil loss estimated from the modified model is more accurate than that derived from the conventional model and the modified model will be more appropriate to estimate soil redistribution rates on soils with significant vegetation cover by using 7Be technique.
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Acknowledgments
The financial support was provided by the National Key Technology R&D Program (2011BAD31B03) and the Action Plan for West Development of Chinese Academy of Sciences (KZCX2-XB3-09). The authors would also like to thank Prof. Xinbao Zhang from Institute of Mountain Hazards and Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, the anonymous reviewers and the editor for their valuable comments and suggestions.
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Responsible Editor: David James Chittleborough.
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Shi, Z., Wen, A., Ju, L. et al. A modified model for estimating soil redistribution on grassland by using 7Be measurements. Plant Soil 362, 279–286 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-012-1280-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-012-1280-x