title: Using (137)Cs measurements to estimate soil erosion rates in the Pčinja and South Morava River Basins, southeastern Serbia.
abstract: The need for reliable assessments of soil erosion rates in Serbia has directed attention to the potential for using (137)Cs measurements to derive estimates of soil redistribution rates. Since, to date, this approach has not been applied in southeastern Serbia, a reconnaissance study was undertaken to confirm its viability. The need to take account of the occurrence of substantial Chernobyl fallout was seen as a potential problem. Samples for (137)Cs measurement were collected from a zone of uncultivated soils in the watersheds of Pčinja and South Morava Rivers, an area with known high soil erosion rates. Two theoretical conversion models, the profile distribution (PD) model and diffusion and migration (D&M) model were used to derive estimates of soil erosion and deposition rates from the (137)Cs measurements. The estimates of soil redistribution rates derived by using the PD and D&M models were found to differ substantially and this difference was ascribed to the assumptions of the simpler PD model that cause it to overestimate rates of soil loss. The results provided by the D&M model were judged to more reliable.
authors.affiliation: Institute for the Application of Nuclear Energy, University of Belgrade, P.O. Box 46, Belgrade, Serbia. Electronic address: jelenap@inep.co.rs.
authors.forename: Jelena
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Petrović
authors.affiliation: Vinča Institute of Nuclear Sciences, University of Belgrade, P.O. Box 522, Belgrade, Serbia.
authors.forename: Snežana
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Dragović
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Sciences and Mathematics, University of Niš, P.O. Box 224, Niš, Serbia.
authors.forename: Ranko
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Dragović
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Sciences and Mathematics, University of Niš, P.O. Box 224, Niš, Serbia.
authors.forename: Milan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Đorđević
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Sciences and Mathematics, University of Niš, P.O. Box 224, Niš, Serbia.
authors.forename: Mrđan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Đokić
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Sciences and Mathematics, University of Niš, P.O. Box 224, Niš, Serbia.
authors.forename: Bojan
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Zlatković
authors.affiliation: College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, EX4 4RJ, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Desmond
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Walling
mesh_terms: D002588:Cesium Radioisotopes / Q000032:analysis*; D047852:Chernobyl Nuclear Accident; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D011834:Radiation Monitoring; D011847:Radioactive Fallout; D045483:Rivers; D055771:Serbia; D012987:Soil / Q000737:chemistry*; D012990:Soil Pollutants, Radioactive / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D002588:Cesium Radioisotopes; D011847:Radioactive Fallout; D012987:Soil; D012990:Soil Pollutants, Radioactive
keywords: (137)Cs inventory; Diffusion and migration model; Empirical prediction model; Erosion rate; Profile distribution model