title: Wet deposition and soil content of Beryllium - 7 in a micro-watershed of Minas Gerais (Brazil).
abstract: Beryllium-7 (7Be) is a natural radionuclide of cosmogenic origin, normally used as a tracer for several environmental processes; such as soil redistribution, sediment source discrimination, atmospheric mass transport, and trace metal scavenging from the atmosphere. In this research the content of7Be in soil, its seasonal variation throughout the year and its relationship with the rainfall regime in the Mato Frio creek micro-watershed was investigated, to assess its potential use in estimating soil erosion. The7Be content in soil shows a marked variation throughout the year. Minimum7Be values were observed in the dry season (from April to September) and were between 7 and 14 times higher in the rainy season (from October to March). The seasonal oscillations in7Be soil content could be explained by the asymmetric rainfall regime. A highly linear relationship between rainfall amount and7Be deposition was observed in rain water. A good agreement between7Be soil content and7Be atmospheric deposition was noticed, mainly in wet months.7Be penetration in soil reaches a 5 cm depth, this could be explained by the soil type in the region. The soils are Acrisol type, characterized by low pH values and clay illuviation in deeper layers of the soil. In some regions of Brazil special attention should be paid if this radionuclide will be used as soil erosion tracer, taking into account the soil origin and its particular properties.
authors.affiliation: Universidad Tecnológica de Panamá, Centro de Investigaciones Hidráulicas e Hidrotécnicas - (CIHH), Vía Domingo Díaz al lado de Pazco, S.A., 0819-07289, El Dorado, Panama; Setor de Meio Ambiente - (SEMAM), Centro de Desenvolvimento da Tecnologia Nuclear - (CDTN-CNEN), Av. Presidente Antônio Carlos 6627, Campus da UFMG, 31270-901 Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil.
authors.forename: Alexander D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Esquivel L
authors.affiliation: Setor de Meio Ambiente - (SEMAM), Centro de Desenvolvimento da Tecnologia Nuclear - (CDTN-CNEN), Av. Presidente Antônio Carlos 6627, Campus da UFMG, 31270-901 Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil.
authors.forename: Rubens M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Moreira
authors.affiliation: Serviço de Técnicas Analíticas - (SERTA), Centro de Desenvolvimento da Tecnologia Nuclear - (CDTN-CNEN), Av. Presidente Antônio Carlos 6627, Campus da UFMG, 31270-901 Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil.
authors.forename: Roberto Pellacani G
authors.initials: RPG
authors.lastname: Monteiro
authors.affiliation: Pontifícia Universidade Católica de Minas Gerais - (PUC-Minas), Av. Dom José Gaspar, 500 - Coração Eucarístico, Belo Horizonte, MG CEP 30535-901, Brazil.
authors.forename: Anômora A Rochido
authors.initials: AAR
authors.lastname: Dos Santos
authors.affiliation: Grupo de Estudios Ambientales - (GEA), Instituto de Matemática Aplicada San Luis - (IMASL), Universidad Nacional de San Luis - CONICET, Ejercito de los Andes 950, D5700HHW San Luis, Argentina; Departamento de Bioquímica y Ciencias Biológicas, Facultad de Química, Bioquímica y Farmacia, Universidad Nacional de San Luis, Ejercito de los Andes 950, D5700HHW San Luis, Argentina. Electronic address: jjuri@unsl.edu.ar.
authors.forename: Jimena
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Juri Ayub
authors.affiliation: Grupo de Estudios Ambientales - (GEA), Instituto de Matemática Aplicada San Luis - (IMASL), Universidad Nacional de San Luis - CONICET, Ejercito de los Andes 950, D5700HHW San Luis, Argentina; Departamento de Física, Facultad de Ciencias Físico Matemáticas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de San Luis, Ejercito de los Andes 950, D5700HHW San Luis, Argentina.
authors.forename: Diego L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Valladares
mesh_terms: D001608:Beryllium / Q000032:analysis*; D001938:Brazil; D011834:Radiation Monitoring; D011868:Radioisotopes / Q000032:analysis*; D011891:Rain; D012987:Soil / Q000737:chemistry*; D014872:Water Movements
chemical_list: D011868:Radioisotopes; D012987:Soil; D001608:Beryllium
keywords: (7)Be; Atmospheric deposition; Gamma spectrometry; Soil content; Soil erosion