Using unsupported lead-210 measurements to investigate soil erosion and sediment delivery in a small Zambian catchment

Traditional techniques used to assemble information on rates of erosion and soil redistribution possess many important limitations. As a result, the use of environmental radionuclides, and more particularly ¹³⁷Cs measurements, has attracted increasing attention in recent years as a means of obtaining spatially distributed information on rates of erosion and deposition. The application of the ¹³⁷Cs approach is, however, hampered in some areas of the world where ¹³⁷Cs inventories are low and the low concentrations of ¹³⁷Cs found in soils and sediments cause problems for laboratory analysis. These problems will increase as time progresses due to the radioactive decay of the existing inventory, most of which was deposited as fallout ca. 40 years ago. This contribution explores the potential for using another fallout radionuclide, namely unsupported ²¹⁰Pb, as an alternative to ¹³⁷Cs, in the small (63 km²) Upper Kaleya catchment in southern Zambia where ¹³⁷Cs inventories are already very low. The approach employed with unsupported ²¹⁰Pb is similar to that used for ¹³⁷Cs, although the essentially constant fallout of unsupported ²¹⁰Pb through time means that the resulting estimates of erosion and soil redistribution rates reflect a longer period of time (ca. 100 years rather than ca. 40 years). The estimates of erosion and deposition rates derived from the unsupported ²¹⁰Pb measurements are used to construct typical sediment budgets for the three main land-use types in the Upper Kaleya catchment, namely, commercial cultivation, communal cultivation and bush grazing. The results obtained from the unsupported ²¹⁰Pb are compared with equivalent results based on ¹³⁷Cs measurements provided by a previous investigation undertaken in the study catchment. The two sets of results are highly consistent. The study reported confirms the viability of using unsupported ²¹⁰Pb as an alternative to ¹³⁷Cs in this environment and demonstrates that conjunctive use of both radionuclides can provide additional information on the erosional history of a study area.     

Preliminary results of usingCs to study wind erosion in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

The world fallout of caesium-137 (¹³⁷Cs) associated with nuclear weapons testing during the 1950s and 1960s has provided a valuable man-made tracer for studies of soil erosion and sediment delivery. But relatively few researchers have used it to estimate wind erosion. In this paper, the¹³⁷Cs technique is introduced into the study of wind erosion and its modern processes in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Two¹³⁷Cs reference inventories of 982·11 and 2376·04 Bq m⁻²was established preliminarily, which distribute in the south and mid-north parts of the study area respectively. By analysing the patterns of¹³⁷Cs depth profiles from sampling sites, the aeolian processes of erosion and deposition along nearly 40 years has been revealed, i.e. the shrub coppice dunes(S1) and semi-fixed dunefields (S3) had experienced the alternation of erosion and deposition, while the grasslands (S4, S6 and S7) and dry farmlands (S5) suffered erosion only. By using the¹³⁷Cs model, the average wind erosion rates for shrub coppice dune (S1), semi-fixed dunefields (S3), dry farmlands (S5) and grasslands (S4, S6 and S7) were estimated to be 84·14, 69·43, 30·68 and 21·84 tha⁻¹a⁻¹respectively, and for the whole Plateau, averaging 47·59 ha⁻¹a⁻¹which can be regarded as the medium erosion standard. These results derived from¹³⁷Cs for the first time have significant implications for the further research of wind erosion and desertification control in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.     

From water to tillage erosion dominated landform evolution

While water and wind erosion are still considered to be the dominant soil erosion processes on agricultural land, there is growing recognition that tillage erosion plays an important role in the redistribution of soil on agricultural land. In this study, we examined soil redistribution rates and patterns for an agricultural field in the Belgian loess belt. ¹³⁷Cs derived soil erosion rates have been confronted with historical patterns of soil erosion based on soil profile truncation. This allowed an assessment of historical and contemporary landform evolution on agricultural land and its interpretation in relation to the dominant geomorphic process. The results clearly show that an important shift in the relative contribution of tillage and water erosion to total soil redistribution on agricultural land has occurred during recent decades. Historical soil redistribution is dominated by high losses on steep midslope positions and concavities as a result of water erosion, leading to landscape incision and steepening of the topography. In contrast, contemporary soil redistribution is dominated by high losses on convex upperslopes and infilling of slope and valley concavities as a result of tillage, resulting in topographic flattening. This shift must be attributed to the increased mechanization of agriculture during recent decades. This study shows that the typical topographical dependency of soil redistribution processes and their spatial interactions must be accounted for when assessing landform and soil profile evolution.     

210Pb and 137Cs dating methods in lakes: A retrospective study

²¹⁰Pb has been used for more than two decades to provide the geochronology of annually deposited sediments and to construct pollution histories. Evidence from some lakes suggests that this radionuclide may be adequately mobile to compromise dating reliability. This study provides one test of that possibility by comparing recent measurements of ²¹⁰Pb and trace metals to ones carried out more than 20 yrs in the past. ¹³⁷Cs dating is used to confirm sediment accumulation rates in the recent cores. In the three Connecticut, USA, lakes studied, sediment accumulation rates changed abruptly to higher values between 40-50 yrs ago (increasing by factors of 2.2, 2.9, and 3.0). In all three lakes, rates calculated from ²¹⁰Pb distributions both above and below this horizon agreed, within measurement uncertainty, in recent and older cores. Furthermore, when the older data were corrected for 20 yrs of burial, the changes in slope in ²¹⁰Pb distributions occurred at the same depth in each pair of cores. The depth of sharp peaks in concentrations of trace metals also matched. In general, this evidence supports the idea that sediments in these lakes have simply been buried, without significant diagenetic remobilization of ²¹⁰Pb and trace metals . Nevertheless, some important differences were also observed. For two of the three lakes, there was a significant difference in average sediment accumulation rate during the past 33 yrs as calculated from ¹³⁷Cs and ²¹⁰Pb in the recent cores. Most potential causes for this difference can be ruled out, and it appears that one of the two nuclides is remobilized compared to the other. There were also significant differences in the total inventories of both ²¹⁰Pb and trace metals (both up to 2 ×) between recent and older cores in some cases. This may be due to dissimilar sediment focusing, since it is not known for certain whether the new cores were collected at exactly the same sites as in the past.     

Application of210Pb in soils

The spectroscopic measurement of soil samples is described.²¹⁰Pb data from a soil survey in western-Europe are briefly reviewed. The average²¹⁰Pb flux from the atmosphere, as determined from²¹⁰Pb _exc soil inventories, is 90 Bq m^–2a^–1. A simple one-dimensional box-chain model is described. The model simulates the vertical, post depositional transport of natural and fall-out radionuclides in the soil. Simulation of measured²¹⁰Pb _exc ,¹³⁴Cs,¹³⁷Cs, and²⁴¹Am soil profiles shows that mixing (bioturbation) is a very efficient transport mechanism. Lead seems to be strongly fixed to organic and clay particles. It is transported by the displacement of the organic and clay carrier substances. The mean residence time of lead, caesium, plutonium and americium in organic rich forest soils is in the order of 250–1000 years. An applicability study in investigate the use of²¹⁰Pb in erosion problems showed erosion rates from 60–180 g m^–2a^–1 on organic rich forest and meadow sites with 10°–25° slopes.This is the eighth of a series of papers to be published by this journal following the 20 ^th anniversary of the first application of²¹⁰Pb dating of lake sediments. Dr P. G. Appleby is guest editing this series.     

Suspended sediment and Cs fluxes during the exceptional December 2003 flood in the Rhone River, southeast France

At the beginning of December 2003, one of the biggest floods for at least 150 yr was recorded on the Rhone River. In the lower part of the river, the peak flood reached 11,000 m³ s⁻¹. The geomorphological and radioecological consequences of such an event were investigated downstream all the nuclear installations by using measured and calculated fluxes and the total export of suspended sediment and associated ¹³⁷Cs. Results pointed out the major role played by large floods in the annual suspended sediment load, as 3.70 × 10⁶ tons of silts, 0.85 × 10⁶ tons of sands, and 0.84 × 10⁶ tons of clays were transferred towards the coastal environment. Nevertheless, these solid loads were found to be lower than those expected as regards the liquid discharge reached during this event and suggested that previous floods that occurred on the river and on its main tributaries during the last decade have probably led to the removal of available sediment from the channels and their banks. Besides, the ¹³⁷Cs activity measured within the suspended load was estimated at 14.9 ± 0.4 Bq kg⁻¹, which is a level characteristic of the suspended sediments from the Rhone catchment area and demonstrated that nuclear installations located along the Rhone valley did not significantly contribute to any increase in ¹³⁷Cs activity in the water during the flood. The total ¹³⁷Cs particulate export amounted to 77 ± 17 GBq and was mainly associated with the silt fraction that contributes to around 70% of the total ¹³⁷Cs export.     

Sediment accumulation of Dianchi Lake determined by 137Cs dating

The water quality of Dianchi Lake declines quickly and the eutrophication is getting serious. To identify the internal pollution load of Dianchi Lake it is necessary to evaluate its sediment accumulation. Sedimentation rates of Dianchi Lake are determined by ¹³⁷Cs dating. However, ¹³⁷Cs vertical distribution in sediment cores of Dianchi Lake has special characteristics because Dianchi Lake is located on the southeast of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, the Kunming quasi-stationary front is over the borders of Yunnan and Guizhou where the specific precipitation is distributed. Besides 1954, 1963 and 1986 ¹³⁷Cs marks can be determined in sediment cores, a ¹³⁷Cs mark of 1976 representing the major period of ¹³⁷Cs released from China unclear test can be determined and used for an auxiliary dating mark. Meanwhile Dianchi Lake is divided into seven sections based on the water depth, basin topography, hydrological features and supplies of silt and the lakebed area of each section is calculated. The mean annual sedimentation rates for seven sections are 0.0810, 0.1352, 0.1457, 0.1333, 0.0904, 0.1267 and 0.1023 g/cm²a in 1963–2003, respectively. The gross sediment accumulation of the lake is 26.18×10⁴ t/a in recent 17 years and 39.86×10⁴ t/a in recent 50 years. Foundation: National Natural Science Foundation of China, No.40771186; The Key Project of the State Key Laboratory of Soil Sustainable Agriculture, Nanjing Institute of Soil Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No.5022505 Author: Zhang Yan (1962–), Ph.D and Associate Professor, specialized in environmental change.     

Post-depositional 137Cs Mobility in the Sediments of Three Shallow Coastal Lagoons, SW England

We present ¹³⁷Cs profiles for three low lying coastal lagoons in Southwest England that show a decline in activity with sediment depth. ¹³⁷Cs inventories are lower than expected by comparison with local reference inventories despite the fact that sampling was undertaken in the deep-water zone of each lake where sediment and ¹³⁷Cs focusing would be expected. At all three locations, lake sediment ⁷Be and unsupported ²¹⁰Pb (²¹⁰Pb_un) inventories are not significantly lower than the local reference inventory. ¹³⁷Cs inventories in the study cores range from 38 to 95% of local reference inventories. The standing water level and mud: water interface at two sites are below maximum tide level and, at all three sites, salinity increases significantly in the water columns between low and high tide and in the pore waters of the underlying sediments. We suggest that the difference in hydrostatic pressure between sea level and standing water levels in the lagoons forces salt water up through the sediment column and that monovalent cations (especially Na⁺ and K⁺) replace ¹³⁷Cs on exchange sites leading to the upward migration and loss of ¹³⁷Cs. Rising sea levels may therefore contribute to remobilisation and release of ¹³⁷Cs to the aquatic environment from the sediments of coastal lagoons.     

Difficulties in interpreting fast mixing in the radiometric dating of sediments using 210Pb and 137Cs

²¹⁰Pb geochronologies should be validated with independent tracers such as ¹³⁷Cs. In the cases with constant ²¹⁰Pb activity in the topmost sediments, the presence of a distinct ¹³⁷Cs peak within the ²¹⁰Pb plateau has been used as a definitive demonstration of acceleration (increase in the sedimentation rate in recent years) versus fast mixing. Nevertheless, some limitations can be identified in the use of semiquantitative arguments, and a global understanding of the whole ¹³⁷Cs activity profile is then required. Particularly, the incomplete mixing within the top sediment zone (described through the Incomplete Mixing Zone model) can explain quantitatively and simultaneously the ¹³⁷Cs peak and the flattening in the ²¹⁰Pb activity profile. This is demonstrated using selected examples from literature data. Thus, measured constant ²¹⁰Pb activities in the top 6 cm of a sediment core from Lake Zürich. Nevertheless, they found ⁷Be only in the uppermost layer, the distinct ¹³⁷Cs maximum at 6 cm depth, and undisturbed varves. The fast mixing seemed then opposed to common sense. The constant rate of supply model shows acceleration and it adequately matches the position of the 1963 ¹³⁷Cs peak. Nevertheless it fails to explain the whole ¹³⁷Cs profile when handling time series of ¹³⁷Cs atmospheric deposition. Finally, it is shown how the incomplete mixing of the activity (through the pore water) over a certain mass depth at the top sediment, with a finite value of the mixing coefficient, can quantitatively explain the whole activity versus mass depth profiles of ¹³⁷Cs and ²¹⁰Pb, and the presence of ⁷Be only in the uppermost sediment layer. A further validation of these ideas is presented from other literature data.     

Occurrence of soil erosion after repeated experimental fires in a Mediterranean environment

In the Mediterranean area, forest fires have become a first-order environmental problem. Increased fire frequency progressively reduces ecosystem recovery periods. The fire season, usually followed by torrential rains in autumn, intensifies erosion processes and increases desertification risk. In this work, the effect of repeated experimental fires on soil response to water erosion is studied in the Permanent Field Station of La Concordia, Valencia, Spain. In nine 80 m² plots (20 m long × 4 m wide), all runoff and sediment produced were measured after each rainfall event. In 1995, two fire treatments with the addition of different biomass amounts were applied. Three plots were burned with high fire intensity, three with moderate intensity, and three were unburned to be used as control. In 2003, the plots with the fire treatments were burned again with low fire intensities. During the 8-year interval between fires, plots remained undisturbed, allowing regeneration of the vegetation–soil system. Results obtained during the first 5 months after both fire experiments show the high vulnerability of the soil to erosion after a repeated fire. For the burned plots, runoff rates increased three times more than those of 1995, and soil losses increased almost twice. The highest sediment yield (514 g m^− 2) was measured in 2003, in the plots of the moderate fire intensity treatment, which yielded only 231 g m^− 2 of sediment during the corresponding period in 1995. Runoff yield from the control plots did not show significant temporal changes, while soil losses decreased from 5 g m^− 2 in the first post-fire period to 0.7 g m^− 2 in the second one.     

Soil erosion risk scenarios in the Mediterranean environment using RUSLE and GIS: An application model for Calabria (southern Italy)

Soil erosion by water (WSE) has become a relevant issue at the Mediterranean level. In particular, natural conditions and human impact have made the Calabria (southern Italy) particularly prone to intense WSE. The purpose of this investigation is to identify areas highly affected by WSE in Calabria by comparing the scenarios obtained by assuming control and preventive measures and actions, as well as actual conditions generated by forest fires, also in the presence of conditions of maximum rainfall erosion.Geographic Information System techniques have been adopted to treat data of reasonable spatial resolution obtained at a regional scale for application to the RUSLE model. This work is based on the comparison of such data with a basic scenario that has been defined by the present situation (present scenario). In this scenario: (i) R has been assessed by means of an experimental relation adjusted to Calabria on the basis of 5-min observations; (ii) K has been drawn from the soil map of Calabria including 160 soilscapes; (iii) LS has been estimated according to the RUSLE2 model by using (among other subfactors) a 40-m square cell DTM; (iv) C has been derived by processing the data inferred from the project Corine Land Cover, whose legend includes 35 different land uses on three levels; and (v) P has been hypothesized as equal to 1.For the remaining three hypothesized scenarios, the RUSLE factors have been adjusted according to experimental data and to data in the literature. In particular, forest areas subject to fire have been randomly generated as far as fire location, extension, structure, and intensity are concerned.The values obtained by the application of the RUSLE model have emphasized that land management by means of measures and actions for reducing WSE causes a notable reduction of the erosive rate decreasing from ~30 to 12.3 Mg ha^− 1 y^− 1. On the other hand, variations induced by hypothetical wildfires in forests on 10% of the regional territory bring WSE over the whole region to values varying from 30 to 116 Mg ha^− 1 y^− 1.This study can be offered to territorial planning authorities as an evaluation instrument as it highlights the merits and limitations of some territorial management actions. In fact, in Calabria no observations exist concerning the implications of these actions.     

A vacuum sampler for subsampling freeze-dried laminated sediments with the application toin situ frozen varves of Mondsee,Austria

A method was developed for subsampling freeze-dried laminated sediments that employs a vacuum to draw off sediment from the sample in a precise way. The technique was tested on anin situ frozen sediment core of Mondsee containing varves 2 to 7 mm thick. Material was subsampled for¹³⁷Cs dating.     

Low-background gamma counting: applications for210Pb dating of sediments

Sediment cores from three lakes were dated with²¹⁰Pb using a constant rate of supply (CRS) model. We used low-background gamma counting to measure naturally occurring levels of²¹⁰Pb,²²⁶Ra, and¹³⁷Cs in sediment samples because sample preparation is simple and non-destructive,²²⁶Ra activity provides a direct measure of supported²¹⁰Pb activity for each sample analyzed, and¹³⁷Cs activity may provide an independent age marker for the 1962–1963 peak in atmospheric fallout of this radionuclide. In one core supported²¹⁰Pb activity was estimated equally well from²²⁶Ra activity of each sampling interval or from the mean total²¹⁰Pb activity of constant activity samples at depth. Supported²¹⁰Pb activity was constant with depth in this core. In a short freeze core, determining²²⁶Ra activity of every sample proved advantageous in estimating supported²¹⁰Pb activity because supported²¹⁰Pb activity could be estimated from²¹⁰Pb measurements only at the deepest sampling interval. Supported²¹⁰Pb activity estimated from²²⁶Ra activity also yielded more precise estimates of highly variable sedimentation rates. In the third core²²⁶Ra activity exceeded²¹⁰Pb activity at the top of the core and varied 20 fold with depth. This high input of²²⁶Ra in disequilibrium with²¹⁰Pb is attributed to recent erosion of radium-bearing materials in the drainage basin. These data invalidate the assumption that supported²¹⁰Pb activity is constant in sediment cores and can be estimated from the mean total²¹⁰Pb activity at depths where²¹⁰Pb activity is constant. We recommend using gamma counting or another independent assay of²²⁶Ra to validate the assumption of constant supported²¹⁰Pb activity in sediment cores if there is reason to expect that²²⁶Ra activity varies with depth.This is the fourth of a series of papers to be published by this journal following the 20 ^th anniversary of the first application of²¹⁰Pb dating of lake sediments. Dr. P.G. Appleby is guest editing this series.     

The role of soil erosion and fluvial processes in the post-fallout redistribution of Chernobyl-derived caesium-137: a case study of the Lapki catchment, Central Russia

The central area of the Russian Plain received substantial amounts Cs-137 fallout as a result of the Chernobyl accident in 1986, with inventories exceeding 40 kBq m⁻² in many of the areas close to Chernobyl. Concern over the longer-term fate of this contamination has focused attention on the need to predict the post-fallout redistribution of the radiocaesium and, thus, future changes in the spatial distribution of contamination in the landscape. Since radiocaesium reaching the land surface as fallout is rapidly and strongly adsorbed by soil and sediment particles, any attempt to predict its post-fallout redistribution must focus on erosion and sediment delivery processes and must rely heavily on a knowledge of the geomorphological processes involved. This paper reports a detailed investigation of post-fallout Cs-137 redistribution in the 2.18-km² Lapki catchment in the Middle-Russian Upland, which has required consideration of soil erosion processes, sediment delivery pathways, sediment delivery ratios and sediment sinks. The time elapsed since the Chernobyl accident is currently insufficient to result in significant reduction of Cs-137 inventories in eroding areas, but areas of deposition on both the lower slopes and on the balka sides and bottoms are already marked by significant increases in Cs-137 inventories. The results obtained emphasise that any attempt to develop meaningful predictions of the longer-term redistribution of Chernobyl-derived Cs-137 fallout within the Russian Plain must be based on a sound and detailed understanding of the linkage between the slopes and the balka systems and the fate of sediment entering the balka systems.     

A review of runoff generation and soil erosion across scales in semiarid south-eastern Spain

Climate, lithology, soil and especially, intense land use/cover changes, make SE Spain very vulnerable to runoff generation and water erosion leading to loss of nutrients and organic matter and to infrequent but devastating floods, reservoir siltation and mass failures. This susceptibility has led to heavy economic investment and research efforts since the 1980s, making this region a worldwide reference for understanding the hydrology and geomorphology of semiarid ecosystems. Runoff and soil erosion have been intensively studied throughout the last decades in various natural ecosystems as well as in abandoned farmlands. Research has considered a wide range of methods and spatial and temporal scales. This paper reviews the methods and data describing runoff generation and water erosion, synthesising the key processes involved, rates, thresholds and controlling factors from a scale-dependent perspective. It also identifies the major gaps in current knowledge to provide recommendations for further research towards solutions that reduce the negative impacts of erosion. Research in SE Spain has contributed significantly to a better understanding of the effect of spatial and temporal scale on runoff and sediment yield measurements, and highlighted the important role of distinct erosion and sediment transport processes, hydrologic connectivity, spatial and temporal patterns of rainfall, the occurrence of extreme events and the impacts of land use changes. The most effective ways and challenges to predict runoff, soil erosion and sediment yield at the catchment scale are also discussed.     

The transport and mass balance of fallout radionuclides in Blelham Tarn, Cumbria (UK)

Although lake sediment archives are widely used for reconstructing historical records of atmospherically delivered pollutants, the quantitative relationship between fallout levels and their record in the sediments is complex and not well known. The original input signal from the atmosphere can be significantly distorted by mediating transport processes in the catchment, through the water column and within the sediments themselves. Since these processes also affect the fallout radionuclide ²¹⁰Pb commonly used to date sediments, a better understanding of their impact is also important to improving the accuracy and reliability of sediment dating. Blelham Tarn has been the subject of a number of palaeolimnological investigations using radiometric dating techniques since the early 1970s. More recently it was the site of a major study carried out within the EU Transuranics project concerning the long-term fate of fallout radionuclides in catchment/lake systems. This paper reviews the radiometric data from this study and uses the results to determine mass balances for fallout ²¹⁰Pb, ¹³⁷Cs and ^239+240Pu in Blelham Tarn, and their spatial distribution over the bed of the lake. Atmospheric fluxes were determined by measuring concentrations in rainwater and cumulative inventories in soil cores from non-eroding sites. Sediment records in a grid of 16 cores were used to determine the spatial distribution over the bed of the lake, and net inputs from the catchment. Mass balance calculations indicate that c. 47% of ²¹⁰Pb in the sediments derives from erosive inputs from the catchment. For ^239+240Pu the figure rises to 61%. Reduced amounts of ¹³⁷Cs in the sediments are attributed to greater losses of this radionuclide from the water column via the outflow due to its greater solubility. Inputs of radionuclides from the catchment are concentrated near one of the major input streams. Away from this part of the lake the sediment record is dominated by direct atmospheric fallout, though the detailed pattern is influenced by sediment focussing. A one parameter catchment/lake transport model is developed that incorporates the assumption that transport rates will decline with time as fallout on the catchment diffuses into the soil and becomes less available for removal. Values of the transport parameter were calculated for ²¹⁰Pb and ^239+240Pu and found to be comparable. The results suggest that it will take c. 11000 years to remove 50% of ^239+240Pu from the catchment to the lake.     

Chronology of Sediment Deposition in Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon

A combination of tephrochronology and ¹⁴C, ²¹⁰Pb, and ¹³⁷Cs measurements provides a robust chronology for sedimentation in Upper Klamath Lake during the last 45 000 years. Mixing of surficial sediments and possible mobility of the radio-isotopes limit the usefulness of the ¹³⁷Cs and ²¹⁰Pb data, but ²¹⁰Pb profiles provide reasonable average sediment accumulation rates for the last 100–150 years. Radiocarbon ages near the top of the core are somewhat erratic and are too old, probably as a result of detrital organic carbon, which may have become a more common component in recent times as surrounding marshes were drained. Below the tops of the cores, radiocarbon ages in the center of the basin appear to be about 400 years too old, while those on the margin appear to be accurate, based on comparisons with tephra layers of known age.Taken together, the data can be combined into reasonable age models for each site. Sediments have accumulated at site K1, near the center of the basin, about 2 times faster than at site CM2, on the margin of the lake. The rates are about 0.10 and 0.05 cm/yr, respectively. The chronological data also indicate that accumulation rates were slower during the early to middle Holocene than during the late Holocene, consistent with increasing wetness in the late Holocene.     

Drainage ditch erosion history as recorded in the varved sediment of a small lake in East Finland

Short core stratigraphy of total N, P, Zn, Hg and diatoms were investigated in the varved sediment of Lake Heinälampi, a small 8 m deep pond in East Finland. The sediment has recently changed from organic mud to minerogenic silt. The presence of varved sediment offers independent control for ²¹⁰Pb and ¹³⁷Cs dates and these are in good agreement: the sediment quality initially changed around the year 1930 due to increaed field erosion, and the inflow of mineral matter was further increased by ditching of paludified forests in 1980.Diatom analysis reveals that eutrophication has occurred before and concurrent with the sedimentary change. The causes of eutrophication and the increased levels of Zn and Hg are discussed.     

Sedimentary response of Pagham Harbour, southern England to barrier breaching in AD 1910

This paper examines the evolution of Pagham Harbour, southern England following storm-induced breaching of a protective barrier in AD 1910. Stratigraphic studies of sediments collected from intertidal areas show the presence of a distinct stratigraphic horizon in the northeast of Pagham Harbour at ca. 0 to +1.0 m ordnance datum (OD). Radiometric data indicate that this horizon is a ‘reclamation surface’ formed after land claim in AD 1846. Following marine flooding in AD 1910, sediment has accreted relatively rapidly (at a broadly constant rate of between 4 and 8 mm a⁻¹), wave and/or tidal energy have decreased and extensive marshes have developed. An asymptotic reduction in sediment accretion rate through time, as predicted in various theoretical models of salt marsh accretion, is not observed. Over the entire Pagham Harbour area, the period between AD 1948 and AD 1986 has seen an average marsh loss of 0.0087 km² a⁻¹, which is relatively small in comparison with other more exposed sites in the local area. Historically breached sites such as Pagham Harbour are common around European coasts, and these provide important natural laboratories within which the medium-term (decadal to centennial) coastal response to barrier breaching, and to managed-realignment coastal protection schemes, can be assessed.     

四川紫色土地区鹤鸣观小流域分布式侵蚀产沙模型

从四川省南部县鹤鸣观小流域Ⅱ号支沟为研究区,构建了适合紫色土地区小流域分布式侵蚀产沙模型。该模型以20m×20m栅格为空间步长,以10min为时间步长,定量分析鹤鸣观小流域Ⅱ号支沟水土流失程度,模拟了各时段每个栅格次降雨侵蚀产沙过程,计算了每个栅格次降雨径流量、侵蚀量与沉积量,并且运用递归算法计算出整个流域次降雨侵蚀产沙量,模型能够评价流域下垫面各因子空间分布不均匀性和人类活动的影响。在鹤鸣观小流域Ⅱ号支沟进行了模型的检验,模拟过程与实测结果符合较好。