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.     

Variability in soil redistribution in the northern Chihuahuan Desert based on Cesium measurements

A hypothesis for understanding the stability of northern Chihuahuan Desert landscapes is that the distribution of soil resources changes from spatially homogeneous in arid grasslands to spatially heterogeneous in invading shrublands. Since radioactive fallout ¹³⁷Cesium (¹³⁷Cs) was deposited uniformly across the landscape during the 1950s and 1960s and was quickly adsorbed to soil particles, any redistribution of ¹³⁷Cs across the landscape would be due to soil redistribution or instability at either plant-interspaces or on a landscape scale. The concentration of ¹³⁷Cs in soils collected from different vegetation communities (black grama grass, tarbush, tobosa grass, and mesquite) at the USDA-ARS Jornada Experimental Range in the Northern Chihuahuan Desert in New Mexico was determined. At the black grama grass and tobosa grass sites, ¹³⁷Cs was uniformly distributed at the plant interspace scale. At the mesquite sites, ¹³⁷Cs was concentrated in the dune area under mesquite shrubs with little to no ¹³⁷Cs in the interdune areas. ¹³⁷Cs data support the hypothesis that significant soil redistribution has occurred at dune sites created by invading mesquite. In the arid grassland-shrub sites with black grama grass, tobosa grass, and tarbush the ¹³⁷Cs data support the hypothesis of spatially homogeneous distribution of soil resources. High concentrations of ¹³⁷Cs in the biological soil crusts (0–5 mm) at the tarbush sites indicate that biological soil crusts can contribute to the stability of these sites.     

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.     

Application of USLE in a GIS environment to estimate soil erosion in the Irga watershed,Jharkhand, India

A comprehensive methodology that integrates the Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE) and Geographic Information System (GIS) was adopted in this study to determine the soil erosion and sediment yield of the Irga watershed in Jharkhand, India. Based on the availability and applicability of data in a GIS-environment, the original equations for the model input parameters were, however, modified by researchers. In the present study, a power-law equation was generated to estimate the rainfall erosivity (R) factor, and the Nash-Sutcliffe model efficiency coefficient used to determine the accuracy of the modified R factor. Average annual soil erosion in the Irga watershed is estimated to be 4.3 t ha^?1 yr^?1. On the other hand, average annual sediment yield of the watershed, estimated using the sediment delivery ratio, was found to be 1.2 t ha^?1 yr^?1. Low sediment yield indicates that most of the eroded soil was deposited within the watershed.     

Evidence for an eolian origin for the silt-enriched soil mantles on the glaciated uplands of eastern Upper Michigan, USA

We provide textural, geochemical, and mineralogical data on a thin, silty deposit that unconformably mantles glaciated uplands in the eastern Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Previous research on this deposit, which we hypothesize to be loess, is nonexistent. The uplands were islands or narrow peninsulas within one or more glacial lakes. We compare the distribution, likely source and nature of the 20–60 cm thick silty mantle by using the loess formation model of Mason et al. [Mason, J.A., Nater, E.A., Zanner, C.W., Bell, J.C., 1999. A new model of topographic effects on the distribution of loess. Geomorphology 28, 223–236], which focuses on the generation of eolian silt by saltating sand across upwind, barren surfaces. Parabolic dunes, with arms open to the NW, are common on former lake floors upwind of the silt-mantled uplands, attesting to the strength and direction of paleowinds. The abrupt termination of the dunes at the footslopes of the uplands, associated with silt deposition on upland soil surfaces in downwind locations, are both consistent with the model of Mason et al. [Mason, J.A., Nater, E.A., Zanner, C.W., Bell, J.C., 1999. A new model of topographic effects on the distribution of loess. Geomorphology 28, 223−236]. Sediments on former lake floors contain abundant strata of fine/medium sand and silt, and thus are likely sources for the silt and dune sand. The cap, dune and lake sediments are similar along many different geochemical axes, whereas the substrate sediment, i.e., the drift below the cap, is unique. Cap sediments, normally containing roughly 30% silt, are enriched in quartz and depleted in Ti and Zr, relative to dune sediment. The dune sediment, a more residual eolian deposit, is enriched in Ti and Zr, relative to the cap, probably due to its greater abundance of heavy minerals. Therefore, we conclude that the silty cap is loess that was deflated from abandoned lake floors after nearby glacial lakes drained, probably contemporaneously with dune migration across the former lake floors.     

Sediment yield and runoff frequency of small drainage basins in the Mojave Desert, U.S.A.

Sediment yield from small arid basins, particularly in the Mojave Desert, is largely unknown owing to the ephemeral nature of these fluvial systems and long recurrence interval of flow events. We examined 27 reservoirs in the northern and eastern Mojave Desert that trapped sediment from small (< 1 km²) drainage basins on alluvial fans over the past 100 yr, calculated annual sediment yield, and estimated the average recurrence interval (RI) of sediment-depositing flow events. These reservoirs formed where railbeds crossed and blocked channels, causing sediment to be trapped and stored upslope. Deposits are temporally constrained by the date of railway construction (1906–1910), the presence of ¹³⁷Cs in the reservoir profile (post-1952 sediment), and either 1993, when some basins breached during regional flooding, or 2000–2001, when stratigraphic analyses were performed. Reservoir deposits are well stratified at most sites and have distinct fining-upward couplets indicative of discrete episodes of sediment-bearing runoff. Average RI of runoff events for these basins ranges from 2.6 to 7.3 yr and reflects the incidence of either intense or prolonged rainfall; more than half the runoff events occurred before 1963. A period of above-normal precipitation, from 1905 to 1941, may have increased runoff frequency in these basins. Mean sediment yield (9 to 48 tons km^− 2 yr^− 1) is an order of magnitude smaller than sediment yields calculated elsewhere and may be limited by reduced storm intensity, the presence of desert pavement, and shallow gradient of fan surfaces. Sediment yield decreases as drainage area increases, a trend typical of much larger drainage basins where sediment-transport processes constrain sediment yield. Coarse substrate and low-angle slopes of these alluvial fan surfaces likely limit sediment transport capacity through transmission losses and channel storage.     

Exploring the potential of perennial crops in reducing soil erosion: A GIS-based scenario analysis in southern Tuscany,Italy

Preserving soils is a major challenge in ensuring sustainable agriculture for the future. Soil erosion by water is a critical issue in the Mediterranean regions and usually occurs when high-erosive precipitation is in temporal association with poor vegetation cover and density. Modelling soil erosion risks over large spatial scales suffers from the scarcity of accurate information on land cover, rainfall erosivity and their intra-annual dynamics. We estimated the soil erosion risk on arable land in a Mediterranean area (Grosseto Province, southern Tuscany, Italy) and investigated its potential reduction as a response to the change in intra-annual distribution of land cover due to the increase of perennial forage crops. A GIS-based (R)USLE model was employed and a scenario analysis was performed by setting criteria for raising the performance of perennial forage crops. Statistical data on agricultural crops provided an insight into current intra-annual land cover dynamics. Rainfall erosivity was computed on the basis of 22-year hourly precipitation data. The model was used to: i) quantify the potential soil losses of arable land in the study area, ii) identify those areas highly affected by erosion risks iii) explore the potential for soil conservation of perennial crops, thereby enabling appropriate preventive measures to be identified. The erosion rates, averaged over an area of about 140’000 ha, are estimated to 33.42 Mg ha⁻¹ y⁻¹. More than 59% of the study area was subjected to soil losses higher than 11 Mg ha⁻¹ y⁻¹ (from moderate to severe erosion) and the highest rates are estimated for steep inland areas. Arable land with severe soil erosion rates (higher than 33 Mg ha⁻¹ y⁻¹) represent about 35% of the whole study area. The risk of soil loss by water erosion in the study area is estimated to be reduced on average by 36% if perennial crops are increased in terms of 35% of the total arable land. The soil erosion data produced compared well with the published local and regional data. This study thus provides useful preliminary information for landscape planning authorities and can be used as a decision support tool in quantifying the implications of management policies.     

A model of Cs activity profile for soil erosion studies in uncultivated soils of Mediterranean environments

A model to simulate ¹³⁷Cs profiles in soils during the time in which they are being eroded is proposed. The model uses one parameter to characterize the cesium transference in the soil and another to express the erosion rate. To test the model, ¹³⁷Cs profiles of stable and eroded soils were collected at sampling sites located on semi-arid and temperate slopes in the Central Ebro basin, Spain. The ¹³⁷Cs profiles, corresponding to uncultivated soils with natural vegetation cover, were simulated using this model. The ¹³⁷Cs inventories and profiles calculated with the model are very similar to those measured experimentally, and thus it is possible to calculate soil erosion rates in physiographically diverse Mediterranean environments.     

莫索湾南缘沙漠植物群落多样性抽样方法的研究

2005年9月中下旬,在莫索湾南缘沙漠设置的200m×40m样带内共观测到植物物种22个,其中草本物种占77．3%。通过种一面积方程拟合和临界抽样面积的求解发现要达到抽取群落60%以上物种,临界样方面积至少在518．33m~2以上,而草本物种在735．49m~2以上。样方间相似性指数分析发现样方布样经历的生境异质性越高,物种替代性增加,相似性降低,抽样效率提高。研究发现沿垂直于沙丘走向的方向布样,以4m×4m为基本样方,抽样272m~2即达到60%群落物种,远低于临界抽样面积的求解结果,表明基本样方大小和设置方向对抽样效率产生重要影响。由于沙漠物种偶见种多,频度和密度较低,并且分布的环境特异性强,认为对沙漠植物群落观测,样线法、巢式样方法以及对草本观测的梅花样方法均具有一定局限性,建议对草本和灌木物种多样性观测,在确定合理的布样方向基础上,以4m×4m为基本样方。提出对沙漠植物群落多样性结构和功能有全面了解,必须将局部抽样与区域抽样结合,增加抽样频率和强度。     

几种常用风沙颗粒测速方法对比

沙粒运动速度是风沙颗粒运动学和风沙流（一种特殊的气固两相流）研究中的一个重要参数,受到风沙物理学研究者们的长期关注。风沙颗粒运动速度研究遇到的关键问题是测量方面的困难,目前已经尝试应用了多种测量技术。对几种常用测试手段——光电管测速计、高速摄影、粒子动态分析仪（PDA）和粒子图像测速仪（PIV）的测量结果进行了对比分析。光电管测速计、高速摄影法、以及粒子动态分析仪在研究颗粒速度的分布方面比较有用,而粒子图像测速仪则是一种全场测速技术,是测量特定区域内平均速度场时空变化的有用工具。上述几种测试方法所得的结果既有相似之处,但也存在较大差别。根据这些测速手段所得到的沙粒速度的概率分布特征是相似的,但测量结果所反映的沙粒平均速度与风速、粒径以及其他可能影响因子间的关系存在明显差异。目前的测量技术均不能直接测量贴近层或沙床表面的沙粒速度,而这些数据在研究地表颗粒的起动机制时是相当重要的。虽然用不同的测量技术所得出的沙粒平均速度随高度的变化关系均为幂函数,但这些幂函数的估算结果差别很大。基于对比分析,我们认为,各种测速技术均有其独特的测量原理,各有其优劣,但对其测量结果的可靠性尚无定论。所以,为了充分运用不同的测速技术,需要做大量的工作对其进行验证标定,研发一种可靠的技术来测量风沙流中的沙粒速度仍然是目前风沙物理研究的重要任务。     

Simulation of soil erosion and deposition in a changing land use: A modelling approach to implement the support practice factor

Using the USPED (Unit Stream Power Erosion Deposition) model, three land use scenarios were analysed for an Italian small catchment (15 km²) of high landscape value. The upper Orme stream catchment, located in the Chianti area, 30 km south of Florence, has a long historical agriculture record. Information on land use and soil conservation practices date back to 1821, hence offering an opportunity to model impacts of land use change on erosion and deposition. For this study, a procedure that takes into account soil conservation practices and potential sediment storage is proposed. The approach was to calculate and model the flow accumulation considering rural and logging roads, location of urban areas, drainage ditches, streams, gullies and permanent sediment sinks. This calculation attempts to assess the spatial variability, especially the impact of support practices (P factor). Weather data from 1980–2003 were taken into account to calculate the R factor. However, to consider the intense pluviometric conditions in terms of the erosivity factor, the 0.75th quantile was used, while the lowest erosivity was modelled using the 0.25th quantile. Results of the USPED model simulation show that in 1821 the mean annual net erosion for the watershed was 2.8 Mg ha^− 1 y^− 1; in 1954 it was 4.2 Mg ha^− 1 y^− 1; and in 2004 it was 5.3 Mg ha^− 1 y^− 1. Conservation practices can reduce erosion processes by ≥ 20 Mg ha^− 1 y^− 1 when the 1821 practices are introduced in the present management. On the other hand, if the support practices are not considered in the model, soil erosion risk is overestimated. Field observation for the present-day simulation confirmed that erosion and associated sediment deposition predicted by the model depend, as expected, on geomorphology and land use. The model shows limitations that are mainly due to the input data. A high resolution DEM is essential for the delineation of reliable topographic potential to predict erosion and deposition especially in vineyards.     

Measuring the velocity of sand particles in an air/particle two-phase flow: A comparison of several commonly used methods

The velocity of blown sand particles is an important parameter in aeolian movement （a special case of gas particle two-phase flow） and has ever been a topic of interest. At present, several techniques have been applied in measuring velocity of the blown sand particles. This paper reviews the measurement results of several commonly used methods： photoelectric cell method, high-speed photographic method, Particle Dynamics Analyzer （PDA） method and Particle Image Velocimetry （PIV） method. Photoelectric cell method, high-speed photograph method and PDA method are useful in studying the velocity distribution of particles. PIV is a whole-flow-field technique and a useful tool to study the average velocity field in a target area. These methods got some similar results but considerable differences also exist. They have come to similar conclusions on the velocity distributions at a single height but direct measurement results with respect to the velocity distribution very close to the surface are still scarce except some PDA results. The magnitude of measured mean particle velocity differs greatly. The relationship obtained by different methods between mean particle velocity and wind velocity, particle size and possibly other influencing factors also differs considerably. Although several authors have proposed similar power functions to describe the variation with height of the mean particle velocity, the predicted results have wide differences. Each technique is based on some unique principles, and has its advantages and disad- vantages. To make full use of different techniques, a lot of work needs be done to validate them. Developing a reliable technique to measure the velocity of blown particles is still a necessary task in aeolian research.     

气候变化和人类活动对南方红壤丘陵区森林生态系统影响模拟研究——以江西泰和县为例

在全球气候变化和人类活动的影响下,森林生态系统结构、功能以及空间格局都将发生不同程度的变化。明晰景观尺度上未来森林的动态变化,对森林可持续发展具有重要意义。选择江西省泰和县为研究区,综合利用土地利用模型（CA-Markov）和森林景观动态模型（LANDIS-II）,并结合生态系统过程模型（PnET-II）,模拟气候变化、土地利用、采伐以及综合情景下未来40年（2010-2050年）阔叶林、针叶林的面积及生物量变化。结果表明：① 气候变化对森林面积影响较小,采伐使森林面积显著减少,土地利用变化使森林面积的变化更加剧烈;② 针叶林和阔叶林对不同干扰方式的响应表现出较强差异,针叶林对采伐的响应更加剧烈;③ 多模型综合模拟方法有助于区域森林管理,为南方红壤丘陵区森林结构优化和功能提升提供科学建议。     

Use of the revised universal soil loss equation (RUSLE) for soil and nutrient loss estimation in long-used rainfed agricultural lands,North Ethiopia

This study was conducted to quantify agricultural land degradation in the Ruba Gered watershed, Ethiopia. The watershed was divided into 12 land mapping units (LMU) after superimposing maps of soil, slope, land use/cover, and elevation. Subsequently, cultivated land was delineated to assess degradation types and severity based on standard approaches. Sheet erosion was estimated using the revised universal soil loss equation. Composite soil samples were collected from each LMU to quantify key soil nutrients (OM, total nitrogen, available phosphorus, and available potassium) lost by sheet erosion. The annual average soil loss due to sheet erosion was estimated to be 17.4 t ha^?1 yr^?1, with average annual nutrient losses estimated as 246.5 kg ha^?1 organic matter, 12.4 kg ha^?1 total nitrogen, 0.1 kg ha^?1 available phosphorus, and 1.6 kg ha^?1 available potassium. The study revealed that substantial quantities of soil and nutrients are lost every year in the study area due to severe sheet erosion. This amount of nutrient loss severely degrades soil and reduces soil fertility.     

干旱区大尺度土壤盐度信息环境建模——以新疆天山南北中低海拔冲积平原为例

区域空间信息有助于决策者针对特定潜在和既定的土壤盐渍化区域制定改良和优化政策,以避免灌区水土资源的不合理配置和干旱区土地生态系统持续性退化。然而现存区域尺度土壤盐度数据以矢量方式留存,多边形内部土壤属性无空间变异性,缺乏实时更新,对当下实际指导作用具有一定的局限性。随着人类活动的加剧,土壤及其结构性退化正加速危害土壤质量和健康。对此,急需更新或升级,用于刻画干旱区生态系统中土壤盐度数据,以辅助制定相关政策,减缓土壤盐渍化的危害。针对此问题,本文基于代表性等级的采样设计方法（Integrative Hierarchical Sampling Strategy, IHSS）,获取少量典型样点,结合土壤—环境推理模型（soil land inference model, SoLIM）,尝试推理区域尺度土壤盐分含量信息。研究以新疆天山南北中低海拔冲积平原为案例,仅以23个代表性样本,推理陆表（0~10 cm）土壤盐分含量,源自3个典型绿洲94个野外样本的验证数据显示,依据评判标准,预测结果与实际情况较为相符,与线性回归模型相比,具备处理土壤与环境变量之间非线性关系的SoLIM,推理精度更高。所以,研究认为模糊隶属度加权平均的方法（IHSS-SoLIM）可以通过较小的建模点得到更好的预测效果,可作为区域尺度土壤盐度推理的备选方案。     

陕北黄土高原丘陵沟壑区聚落适宜空间模式研究——以米脂县东沟为例

黄土高原丘陵沟壑区是我国西部新型城镇化实践的克难攻坚地,在未厘清地域性特征的情况下,现代城乡规划设计的介入对当地环境和文化产生了较大冲击。以陕北米脂县东沟为例,基于卫星遥感影像、数字高程模型(DEM)等数据,利用格网法揭示东沟地形变化与聚落规模的空间分布特征,借助四象限散点图法和立体网格分维模型测度并评价东沟地形复杂性与聚落集聚性的耦合协调关系及聚落空间分布效率,总结适宜于沟壑区的聚落空间营建模式。结果表明:(1)东沟聚落从沟口至沟内存在明显的空间分异特征:如聚落逐步偏离河岸,其建筑密度和容积率呈现从高到低、再升高降低的变化等。(2)根据东沟地形复杂度与聚落集聚度的叠加分析,平缓地形中的集聚聚落与复杂地形中的分散聚落属于人地关系协调的聚落类型,这两类聚落约占所有聚落总规模的70.5%。(3)东沟聚落的立体网格分维数分段特征明显,其中台地行列式和自由行列式聚落的立体分维数最高,为2.35~2.55。(4)在5种东沟典型人居空间模式中,台地行列式、自由行列式及密集斑块式聚落具有人地协调、空间利用高效的双重特征,可作为丘陵沟壑区聚落空间营建的参考。     

A comparison of scenario-based hybrid bilevel and multi-objective location-allocation models for earthquake emergency shelters: a case study in the central area of Beijing,China

The accurate location and allocation of disaster emergency shelters are key components of effective urban planning and emergency management. Various models have been developed to solve the location-allocation problem, but gaps remain with regard to model realism and associated applicability. For the available location and allocation models of earthquake emergency shelters, uncertainty with respect to earthquake hazard, population exposure, rate of damage to buildings and the effects of evacuee behavior are often neglected or oversimplified. Moreover, modifying the models can be an alternative means of improving the solution quality when the optimization algorithm has difficulty coping with a complex, high-dimensional problem. This article develops a scenario-based hybrid bilevel model that addresses the concerns related to high-dimensional complexity and provides a higher degree of realism by incorporating the uncertainties of population dynamics and earthquake damage scenarios into location-allocation problems for earthquake emergency shelters. A modified particle swarm optimization algorithm combined with a simulated annealing algorithm was applied to derive solutions using the hybrid bilevel model and a conventional multi-objective model, and the solutions obtained using the two models were then compared. The novel features of the study include the hybrid bilevel model that considers the dynamic number of evacuees and its implementation for earthquake emergency shelter location and allocation. The results show that the solutions significantly differ between daytime and nighttime. When applied to the multi-objective model, the optimization algorithm is time consuming and may only find the local optima and provide suboptimal solutions in the considered scenarios with more evacuees. By contrast, the hybrid bilevel model shows more desirable performance because it significantly reduces the dimensionality of the location-allocation problem based on a two-step-to-reach approach. The proposed hybrid bilevel model is proven to be useful for optimal shelter allocation, and the presented results can be used as a reference for balancing the interests of the government and residents during the planning of shelters in Beijing.