Estimating the soil erosion and deposition rate using 137Cs tracer method in the catchment of Drenova reservoir (B&H)

Abstract

There are many limitations associated with traditional approaches to estimation of soil erosion and deposition rates. Recently attention has been focused on 137Cs and successful usage of this isotope in soil erosion studies. This paper presents the results of measurements of 137Cs in soil profiles which were sampled within catchments of Drenova reservoir. The proportional model and a simplified version of the mass balance model were used to estimate the mean soil loss or deposition redistributions rates. The aim of this study is to estimate the soil erosion and deposition rates using 137Cs tracer model, as a support for the results obtained by empirical methodology.

Keywords

• soil erosion
• soil deposition
• 137Cs concentration
• 137Cs inventory
• catchments of Drenova reservoir