Plutonium isotopes can be used to model soil erosion in Kenya.

Autor: Dowell S; Inorganic Geochemistry, Centre for Environmental Geochemistry, British Geological Survey, Nottingham, NG12 5GG, UK.; School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Plymouth, Plymouth, Devon, PL4 8AA, UK., Humphrey O; Inorganic Geochemistry, Centre for Environmental Geochemistry, British Geological Survey, Nottingham, NG12 5GG, UK., Isaboke J; School of Environmental Sciences, University of Eldoret, Eldoret, Kenya., Barlow T; Inorganic Geochemistry, Centre for Environmental Geochemistry, British Geological Survey, Nottingham, NG12 5GG, UK., Blake W; School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Plymouth, Plymouth, Devon, PL4 8AA, UK., Osano O; School of Environmental Sciences, University of Eldoret, Eldoret, Kenya., Watts M; Inorganic Geochemistry, Centre for Environmental Geochemistry, British Geological Survey, Nottingham, NG12 5GG, UK. mwatts@bgs.ac.uk.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Environmental geochemistry and health [Environ Geochem Health] 2024 Jul 29; Vol. 46 (9), pp. 338. Date of Electronic Publication: 2024 Jul 29.
DOI: 10.1007/s10653-024-02084-2
Abstrakt: Climate change poses an immediate threat to tropical soils with changes in rainfall patterns resulting in accelerated land degradation processes. To ensure the future sustainability of arable land, it is essential to improve our understanding of the factors that influence soil erosion processes. This work aimed to evaluate patterns of soil erosion using the activity of plutonium isotopes (Pu) at sites with different land use and clearance scale in the Winam Gulf catchment of Lake Victoria in Kenya. Erosion rates were modelled at potential erosive sites using the MODERN model to understand small-scale erosion processes and the effect of different management practices. The lowest soil redistribution rates for arable land were 0.10 Mg ha -1  yr -1 showing overall deposition, resulting from community-led bottom-up mitigation practices. In contrast erosion rates of 8.93 Mg ha -1  yr -1 were found in areas where steep terraces have been formed. This demonstrates the significance of community-led participation in effectively managing land degradation processes. Another key factor identified in the acceleration of soil erosion rates was the clearance of land with an increased rate of erosion over three years reported (0.45 to 0.82 Mg ha -1  yr -1 ) underlining the importance vegetation cover plays in limiting soil erosion processes. This novel application of fallout plutonium as a tracer, highlights its potential to inform the understanding of how soil erosion processes respond to land management, which will better support implementation of effective mitigation strategies.
(© 2024. Crown.)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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