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TECHNICAL REPORT
Surface Water Quality

Cesium-134 as a Tracer to Study Particle Transport Processes within a Small Catchment with a Buffer Zone

^a Centre for Soil and Environmental Research, Jordforsk, N-1432 Aas, Norway
^b Dep. of Chemistry and Biotechnology, Isotope Lab., Agricultural Univ. of Norway, N-1432 Aas, Norway

* Corresponding authors (nina.syversen{at}jordforsk.no, lillian.oygarden{at}jordforsk.no)

Received for publication July 5, 2000. The purpose of the study is to use soil particles labeled with the radioactive tracer cesium-134 (¹³⁴Cs) as a method for studying soil erosion and sedimentation pattern within a small catchment with buffer zones. Cesium is adsorbed to soil particles, and by measuring changes in the ¹³⁴Cs activity on the soil surface, erosion, sedimentation, and pathways for particles can be traced. A harrowed area was surface-contaminated with ¹³⁴CsCl, while the buffer zone was left uncontaminated. A grid net in the tilled plot and buffer zone was established for in situ measurements of the ¹³⁴Cs activity after major runoff events from October 1993 to May 1996. In addition, ¹³⁴Cs activity and suspended solids in runoff were followed during the events. At the end of the experiment, the vertical distribution of ¹³⁴Cs in soil profiles and uptake of ¹³⁴Cs in vegetation within the buffer zone were determined. At the end of the experiment, about 54% of the applied tracer remained at the soil surface. Surface soil erosion occurred relatively uniformly across the hillslope due to sheet flow. Most of the tracer was transported vertically into the soil profile, probably during the first heavy rainfall 3 wk after application when the soil was newly tilled. Sedimentation occurred in the upper part of the buffer zone. The correlation between suspended particles in runoff and ¹³⁴Cs activity was good (R² = 0.76). The study also demonstrates the benefit of utilizing ¹³⁴Cs²⁺ tracer for investigating transport pathways for contaminated particles within a hillslope system without disturbing the surface soil system.

Abbreviations: cpm, counts per minute • SS, suspended solids