Soil redistribution studies using fallout 137Cs

The use Cesium 137 as tracer in soil erosion and soil redistribution studies has been demonstrated in many areas of the world, including the tropical areas of Thailand and Africa. However, in the Philippines, the technique has not been used yet for the quantification of erosion rate. There is also no quantitative data on long-term erosion rate in the country. A quantitative representation of the erosion problem is often very difficult to obtain because of the problems associated with data collection, and the diversity of analytical methods used. Although several methods have been used for predicting and quantifying soil erosion, the use of isotopes for the reconstruction of the erosional records, including the dating of sediment and studying topsoil movement has not been explored locally yet. Under the IAEA RCA 5/039 project Part 2, Measuring Soil Erosion/Sedimentation and Associated Pesticide Contamination, exploratory studies were made to determine the potential of Cesium 137 and Lead 210 as tracers of soil redistribution in agricultural areas