Nuclear radiation applications in hydrological investigations

The applications of radiation sources for the determination of water and soil properties in hydrological investigations are many and varied. These include snow gauging, soil moisture and density determinations, measurement of suspended sediment concentrations in natural streams and nuclear well logging for groundwater exploitation. Besides the above, many radiation physics aspects play an important role in the development of radiotracer techniques, particularly in sediment transport studies. The article reviews the above applications with reference to their limitations and advantages. (author)