Comparison of the soil losses from 7Be measurements and the monitoring data by erosion pins and runoff plots in the Three Gorges Reservoir region, China

The potential for using Be-7 measurements to document soil redistribution associated with a heavy rainfall was estimated using Be-7 method on a bare purple soil plot in the Three Gorges Reservoir region of China. The results were compared with direct measurement from traditional approaches of erosion pins and runoff plots. The study shows that estimation of soil losses from Be-7 are comparable with the monitoring results provided by erosion pins and runoff plots, and are also in agreement with the existing knowledge provided by Cs-137 measurements. The results obtained from this study demonstrated the potential for using Be-7 technique to quantify short-term erosion rates in these areas. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.