Method of assessment of 137Cs biological availability in forest soil

A method for quantitative assessment of 137Cs availability to plants in forest ecosystems on the basis of soil properties has been developed. It is shown that the experimental dependencies of 137Cs soil-to-plant transfer factor (TFag) for fern and bilberry on the bioavailability factor calculated on the basis of soil characteristics of root layer: 137Cs exchangeability, exchangeable Ca, effective selectivity coefficient, were satisfactory described by linear function. The advantage of the proposed method is that the necessary soil characteristics can be taken from the reference literature, evaluated using empirical correlations or determined with standard agrochemical procedures.     

Comparative evaluation of biological availability of 137Cs in soil of various types of forest ecosystems

On five forests plots varying in species composition of woody plants and soil properties, 137Cs vertical distribution and 137Cs forms occurring in different horizons of forest soils have been studied. It was found that bulk 137Cs and contents of physico-chemical forms of this radionuclide in different horizons of forest soils vary considerably within both plots with different characteristics and individual horizons. The reported regularities can explain observed differences in 137Cs distribution in forest ecosystems of various types.     

Mechanisms and models of 137Cs migration in soils

The most spread mechanisms and models of 137Cs migration in soil were considered and the advantage of the models, which take into account the kinetics of sorption-desorption above the models with two components were presented.     

The concentration and distribution of 137Cs in soils of forest and agricultural ecosystems of Tula Region

The paper deals with a comparative study of 137Cs contamination in forest, old arable and cultivated soils of Tula Region. Initial interception of Chernobyl derived 137Cs is higher in forest ecosystems: oak-forest > birch-forest > pine-forest > agricultural ecosystems. Vertical migration of 137Cs in deeper layers of soils was intensive in agricultural ecosystems: cultivated soils > old arable soils > birch-forest soils > oak-forest soils > pine-forest soils. In study have been evaluated spatial variability of 137Cs in soil and asymmetrical distribution, that is a skew to the right. Spatial heterogeneity of 137Cs in agricultural soils is much lower than in forest soils. For cultivated soil are determined the rate of resuspension, which equal to 6.1 x 10(-4) day(-1). For forest soils are described the 137Cs concentration in litter of different ecosystems. The role of main accumulation and barrier of 137Cs retain higher layers of soils (horizon A1(A1E) in forest, horizon Ap in agricultural ecosystems) in long-term forecast after Chernobyl accident.     

Horizontal migration of 137Cs with water erosion of soils

The results of research of horizontal migration of 137Cs with soils water erosion are presented. It was found that quantitative parameters of 137Cs migration depended on radioactive pollution of cultivated soil layer, volume of water erosion of soils and character of usage of sloping lands. Activity of 137Cs in lower parts of slopes was 37-295 kBq/m2 higher than in the middle and apex parts of slopes. Increase in 137Cs activity varied from 10 to 18 percent in accumulation zone as compared to outwash zone with soil losses 5.0 t/ha and from 17 to 35 percent with soil losses 5.1-10.0 t/ha and from 30 to 127 percent with soil losses 10. 1-20.0 t/ha.     

The deflation of the soils and the horizontal migration of 137Cs

The results of the researching of 137Cs migration with deflation soils are presented. It was established, that on drained peat and on sod-podsolic sandy soils, subjected to the radioactive pollution, the deflation is a major factor of the horizontal carry radionuclides. The quantity indicators of the 137Cs migration depend on the density of the pollution of the top layer soils, on the intensity of deflationary processes and on the use of the agricultural grounds. At the identical density of the pollution on drained peat soils the 137Cs carry is higher on 25-35%, than on mineral easy ones. The decrease of the deflationary processes to maximum permissible levels (for the drained peat soils--0.2-0.5, for sandy soils--1.3 t/ha per one year) promotes the reduction of the 137Cs migration on drained peat soils on 92-94%, on sod-podsolic sandy soils--on 87%.     

Phytoremediation of 137Cs: factors and consequences in the environment

Radionuclide contamination is a concerning threat due to unexpected nuclear disasters and authorized discharge of radioactive elements, both in the past and in present times. Use of atomic power for energy generation is associated with unresolved issues concerning storage of residues and contaminants. For example, the nuclear accidents in Chernobyl 1986 and Fukushima 2011 resulted in considerable deposition of cesium (Cs) in soil, along with other radionuclides. Among Cs radioactive variants, the anthropogenic radioisotope ¹³⁷Cs (t_½?=?30.16 years) is of serious environmental concern, owing to its rapid incorporation into biological systems and emission of β and γ radiation during the decaying process. To remediate contaminated areas, mostly conventional techniques are applied that are not eco-friendly. Hence, an alternative green technology, i.e., phytoremediation, should in future be considered and implemented. This sustainable technology generates limited secondary waste and its objectives are to utilize hyper-accumulating plants to extract, stabilize, degrade, and filter the radionuclides. The review highlights plant mechanisms for up-taking radionuclides and influences of different environmental factors involved in the process, while considering its long-term effects.

     

An estimation of 137Cs accumulation in forest fungi by the soil properties

A method of calculation of radiocaesium uptake by forest mushrooms as a function of soil properties is presented. Calculated value of 137Cs transfer factor for Xerocomus badius in the contaminated area of Bryansk Province of Russia is in a good agreement with experimental data.     

Physicochemical and biological factors affecting atmospheric methane oxidation in gray forest soils

The decline of methane oxidizing activities in gray forest soil upon its conversion into arable land was shown to be caused by major changes in biotic and physicochemical properties of soil. Using the method of immune serums, methane-oxidizing bacteria were detected in both forest and agricultural soils, but their populations differed significantly in both abundance and composition. In the forest soil, the number of methanotrophs was an order of magnitude higher than in arable soil, amounting to 3.5 × 10⁸ and 0.24 × 10⁸ cells/g soil, respectively. All methane-oxidizing bacteria identified in the forest soil belonged to the genus Methylocystis, and 94% of these were represented by a single species, M. parvus. The arable soil was dominated by type I methanotrophs (Methylobacter and Methylomonas, 67.6%), occurring along with bacteria of the genus Methylocystis. In addition, arable soil is characterized by a low content of microbial biomass, lower porosity and water resistance of soil aggregates, and the predominance of nitrogen mineralization processes over those of nitrogen immobilization. These factors can also contribute to lower rates of methane oxidation in arable soil as compared to forest soil.__________Translated from Mikrobiologiya, Vol. 74, No. 2, 2005, pp. 255–260.Original Russian Text Copyright © 2005 by Kravchenko, Semenov, Kuznetsova, Bykova, Dulov, Pardini, Gispert, Boeckx, Cleemput, Galchenko.     

Uptake and transfer factors of137Cs by mushrooms

Summary The¹³⁷Cs content of 118 species (668 samples) of higher fungi collected in the period from August 1984 to October 1989 at three different locations in Styria, Austria, was determined by gamma-spectrometry. The Cs-content of most mushrooms has been increasing since September 1986. In order to find out which factors determine the¹³⁷Cs-contamination of mushrooms and the transfer-value soil to mushroom, the concentration of total and plant-available radiocesium in soils as well as the pH-value, the content of humus, clay, silt, sand, exchangeable cations, the composition of the clay minerals, and the particle size distribution of the soils of two different locations were examined. The higher the¹³⁷Cs contamination of the soil, the thicker the layer of humus and the higher the content of humus, the lower the pH-value, and the lower the amount of essential cations, especially of K⁺, the higher the amount of¹³⁷Cs plant-available will be. Therefore, the contamination of the mushrooms in the coniferous forest of Koralpenblick (1000 m) is higher than in the mixed forest at the Rosenberg around Graz at approx. 500 m height. Of 26 different species of mushrooms measured at both sites, only 61% show the highest TF-values soil to mushrooms also at the Koralpenblick. In the spruce forest at Koralpenblick there are many species of mushrooms with high¹³⁷Cs-contamination which were not found at the Rosenberg. However, the properties of the species to which a mushroom belongs are more important than environmental conditions and soil properties. The transfer values of⁴⁰K stay within narrow bounds, whereas those of¹³⁷Cs differ widely.Dedicated to Prof. Dr. Otto Härtel on the occasion of his 80th birthday     

137Cs vertical migration in boggy soils in the long term after the Chernobyl accident

137Cs vertical migration in boggy soils has been studied 15 years after the Chernobyl accident. The rate of vertical migration of the radionuclide is shown to be dependent on the peculiarities of formation of peatbogs, their moistening regime and soil properties. 137Cs migration in a high-land peatbog is characterized by higher intensity then in lowland or transitional peatbogs. Differences in 137Cs vertical migration are to a large extent caused by the contents in soil of exhangeable and mobile radionuclide forms. The derived experimental data that describe 137Cs distribution over the profiles of peaty soils of different type are used for parameterization of two-component convective-diffusion model. Ecological and effective half-life periods of 137Cs content reduction in the soil root layer have been calculated. A long-term prediction is given of the dynamics of the radionuclide content in the root layer of peaty soils.     

137Cs mobility in soils and its long-term effect on the external radiation exposure

To predict the external gamma-dose rate of Chernobyl-derived ¹³⁷Cs for a period of about 100 years after its deposition, the vertical distribution of radiocesium in several meadow soils in the Chernobyl area and in Germany was determined, and the corresponding residence half-times of this radionuclide in the various soil layers were evaluated using a compartment model. The resulting residence half-times were subsequently used to calculate the vertical distribution of ¹³⁷Cs in the soil as a function of time and finally to predict the external gamma-dose rates in air for these sites at various times. A regression analysis of the data obtained showed that the time dependence of the relative gamma-dose rate in air D(t) at the Chernobyl sites can be described by an exponential equation D(t) = a + b ⋅ exp(–t/c), where t is the time after deposition. For the ten German sites the best fit was obtained using the two-exponential equation D(t) = a ⋅ exp(–t/b) + c ⋅ exp(–t/d). The gamma-dose rate of ¹³⁷Cs at the Chernobyl sites decreases significantly more slowly with time than at the German sites. This means that after e.g. 30 years the mean relative gamma-dose rate at the German sites will have decreased from 100% (corresponding to an infinite plane source on a smooth surface) to 9% (95% confidence interval 8%–10%), while at the sites in the Chernobyl area it will have decreased only to 21% (20%–23%). This difference is the result of the longer residence half-times of ¹³⁷Cs in the soils at the Chernobyl sites. All results are compared with estimates from earlier studies. Received: 16 October 1996 / Accepted in revised form: 28 November 1996     

Microbial activity and the dynamics of ecosystem processes in forest soils

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The simulation of 137Cs distribution in forest ecosystems and prediction of its accumulation by forest products

A mathematical model of 137Cs migration in forest ecosystem is presented, which describes the behaviour of this radionuclide in the forest litter-soil system, trees, understory and forest animals. The model's parameters for different types of forest ecosystems are estimated and model's adequacy is tested through the use of independent experimental data. The sensitivity of the model's output variables is analyzed to variations in the most significant parameters. The differences in the seasonal and mean annual dynamics of 137Cs concentration in muscles of roe deers and mooses are shown to be defined by specific features of the diets of these animals and variations in 137Cs content in the main diet components.     

Identification of processes governing long-term accumulation of 137Cs by forest trees following the Chernobyl accident

The regularities of ¹³⁷Cs distribution in trees (Pinus sylvestris and Betula pendula) growing in different types of forest ecosystems were investigated. High levels of heterogeneity of ¹³⁷Cs activity concentrations in different parts of the trees, resulting from their varied metabolism have been shown. The data obtained demonstrate a non-uniform character of ¹³⁷Cs distribution along the trunks, which can be explained by radio- nuclide fixation by the xylem vessel walls and by geometry changes along the tree trunk. It has been found that the radial distribution of ¹³⁷Cs in the tree trunk is dependent on the availability of ¹³⁷Cs in soil, which governs the transfer of this radionuclide via xylem sap and on the properties of the xylem. The accumulation of ¹³⁷Cs by trees was influenced by the vertical distribution and availability of ¹³⁷Cs in the soil as well as by the root biomass distribution in different soil horizons. A bioavailability factor, which takes into account the vertical distribution of radiocesium in soil, bioavailability of this radionuclide and distribution of root biomass in different soil horizons is proposed for comparative analyses of ¹³⁷Cs transfer from soil to trees in different types of forest ecosystems. Received: 8 February 2000 / Accepted: 1 December 2000     

放射性核素在森林生态系统中的迁移规律及核污染土地的利用

放射性核素常危及生态系统的稳定,给人类的生命和健康带来巨大的威胁。森林生态系统具有独特的特点和功能,利用其修复放射性污染的土壤具有重要的意义。本文就森林生态系统对放射性核素的截持、保持、放射性核素在森林生态系统中的移动规律以及森林生态系统对放射性核素污染土壤的修复进行了探讨。     

The dependence of accumulation of 137Cs and 90Sr radionuclides in the forages cultivation degree of sod-podzolic soils

For prognosis of accumulation of 137Cs and 90Sr in forages harvested in radionuclide contaminated sod-podzolic soils, it is suggested to use transfer factors (TF9a) (Bq/kg)/(kBq/m2)) established not only by the content of mobile potassium (137Cs, r = -0.53) and the value of exchange acidity (90Sr, r = -0.73), but also by the index of agrochemical soil cultivation I(cd) (137Cs, r = -0.69; 90Sr, r = -0.64). The possibility of obtaining forages conforming to the state standards on the haymaking and pasture areas with high density of radioactive contamination of soils was shown by the example of "Sudkovo" collective farm. The approach is based on achievement of a high degree of cultivation (l(cd) - 0.81-1.0) due to a complex of protective measures, which resulted in a 10-fold decrease in the specific activity of 137Cs and a 4-fold decrease in the activity of 90Sr, compared to the soils with a low degree of cultivation (I(cd) - 0.41-0.60).     

Effect of simulated forest fire on the availability of N and P in mediterranean soils

The effect of soil burning on N and P availability and on mineralization and nitrification rates of N in the burned mineral soil was studied by combustion of soils in the laboratory. At a fire temperature of 600°C, there was a complete volatilization of NH₄ and a significant increase of pH, from 7.6 in the unburned soil to 11.7 in the burned soil. Under such conditions ammonification and nitrification reactions were inhibited. Less available P was produced immediately after the fire at 600°C, as compared to P amount produced at 250°C. Burning the soils with plants caused a decrease in NH₄-N and (NO₂+NO₃)-N concentrations in the soil as well as a reduction in ammonification and nitrification rates. Combustion of soil with plants contributed additional available P to the burned soil. The existence of a non-burned soil under the burned one played an important role in triggering ammonification and nitrification reactions.     

农田土壤中磷素有效性及影响因素

土壤中磷的有效性直接决定着农田生产力. 基于分布于我国不同气候区长期定位施肥试验,总结了不同农田土壤的磷素含量、有效性及转化的影响因素.结果表明： 目前我国不同类型的土壤中全磷含量在0.31～1.72 g·kg^-1,速效磷含量在0.1～228.8 mg·kg^-1.土壤母质、理化性质和施肥方式是影响农田土壤磷素有效性的主要因素,未来应注重有机肥和化肥的混合施用以提高农田土壤磷素有效性,并关注可能导致的环境影响.