Comparative assessment of the contents of magnetic spherules, super(137)Cs, and super(210)Pb in soils as applied for the estimation of soil erosion

The contents of magnetic spherules and super(137)Cs and super(210)Pb isotopes were determined in gray forest soils of the Novosil Agroforest Experimental Station in Orel oblast (central part of European Russia). The spatial variability in the contents of these substances was studied, and their distribution in the soil profiles and along soil transects within the afforested and cultivated slopes was analyzed. Factors and processes favoring the accumulation of magnetic spherules and super(137)Cs and super(210)Pb isotopes in the soils, as well as their removal from the soils, were revealed. Similarities and distinctions in the patterns of their behavior were interpreted. Prospects for the combined use of these three tracers to estimate the rates of soil erosion and sediment deposition on the soil surface were tested.