Assessment of soil erosion rates in a Mediterranean cultivated and uncultivated soils using fallout 137Cs

Fallout radionuclides, such as ¹³⁷Cs, have been recognized as a valuable means for studying soil erosion processes. In this study, the ¹³⁷Cs technique was used to assess soil erosion magnitude and to investigate the effectiveness of terrace cultivations in the High Atlas of Morocco, particularly, the Ourika watershed. ¹³⁷Cs depth distribution profiles were established along slope gradients associated with land use considering cereal crop, arboriculture and native forests. Along the slope gradient, depth distribution profiles highlight dissimilarities reflecting differences in land use, topographic roughness, soil particle distribution and stoniness. ¹³⁷Cs inventory decreases exponentially with depth and its penetration increases along the slope. It becomes higher at the bottom of the slope, with penetration reaching 30 cm. ¹³⁷Cs mass activity and inventory significantly decrease in cultivated terraces, compared to native forest. Although the pattern of ¹³⁷Cs gain/loss varied according to topography, soil properties and vegetation cover, showing eroding and aggrading profiles, most samples had ¹³⁷Cs values lower than the reference value, suggesting net-loss of soil as a consequence of erosion processes. The net erosion rates were estimated about 8.5 and 6.0 t ha^-1 yr^-1 in cereal crop and arboriculture agrosystems, respectively, whereas in the forest, the net erosion rate was lower at about 4.2 t ha^-1 yr^-1. Soil loss on agricultural terraces is not significantly above tolerable erosion rates for Morocco (<7 t ha^-1 yr^-1), particularly for arboriculture terraces. A strong correlation was observed between ¹³⁷Cs and both soil organic carbon and slope gradient, in uncultivated area, whereas, there was no correlation for cultivated terraces. Terraced arboriculture systems should be encouraged for better soil preservation against water erosion in the Ourika watershed.