Erozija  zemljišta  vodom  predstavlja  vaţan  problem  zaštite  ţivotne  sredine  u  Srbiji. Posledica  erozije  je  degradacija  zemljišnih  resursa,  smanjenje  plodnosti  zemljišta  i redukcija poljoprivredne proizvodnje. Najveši intenzitet erozije uoţen je na obradivom zemljištu na strmim padinama. Pretvaranje pašnjaka u obradivo zemljište uticalo je na povešanje  prostora  zahvašenih  procesom  erozije.  U  ovom  radu  prikazani  su  preli-minarni rezultati projekta tehniţke saradnje sa MeŤunarodnom agencijom za atomsku energiju   ̳Jaţanje  kapaciteta  za  procenu  intenziteta  erozije  zemljišta  koriššenjem nuklearnih tehnika u cilju podrške odrţivom upravljanju zemljištem‘ (SRB5003) ţiji je cilj  procena  intenziteta  erozije  zemljišta 137Cs-metodom.  Istraţivanja  sprovedena  u basenima Pţinje i Juţne Morave ukazala su na intenzivnu eroziju na ovom prostoru. Istraţivanja  še  biti  nastavljena  na  nekoliko  drugih  lokacija,  a  rezultati  še  biti upotrebljeni za podršku nacionalnim programima konzervacije zemljišta.Soil erosion by water presents an important environmental problem in Serbia resulting in degradation of the soil resources, reducing soil fertility and agricultural production. The highest intensity of erosion was observed at cultivated land occupying steep slopes. The  conversion  of  pastures  to  arable  land  enhances  this  problem. This study presents the preliminary results of Technical Cooperation Project of International Atomic Energy Agency  ̳Strengthening  the  Capacities  for  Soil  Erosion  Assessment  Using  Nuclear Techniques  to  Support  Implementation  of  Sustainable  Land  Management  Practices‘(SRB5003)  aimed  at  estimation  of  soil  erosion  rates  using  the 137Cs-method.  The investigation of Pčinja and South Morava River Basins in southeastern Serbia revealed intensive erosion in the area. The investigation will continue at several other sites and the results will be used to support national soil conservation policy.Proceedings: [http://vinar.vin.bg.ac.rs/handle/123456789/8681]XXX симпозијум ДЗЗСЦГ (Друштва за заштиту од зрачења Србије и Црне Горе), 2- 4. октобар 2019. године, Дивчибаре, Србиј

Dragović, Ranko M.

Dragović, Snežana D.

Fulajtar, Emil

Gajić, Boško A.

Janković-Mandić, Ljiljana

Petrović, Jelena

Ćujić, Mirjana

Đokić, Mrđan

Đorđević, Milan M.

English

VinaR - Repository of the Vinča Institute of Nuclear Sciences


ДРУШТВО ЗА ЗАШТИТУ ОД ЗРАЧЕЊА 
СРБИЈЕ И ЦРНЕ ГОРЕ 
XXX СИМПОЗИЈУМ ДЗЗСЦГ 
Дивчибаре 
2- 4. октобар 2019. године 
Београд 
2019. године 
RADIATION PROTECTION SOCIETY OF 
SERBIA AND MONTENEGRO 
XXX SYMPOSIUM RPSSM 
Divĉibare 
2
nd
- 4
th
 October 2019
Belgrade 
2019 
ЗБОРНИК РАДОВА 
XXX СИМПОЗИЈУМ ДЗЗСЦГ 
2-4.10.2019. 
Издавачи: 
Институт за нуклеарне науке „Винча― 
Друштво за заштиту од зрачења Србије и Црне Горе 
За извршног издавача: 
Проф. др Снежана Пајовић, научни саветник 
в.д. директора Института за нуклеарне науке Винча 
Уредници: 
Др Михајло Јовић 
Др Гордана Пантелић 
ISBN 978-86-7306-154-2 
Institut za nuklearne nauke „Vinţa― 
Техничка обрада: 
Михајло Јовић, Гордана Пантелић 
Електронско издање: 
Институт за нуклеарне науке ‖Винча‖, Мике Петровића Аласа 12-14, 11351 
Винча, Београд, Србија 
Тираж: 
150 примерака 
Година издања: 
Септембар 2019. 
XXIX Симпозијум ДЗЗСЦГ 
 
110 
 
ASSESSMENT OF SOIL EROSION RATES IN 
SOUTHEASTERN SERBIA USING NUCLEAR 
TECHNIQUES 
 
Sneţana DRAGOVIĆ1, Emil FULAJTAR2, Jelena PETROVIĆ1, 
Milan ĐORĐEVIĆ3, MrĊan ĐOKIĆ3, Mirjana ĆUJIĆ1,  
Ljiljana JANKOVIĆ MANDIĆ1, Ranko DRAGOVIĆ3 and Boško GAJIĆ4 
1) University of Belgrade, Vinča Institute of Nuclear Sciences, Belgrade, Serbia, 
sdragovic@vin.bg.ac.rs, petrovicj@vin.bg.ac.rs, cujicm@vin.bg.ac.rs, 
ljmandic@vin.bg.ac.rs 
2) Joint FAO/IAEA Division of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture, 
International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna, Austria, E.Fulajtar@iaea.org 
3) University of Niš, Faculty of Sciences and Mathematics, Department of Geography, 
Niš, Serbia, milan.djordjevic@pmf.ni.ac.rs, mrdjandjokic@gmail.com, 
dragovicr@pmf.ni.ac.rs 
4) University of Belgrade, Institute of Land Management, Faculty of Agriculture, 
Serbia, bonna@agrif.bg.ac.rs 
 
ABSTRACT 
Soil erosion by water presents an important environmental problem in Serbia resulting 
in degradation of the soil resources, reducing soil fertility and agricultural production. 
The highest intensity of erosion was observed at cultivated land occupying steep slopes. 
The conversion of pastures to arable land enhances this problem. This study presents 
the preliminary results of Technical Cooperation Project of International Atomic Energy 
Agency ‗Strengthening the Capacities for Soil Erosion Assessment Using Nuclear 
Techniques to Support Implementation of Sustainable Land Management Practices‘ 
(SRB5003) aimed at estimation of soil erosion rates using the 
137
Cs-method. The 
investigation of Pčinja and South Morava River Basins in southeastern Serbia revealed 
intensive erosion in the area. The investigation will continue at several other sites and the 
results will be used to support national soil conservation policy. 
 
1. Introduction 
Soil erosion is one of the most common and important land degradation processes. As 
soil erosion is identified as one of the key environmental problems in Serbia there is an 
increasing need for obtaining the reliable information on soil erosion rates. The use of 
fallout radionuclides (FRNs) such as artificial 
137
Cs and 
239+240
Pu (medium-term erosion 
assessment, recently about 55-60 years), geogenic 
210
Pbex (long-term erosion assessment, 
about 100 years) and cosmogenic 
7
Be (short-term erosion assessment ≤ 6 m) for 
obtaining such information [1-4] possesses some advantages as compared to traditional 
methods, such as cost-effectiveness and possibility to obtain information retrospectively 
[5]. Advantages, as well as limitations of FRN techniques, are discussed in number of 
papers [1-2, 5]. The main goal of erosion assessment with 
137
Cs method is to obtain 
information needed for identification of areas exposed to high erosion risk and soil 
Радиоекологија и излагање становништва 
 
111 
 
conservation strategies as an important part of sustainable agriculture and food 
production. Over the years, many different models have been developed for cultivated 
and uncultivated lands in order to convert 
137
Cs inventories into soil erosion and 
deposition rates, such as models developed by Walling (2006) - Proportional Model 
(PM), Mass Balance Model (MBM) I, II and III, Profile Distribution Model (PDM) and 
Diffusion and Migration Model (DMM) [1]; by Arata et al. (2014) Modelling 
Deposition and Erosion Rates with RadioNuclides (MODERN) [3,4], by Soto and 
Navas (2004; 2008) [6-7] etc.  
In last years the use of 
137
Cs method is developing abruptly in Serbia and first results 
were published [8]. The use of 
137
Cs method is supported by International Atomic 
Energy Agency (IAEA) and Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) through their 
Joint FAO/IAEA Division of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture. The Joint 
FAO/IAEA Division supports the Technical Cooperation Project „Strengthening the 
Capacities for Soil Erosion Assessment Using Nuclear Techniques to Support 
Implementation of Sustainable Land Management Practices‖ (SRB5003) launched in 
2018 with the main objective to enhance soil conservation and environmental protection 
in Serbia, using environmental radionuclides; to improve national policies for 
sustainable soil management, based on the soil erosion assessment results; and to revise 
the earlier erosion map of Serbia using 
137
Cs method. Some preliminary results of this 
project achieved at Pţinja study site in southeastern Serbia are presented in this study.  
 
2. Methods 
The 
137
Cs (half-life, t1/2 = 30.2 years) is the most widely used radionuclide tracer for 
studying soil redistribution. The 
137
Cs is found in the environment worldwide due to 
fallout after nuclear weapon testing in the 1950's and 1960's and after nuclear power 
plant accident such as Chernobyl in 1986 or Fukushima-Daiichi in 2011. Once 
deposited on the ground, 
137
Cs strongly bind to fine soil particles and move across the 
landscape together with soil particles by mechanical processes such as water, tillage, 
and wind erosion.  
Due to the intense folding and faulting of the geological strata, the Pţinja and South 
Morava River valleys are narrow and dominated by steep slopes. The climate of the 
study area is temperate continental with mean annual precipitation of about 620 mm [9]. 
At most of the sampling sites the soils are dominated by Haplic Cambisols and Luvic 
Planosols. 
The soil samples were collected on five slope transects at selected grassland site 
exposed to erosion processes, especially to pluvial erosion. The total inventories of 
137
Cs 
(Bq m
-2
) at sampling points were calculated from the activity concentrations of this 
radionuclide measured by gamma-ray spectrometry taking into account the soil bulk 
density and the soil profile depth increments. The details on sampling design and 
analysis could be found in Petroviš et al. (2016) [8].  
The methodology used to determine soil erosion and deposition rates was based on a 
comparison between the total 
137
Cs inventories for the sampling points with the 
reference inventory - site where no soil redistribution processes have occurred since the 
137
Cs main deposition. At a deposition point the 
137
Cs inventory is greater than the 
reference inventory (Au (Bq m
-2
) > Aref (Bq m
-2
)), while at an eroded point the total 
137
Cs inventory is lower than the reference inventory (Au (Bq m
-2
) < Aref (Bq m
-2
)) [1, 
2], Fig. 1. 
XXIX Симпозијум ДЗЗСЦГ 
 
112 
 
  
 
Figure 1. a) Homogenous distribution of the fallen 
137
Cs in area not affected by soil 
erosion, b) 
137
Cs and soil redistribution by erosion: undisturbed, eroded and deposition 
site [10]. 
 
A key step of the 
137
Cs method is to estimate 
137
Cs inventory at representative 
undisturbed reference site. Guidelines and criteria for reference sites selection were 
provided by Mabit et al. (2014) [2]. 
 
3. Results 
The 
137
Cs inventories of the sampling points were converted to soil erosion and 
deposition rates with the Profile Distribution Model and Diffusion and Migration 
Model. Since more than 80% of 
137
Cs input came from Chernobyl accident [11-13], the 
year 1986 is selected as the main fallout 
137
Cs input in the applied conversion models. 
The erosion and deposition rates estimated using selected models are presented in Table 
1.
 
For all transects, the sediment delivery ratio is given, i.e. the ratio between net erosion 
rate and gross erosion rate. More details could be found in FAO/IAEA (2017) [1, 10]. 
 
Table 1. Soil redistribution rate estimated using the PDM and DMM. 
 
 
Transect 1 Transect 2 Transect 3 Transect 4 Transect 5 
P
D
M
 
D
M
M
 
P
D
M
 
D
M
M
 
P
D
M
 
D
M
M
 
P
D
M
 
D
M
M
 
P
D
M
 
D
M
M
 
Gross erosion rate  
(t ha
-1
 yr
-1
) 
-5.6 -2.4 -28.0 -8.9 -13.9 -4.7 -10.5 -4.3 -14.6 -5.8 
Net erosion rate  
(t ha
-1
 yr
-1
) 
-4.7 -1.9 -25.4 -7.5 -5.9 -0.6 -10.5 -4.3 -14.6 -5.8 
Sediment 
delivery ratio (%) 
83 81 91 84 43 13 100 100 100 100 
 
The substantial differences in soil redistribution rates obtained by the models could be 
attributed to the differences in model assumptions. Namely, the PDM does not take into 
a) b) 
Радиоекологија и излагање становништва 
 
113 
 
account the time-dependent nature of 
137
Cs fallout deposition and the post-fallout 
redistribution in the soil profile which results in overestimation of soil loss. Therefore, 
the results of DMM are more realistic. The variation of the soil redistribution rates 
down the slopes of transects could be found in Petroviš et al. (2016) [8]. The obtained 
net erosion rates (as calculated by DMM) seems to be not much at first look but 
considering the strong soil conserving efficiency of grass cover and the site topography 
the erosion should be at similar sites close to zero. The measured values indicate that at 
longer slopes the erosion may be relatively strong and may result in linear erosion (rills 
and gullies) causing serious damage. Indeed the rills and gullies were commonly 
observed by project team in mountainous areas of Serbia. In a pastureland from Cluj 
county, Romania the net erosion rate estimated by PDM was -5.8 t ha
-1
 yr
-1
 [14] and -6.6 
t ha
-1
 yr
-1
 using DMM [15], which is comparable with results obtined in this study. The 
average erosion rates obtained using the Profile Distribution method in undisturbed soils 
for the Peynirli and the Kırtas Hills in Western Turkey were found to be 15 and 27 t ha-1 
yr
-1
, respectively [16]. 
 
4. Conclusion 
The 
137
Cs method was used to estimate soil redistribution rates at selected sites in Pţinja 
and South Morava River Basins, southeastern Serbia. The data gained by 
137
Cs method 
have some advantages as compared to data provided by most conventional methods 
because 
137
Cs method provides (i) retrospective information, (ii) estimates of 
medium-term average rates of soil redistribution, (iii) values representing integrated 
result of all mechanical soil redistribution processes running at studied site, and (iv) 
information on both erosion and deposition. The information presented in this paper 
should be further used to support soil conservation in Serbia. 
 
5. Acknowledgements 
The authors acknowledge the support of the Joint FAO/IAEA Division of Nuclear 
Techniques in Food and Agriculture (project SRB5003) and Ministry of Education, 
Science and Technological Development of the Republic of Serbia (project III43009).  
 
6. References 
[1] D.E. Walling, Y. Zhang, Q. He, Models for converting measurements of 
environmental radionuclide inventories (
137
Cs, Excess 
210
Pb, and 
7
Be) to estimates 
of soil erosion and deposition rates (Including software for model 
implementation), Exeter, EX4 4RJ U.K.: Department of Geography, University of 
Exeter, 2006.  
[2] L. Mabit, S. Chhem-Kieth, P. Dornhofer, A. Toloza, M. Benmansour, C. Bernard, 
E. Fulajtar, D. E. Walling. 
137
Cs: A widely used and validated medium-term soil 
tracer, in Guidelines for Using Fallout Radionuclides to Assess Erosion and 
Effectiveness of Soil Conservation Strategies, Vienna, Austria, 
IAEA-TECDOC-1741, 2014, pp. 27-77.  
[3] L. Arata, K. Meusburger, E. Frenkel, A. A‘Campo-Neuen, A.-R. Iurian, M. E. 
Ketterer, L. Mabit and C. Alewell. Modelling Deposition and Erosion rates with 
RadioNuclides (MODERN) Part 1: A new conversion model to derive soil 
XXIX Симпозијум ДЗЗСЦГ 
 
114 
 
redistribution rates from inventories of fallout radionuclides. J. Environ. Radioact. 
162-163, 2016, 45-55.  
[4] L. Arata, C. Alewell, E. Frenkel, A. A‘Campo-Neuen, A.-R. Iurian, M.E. Ketterer, 
L. Mabit, K. Meusburger. Modelling Deposition and Erosion rates with 
RadioNuclides (MODERN) - Part 2: A comparison of different models to convert 
239+240
Pu inventories into soil redistribution rates at unploughed sites. J. Environ. 
Radioact. 162-163, 2016, 97-106. 
[5] L. Mabit, M. Benmansour, D.E. Walling. Comparative advantages and limitations 
of the fallout radionuclides 
137
Cs, 
210
Pbex and 
7
Be for assessing soil erosion and 
sedimentation. J. Environ. Radioact. 99, 2008, 1799-1807. 
[6] J. Soto, A. Navas. A model of 137Cs activity profile for soil erosion studies in 
uncultivated soils of Mediterranean environments, J. Arid Environ. 59, 2004, 
719-730. 
[7] J. Soto, A. Navas. A simple model of Cs-137 profile to estimate soil redistribution 
in cultivated stony soils. Radiat. Meas. 43, 2008, 1285-1293. 
[8] J. Petroviš, S. Dragoviš, R. Dragoviš, M. ĐorŤeviš, M. Đokiš, B. Zlatkoviš, D. 
Walling. Using 
137Cs measurements to estimate soil erosion rates in the Pţinja and 
Soth Morava River Basins, southeastern Serbia. J. Environ. Radioact. 158-159, 
2016, 71-80. 
[9] Republic Hydrometeorological Service of Serbia, 1991-2013 Report, Belgrade.  
[10] E. Fulajtar, L. Mabit, C.S. Renschler, A. Lee Zhi Yi. Use of 137Cs for soil erosion 
assessment. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome, 
2017, 64. 
[11] A.R. Byrne. Radioactivity in fungi in Slovenia, Yugoslavia, following the 
Chernobyl accident. J. Environ. Radioact. 6, 1988, 177-183. 
[12] Federal Committee for Labor, Health and Social Policy. The level of radioactive 
contamination of human environment and exposure of population in Yugoslavia in 
1986 due to nuclear power plant disaster in Chernobyl, Belgrade, 1987 (in 
Serbian). 
[13] J. Petroviš, M. Šujiš, M. ĐorŤeviš, R. Dragoviš, B. Gajiš, Š. Miljanjiš, S. 
Dragoviš. Spatial distribution and vertical migration of 137Cs in soils of Belgrade 
(Serbia) 25 years after the Chernobyl accident. Environ. Sci. Proc. Imp. 15, 2013, 
1279-1289. 
[14] A.-R. Iurian, R. Begy, I. Cătinaş, C. Cosma, Results of medium-term soil 
redistribution rates in Cluj county, Romania, using 
137
Cs measurements. Procedia 
Environ. Sci. 14, 2012, 22-31. 
[15] A.-R. Iurian, L. Mabit, C. Cosma, Uncertainty related to input parameters of 137Cs 
soil redistribution model for undisturbed fields. J. Environ. Radioact. 136, 2014, 
112-120. 
[16] M.M. Saç, A. Uğur, G. Yener, B. Özden. Estimates of soil erosion using 
cesium-137 tracer models. Environ. Monit. Assess. 136, 2008, 461-467. 
Радиоекологија и излагање становништва 
 
115 
 
PROCENA INTENZITETA EROZIJE ZEMLJIŠTA JUGOISTOČNE 
SRBIJE PRIMENOM NUKLEARNIH TEHNIKA 
 
Sneţana DRAGOVIĆ1, Emil FULAJTAR2, Jelena PETROVIĆ1, 
Milan ĐORĐEVIĆ3, MrĊan ĐOKIĆ3, Mirjana ĆUJIĆ1, 
Ljiljana JANKOVIĆ MANDIĆ1, Ranko DRAGOVIĆ3 i Boško GAJIĆ4 
1) Univerzitet u Beogradu, Institut za nuklearne nauke Vinča, Beograd, Srbija, 
sdragovic@vin.bg.ac.rs, petrovicj@vin.bg.ac.rs, cujicm@vin.bg.ac.rs, 
ljmandic@vin.bg.ac.rs 
2) Međunarodna agencija za atomsku energiju, Beč, Austrija, E.Fulajtar@iaea.org 
3) Univerzitet u Nišu, Prirodno-matematički fakultet, Departman za geografiju, Niš, 
Srbija, milan.djordjevic@pmf.ni.ac.rs, mrdjandjokic@gmail.com, 
dragovicr@pmf.ni.ac.rs 
4) Univerzitet u Beogradu, Institut za zemljište i melioracije, Poljoprivredni fakultet, 
Beograd, Srbija, bonna@agrif.bg.ac.rs 
 
SADRŢAJ 
Erozija zemljišta vodom predstavlja vaţan problem zaštite ţivotne sredine u Srbiji. 
Posledica erozije je degradacija zemljišnih resursa, smanjenje plodnosti zemljišta i 
redukcija poljoprivredne proizvodnje. Najveši intenzitet erozije uoţen je na obradivom 
zemljištu na strmim padinama. Pretvaranje pašnjaka u obradivo zemljište uticalo je na 
povešanje prostora zahvašenih procesom erozije. U ovom radu prikazani su preli-
minarni rezultati projekta tehniţke saradnje sa MeŤunarodnom agencijom za atomsku 
energiju ‗Jaţanje kapaciteta za procenu intenziteta erozije zemljišta koriššenjem 
nuklearnih tehnika u cilju podrške odrţivom upravljanju zemljištem‘ (SRB5003) ţiji je 
cilj procena intenziteta erozije zemljišta 137Cs-metodom. Istraţivanja sprovedena u 
basenima Pţinje i Juţne Morave ukazala su na intenzivnu eroziju na ovom prostoru. 
Istraţivanja še biti nastavljena na nekoliko drugih lokacija, a rezultati še biti 
upotrebljeni za podršku nacionalnim programima konzervacije zemljišta. 
 
 


Assessment of soil erosion rates in Southeastern Serbia using nuclear techniques

Petrović, Jelena M.

Janković Mandić, Ljiljana

Repository of the Vinča Nuclear Institute (VinaR)

ДРУШТВО ЗА ЗАШТИТУ ОД ЗРАЧЕЊА СРБИЈЕ И ЦРНЕ ГОРЕ XXX СИМПОЗИЈУМ ДЗЗСЦГ Дивчибаре 2- 4. октобар 2019. године Београд 2019. године RADIATION PROTECTION SOCIETY OF SERBIA AND MONTENEGRO XXX SYMPOSIUM RPSSM Divĉibare 2nd- 4th October 2019Belgrade 2019 ЗБОРНИК РАДОВА XXX СИМПОЗИЈУМ ДЗЗСЦГ 2-4.10.2019. Издавачи: Институт за нуклеарне науке „Винча― Друштво за заштиту од зрачења Србије и Црне Горе За извршног издавача: Проф. др Снежана Пајовић, научни саветник в.д. директора Института за нуклеарне науке Винча Уредници: Др Михајло Јовић Др Гордана Пантелић ISBN 978-86-7306-154-2 Institut za nuklearne nauke „Vinţa― Техничка обрада: Михајло Јовић, Гордана Пантелић Електронско издање: Институт за нуклеарне науке ‖Винча‖, Мике Петровића Аласа 12-14, 11351 Винча, Београд, Србија Тираж: 150 примерака Година издања: Септембар 2019. XXIX Симпозијум ДЗЗСЦГ  110  ASSESSMENT OF SOIL EROSION RATES IN SOUTHEASTERN SERBIA USING NUCLEAR TECHNIQUES  Sneţana DRAGOVIĆ1, Emil FULAJTAR2, Jelena PETROVIĆ1, Milan ĐORĐEVIĆ3, MrĊan ĐOKIĆ3, Mirjana ĆUJIĆ1,  Ljiljana JANKOVIĆ MANDIĆ1, Ranko DRAGOVIĆ3 and Boško GAJIĆ4 1) University of Belgrade, Vinča Institute of Nuclear Sciences, Belgrade, Serbia, sdragovic@vin.bg.ac.rs, petrovicj@vin.bg.ac.rs, cujicm@vin.bg.ac.rs, ljmandic@vin.bg.ac.rs 2) Joint FAO/IAEA Division of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture, International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna, Austria, E.Fulajtar@iaea.org 3) University of Niš, Faculty of Sciences and Mathematics, Department of Geography, Niš, Serbia, milan.djordjevic@pmf.ni.ac.rs, mrdjandjokic@gmail.com, dragovicr@pmf.ni.ac.rs 4) University of Belgrade, Institute of Land Management, Faculty of Agriculture, Serbia, bonna@agrif.bg.ac.rs  ABSTRACT Soil erosion by water presents an important environmental problem in Serbia resulting in degradation of the soil resources, reducing soil fertility and agricultural production. The highest intensity of erosion was observed at cultivated land occupying steep slopes. The conversion of pastures to arable land enhances this problem. This study presents the preliminary results of Technical Cooperation Project of International Atomic Energy Agency ‗Strengthening the Capacities for Soil Erosion Assessment Using Nuclear Techniques to Support Implementation of Sustainable Land Management Practices‘ (SRB5003) aimed at estimation of soil erosion rates using the 137Cs-method. The investigation of Pčinja and South Morava River Basins in southeastern Serbia revealed intensive erosion in the area. The investigation will continue at several other sites and the results will be used to support national soil conservation policy.  1. Introduction Soil erosion is one of the most common and important land degradation processes. As soil erosion is identified as one of the key environmental problems in Serbia there is an increasing need for obtaining the reliable information on soil erosion rates. The use of fallout radionuclides (FRNs) such as artificial 137Cs and 239+240Pu (medium-term erosion assessment, recently about 55-60 years), geogenic 210Pbex (long-term erosion assessment, about 100 years) and cosmogenic 7Be (short-term erosion assessment ≤ 6 m) for obtaining such information [1-4] possesses some advantages as compared to traditional methods, such as cost-effectiveness and possibility to obtain information retrospectively [5]. Advantages, as well as limitations of FRN techniques, are discussed in number of papers [1-2, 5]. The main goal of erosion assessment with 137Cs method is to obtain information needed for identification of areas exposed to high erosion risk and soil Радиоекологија и излагање становништва  111  conservation strategies as an important part of sustainable agriculture and food production. Over the years, many different models have been developed for cultivated and uncultivated lands in order to convert 137Cs inventories into soil erosion and deposition rates, such as models developed by Walling (2006) - Proportional Model (PM), Mass Balance Model (MBM) I, II and III, Profile Distribution Model (PDM) and Diffusion and Migration Model (DMM) [1]; by Arata et al. (2014) Modelling Deposition and Erosion Rates with RadioNuclides (MODERN) [3,4], by Soto and Navas (2004; 2008) [6-7] etc.  In last years the use of 137Cs method is developing abruptly in Serbia and first results were published [8]. The use of 137Cs method is supported by International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) through their Joint FAO/IAEA Division of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture. The Joint FAO/IAEA Division supports the Technical Cooperation Project „Strengthening the Capacities for Soil Erosion Assessment Using Nuclear Techniques to Support Implementation of Sustainable Land Management Practices‖ (SRB5003) launched in 2018 with the main objective to enhance soil conservation and environmental protection in Serbia, using environmental radionuclides; to improve national policies for sustainable soil management, based on the soil erosion assessment results; and to revise the earlier erosion map of Serbia using 137Cs method. Some preliminary results of this project achieved at Pţinja study site in southeastern Serbia are presented in this study.   2. Methods The 137Cs (half-life, t1/2 = 30.2 years) is the most widely used radionuclide tracer for studying soil redistribution. The 137Cs is found in the environment worldwide due to fallout after nuclear weapon testing in the 1950's and 1960's and after nuclear power plant accident such as Chernobyl in 1986 or Fukushima-Daiichi in 2011. Once deposited on the ground, 137Cs strongly bind to fine soil particles and move across the landscape together with soil particles by mechanical processes such as water, tillage, and wind erosion.  Due to the intense folding and faulting of the geological strata, the Pţinja and South Morava River valleys are narrow and dominated by steep slopes. The climate of the study area is temperate continental with mean annual precipitation of about 620 mm [9]. At most of the sampling sites the soils are dominated by Haplic Cambisols and Luvic Planosols. The soil samples were collected on five slope transects at selected grassland site exposed to erosion processes, especially to pluvial erosion. The total inventories of 137Cs (Bq m-2) at sampling points were calculated from the activity concentrations of this radionuclide measured by gamma-ray spectrometry taking into account the soil bulk density and the soil profile depth increments. The details on sampling design and analysis could be found in Petroviš et al. (2016) [8].  The methodology used to determine soil erosion and deposition rates was based on a comparison between the total 137Cs inventories for the sampling points with the reference inventory - site where no soil redistribution processes have occurred since the 137Cs main deposition. At a deposition point the 137Cs inventory is greater than the reference inventory (Au (Bq m-2) > Aref (Bq m-2)), while at an eroded point the total 137Cs inventory is lower than the reference inventory (Au (Bq m-2) < Aref (Bq m-2)) [1, 2], Fig. 1. XXIX Симпозијум ДЗЗСЦГ  112     Figure 1. a) Homogenous distribution of the fallen 137Cs in area not affected by soil erosion, b) 137Cs and soil redistribution by erosion: undisturbed, eroded and deposition site [10].  A key step of the 137Cs method is to estimate 137Cs inventory at representative undisturbed reference site. Guidelines and criteria for reference sites selection were provided by Mabit et al. (2014) [2].  3. Results The 137Cs inventories of the sampling points were converted to soil erosion and deposition rates with the Profile Distribution Model and Diffusion and Migration Model. Since more than 80% of 137Cs input came from Chernobyl accident [11-13], the year 1986 is selected as the main fallout 137Cs input in the applied conversion models. The erosion and deposition rates estimated using selected models are presented in Table 1. For all transects, the sediment delivery ratio is given, i.e. the ratio between net erosion rate and gross erosion rate. More details could be found in FAO/IAEA (2017) [1, 10].  Table 1. Soil redistribution rate estimated using the PDM and DMM.   Transect 1 Transect 2 Transect 3 Transect 4 Transect 5 PDM DMM PDM DMM PDM DMM PDM DMM PDM DMM Gross erosion rate  (t ha-1 yr-1) -5.6 -2.4 -28.0 -8.9 -13.9 -4.7 -10.5 -4.3 -14.6 -5.8 Net erosion rate  (t ha-1 yr-1) -4.7 -1.9 -25.4 -7.5 -5.9 -0.6 -10.5 -4.3 -14.6 -5.8 Sediment delivery ratio (%) 83 81 91 84 43 13 100 100 100 100  The substantial differences in soil redistribution rates obtained by the models could be attributed to the differences in model assumptions. Namely, the PDM does not take into a) b) Радиоекологија и излагање становништва  113  account the time-dependent nature of 137Cs fallout deposition and the post-fallout redistribution in the soil profile which results in overestimation of soil loss. Therefore, the results of DMM are more realistic. The variation of the soil redistribution rates down the slopes of transects could be found in Petroviš et al. (2016) [8]. The obtained net erosion rates (as calculated by DMM) seems to be not much at first look but considering the strong soil conserving efficiency of grass cover and the site topography the erosion should be at similar sites close to zero. The measured values indicate that at longer slopes the erosion may be relatively strong and may result in linear erosion (rills and gullies) causing serious damage. Indeed the rills and gullies were commonly observed by project team in mountainous areas of Serbia. In a pastureland from Cluj county, Romania the net erosion rate estimated by PDM was -5.8 t ha-1 yr-1 [14] and -6.6 t ha-1 yr-1 using DMM [15], which is comparable with results obtined in this study. The average erosion rates obtained using the Profile Distribution method in undisturbed soils for the Peynirli and the Kırtas Hills in Western Turkey were found to be 15 and 27 t ha-1 yr-1, respectively [16].  4. Conclusion The 137Cs method was used to estimate soil redistribution rates at selected sites in Pţinja and South Morava River Basins, southeastern Serbia. The data gained by 137Cs method have some advantages as compared to data provided by most conventional methods because 137Cs method provides (i) retrospective information, (ii) estimates of medium-term average rates of soil redistribution, (iii) values representing integrated result of all mechanical soil redistribution processes running at studied site, and (iv) information on both erosion and deposition. The information presented in this paper should be further used to support soil conservation in Serbia.  5. Acknowledgements The authors acknowledge the support of the Joint FAO/IAEA Division of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture (project SRB5003) and Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development of the Republic of Serbia (project III43009).   6. References [1] D.E. Walling, Y. Zhang, Q. He, Models for converting measurements of environmental radionuclide inventories (137Cs, Excess 210Pb, and 7Be) to estimates of soil erosion and deposition rates (Including software for model implementation), Exeter, EX4 4RJ U.K.: Department of Geography, University of Exeter, 2006.  [2] L. Mabit, S. Chhem-Kieth, P. Dornhofer, A. Toloza, M. Benmansour, C. Bernard, E. Fulajtar, D. E. Walling. 137Cs: A widely used and validated medium-term soil tracer, in Guidelines for Using Fallout Radionuclides to Assess Erosion and Effectiveness of Soil Conservation Strategies, Vienna, Austria, IAEA-TECDOC-1741, 2014, pp. 27-77.  [3] L. Arata, K. Meusburger, E. Frenkel, A. A‘Campo-Neuen, A.-R. Iurian, M. E. Ketterer, L. Mabit and C. Alewell. Modelling Deposition and Erosion rates with RadioNuclides (MODERN) Part 1: A new conversion model to derive soil XXIX Симпозијум ДЗЗСЦГ  114  redistribution rates from inventories of fallout radionuclides. J. Environ. Radioact. 162-163, 2016, 45-55.  [4] L. Arata, C. Alewell, E. Frenkel, A. A‘Campo-Neuen, A.-R. Iurian, M.E. Ketterer, L. Mabit, K. Meusburger. Modelling Deposition and Erosion rates with RadioNuclides (MODERN) - Part 2: A comparison of different models to convert 239+240Pu inventories into soil redistribution rates at unploughed sites. J. Environ. Radioact. 162-163, 2016, 97-106. [5] L. Mabit, M. Benmansour, D.E. Walling. Comparative advantages and limitations of the fallout radionuclides 137Cs, 210Pbex and 7Be for assessing soil erosion and sedimentation. J. Environ. Radioact. 99, 2008, 1799-1807. [6] J. Soto, A. Navas. A model of 137Cs activity profile for soil erosion studies in uncultivated soils of Mediterranean environments, J. Arid Environ. 59, 2004, 719-730. [7] J. Soto, A. Navas. A simple model of Cs-137 profile to estimate soil redistribution in cultivated stony soils. Radiat. Meas. 43, 2008, 1285-1293. [8] J. Petroviš, S. Dragoviš, R. Dragoviš, M. ĐorŤeviš, M. Đokiš, B. Zlatkoviš, D. Walling. Using 137Cs measurements to estimate soil erosion rates in the Pţinja and Soth Morava River Basins, southeastern Serbia. J. Environ. Radioact. 158-159, 2016, 71-80. [9] Republic Hydrometeorological Service of Serbia, 1991-2013 Report, Belgrade.  [10] E. Fulajtar, L. Mabit, C.S. Renschler, A. Lee Zhi Yi. Use of 137Cs for soil erosion assessment. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome, 2017, 64. [11] A.R. Byrne. Radioactivity in fungi in Slovenia, Yugoslavia, following the Chernobyl accident. J. Environ. Radioact. 6, 1988, 177-183. [12] Federal Committee for Labor, Health and Social Policy. The level of radioactive contamination of human environment and exposure of population in Yugoslavia in 1986 due to nuclear power plant disaster in Chernobyl, Belgrade, 1987 (in Serbian). [13] J. Petroviš, M. Šujiš, M. ĐorŤeviš, R. Dragoviš, B. Gajiš, Š. Miljanjiš, S. Dragoviš. Spatial distribution and vertical migration of 137Cs in soils of Belgrade (Serbia) 25 years after the Chernobyl accident. Environ. Sci. Proc. Imp. 15, 2013, 1279-1289. [14] A.-R. Iurian, R. Begy, I. Cătinaş, C. Cosma, Results of medium-term soil redistribution rates in Cluj county, Romania, using 137Cs measurements. Procedia Environ. Sci. 14, 2012, 22-31. [15] A.-R. Iurian, L. Mabit, C. Cosma, Uncertainty related to input parameters of 137Cs soil redistribution model for undisturbed fields. J. Environ. Radioact. 136, 2014, 112-120. [16] M.M. Saç, A. Uğur, G. Yener, B. Özden. Estimates of soil erosion using cesium-137 tracer models. Environ. Monit. Assess. 136, 2008, 461-467. Радиоекологија и излагање становништва  115  PROCENA INTENZITETA EROZIJE ZEMLJIŠTA JUGOISTOČNE SRBIJE PRIMENOM NUKLEARNIH TEHNIKA  Sneţana DRAGOVIĆ1, Emil FULAJTAR2, Jelena PETROVIĆ1, Milan ĐORĐEVIĆ3, MrĊan ĐOKIĆ3, Mirjana ĆUJIĆ1, Ljiljana JANKOVIĆ MANDIĆ1, Ranko DRAGOVIĆ3 i Boško GAJIĆ4 1) Univerzitet u Beogradu, Institut za nuklearne nauke Vinča, Beograd, Srbija, sdragovic@vin.bg.ac.rs, petrovicj@vin.bg.ac.rs, cujicm@vin.bg.ac.rs, ljmandic@vin.bg.ac.rs 2) Međunarodna agencija za atomsku energiju, Beč, Austrija, E.Fulajtar@iaea.org 3) Univerzitet u Nišu, Prirodno-matematički fakultet, Departman za geografiju, Niš, Srbija, milan.djordjevic@pmf.ni.ac.rs, mrdjandjokic@gmail.com, dragovicr@pmf.ni.ac.rs 4) Univerzitet u Beogradu, Institut za zemljište i melioracije, Poljoprivredni fakultet, Beograd, Srbija, bonna@agrif.bg.ac.rs  SADRŢAJ Erozija zemljišta vodom predstavlja vaţan problem zaštite ţivotne sredine u Srbiji. Posledica erozije je degradacija zemljišnih resursa, smanjenje plodnosti zemljišta i redukcija poljoprivredne proizvodnje. Najveši intenzitet erozije uoţen je na obradivom zemljištu na strmim padinama. Pretvaranje pašnjaka u obradivo zemljište uticalo je na povešanje prostora zahvašenih procesom erozije. U ovom radu prikazani su preli-minarni rezultati projekta tehniţke saradnje sa MeŤunarodnom agencijom za atomsku energiju ‗Jaţanje kapaciteta za procenu intenziteta erozije zemljišta koriššenjem nuklearnih tehnika u cilju podrške odrţivom upravljanju zemljištem‘ (SRB5003) ţiji je cilj procena intenziteta erozije zemljišta 137Cs-metodom. Istraţivanja sprovedena u basenima Pţinje i Juţne Morave ukazala su na intenzivnu eroziju na ovom prostoru. Istraţivanja še biti nastavljena na nekoliko drugih lokacija, a rezultati še biti upotrebljeni za podršku nacionalnim programima konzervacije zemljišta.   

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Assessment of soil erosion rates in Southeastern Serbia using nuclear techniques

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