137 Cs Technology for Soil Erosion and Soil Carbon Redistribution

¹³⁷Cs technology has received much attention in the last few years because it can be applied both quickly and efficiently in soil erosion and soil redeposition studies. It is also a unique method for enhancing the efficiency of estimation of soil erosion in eroded and hilly areas. In the process of development of agriculture, ¹³⁷Cs estimations have become an important tool to reduce soil erosion for boosting food security. The key benefit of using environmental tracers is that they can provide retrospective information on medium-term (~50-yr span, ¹³⁷Cs) and long-term (~150-yr span, ²¹⁰Pb) redistribution patterns of soils within the landscapes, without the need for long-term monitoring programmes. ¹³⁷Cs technology has never been applied to estimate soil redistribution patterns in India, even though there have been severe land-use changes over the past few decades. Here we discuss the importance of ¹³⁷Cs technology for land degradation, agriculture, food security and carbon sequestration.