Rates of soil erosion on arable fields in Britain: quantitative data from caesium‐137 measurements

Abstract

Abstract. Despite a growing awareness that erosion on arable land in Britain is a potential hazard to long‐term productivity, there is still only limited information on the rates involved, particularly long‐term values. Use of the caesium‐137 (137Cs) technique to study soil erosion within arable fields on various soil types at 13 locations in southern Britain has yielded retrospective measurements of the long‐term (c. 30 years) rates of soil loss and the patterns of soil redistribution within the study fields. The range of long‐term rates of net soil loss extends from 0.61 per hectare per year on clay soils in Bedfordshire to 10.5 t per hectare per year on brown sands in Nottinghamshire. The measured rates are compared with other published data for similar soil types and land use, and the implications for long‐term productivity and potential environmental impacts are considered.