Using 239+240Pu atmospheric deposition and a simplified mass-balance model to re-estimate the soil erosion rate: a case study of Liaodong Bay in China

By using the mass balance model of 137Cs and introducing 239+240Pu atmospheric deposition, a simplified mass balance model of 239+240Pu was developed and the soil erosion rate was re-estimated. The results indicated that the reference inventory of 239+240Pu was estimated to be 88.4 Bq/m2 in Liaodong Bay. In addition, the atomic ratios of 240Pu/239Pu in all core samples were approximately 0.18, which indicated that the major source of Pu was the global fallout. Statistical analysis of the erosion rates derived from the model demonstrates that the 239+240Pu atmospheric deposition is a feasible way to estimate the soil erosion rate and further improve tracer technique to assess the soil erosion rate.