Summary
This field study quantifies the temporal and spatial heterogeneity of soil stable isotope ratios and total element concentrations across an agricultural field, with implications for sediment source fingerprinting methods. As suggested by the title, the authors investigate whether these soil properties remain sufficiently distinctive through space and time to serve as reliable tracers for determining the provenance of eroded sediment in environmental studies.
UK applicability
The findings are directly applicable to UK soil erosion monitoring and water quality assessment, where isotopic and elemental fingerprinting is increasingly used to trace sediment sources from diffuse and point sources. Understanding field-scale variability is essential for refining sediment tracing protocols in UK catchment studies.
Key measures
δ13C (carbon-13 isotope ratio), δ15N (nitrogen-15 isotope ratio), total carbon (TC), total nitrogen (TN), soil sampling at multiple spatial and temporal intervals
Outcomes reported
The study examined field-scale temporal and spatial variability of stable isotopes (δ13C, δ15N) and elemental concentrations (total carbon, total nitrogen) in soil to assess their utility as tracers for identifying sediment sources in agricultural landscapes.
Topic tags
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