Field scale temporal and spatial variability of δ13C, δ15N, TC and TN soil properties: Implications for sediment source tracing

Summary

This 2018 field study investigated the temporal and spatial heterogeneity of stable isotopic signatures (δ13C, δ15N) and elemental composition (TC, TN) in soils at the field scale. As suggested by the title, the work addresses implications for sediment source tracing—a technique widely used to identify and quantify erosion pathways and sediment provenance in agricultural landscapes. The findings indicate variability that has methodological implications for the reliability of these soil properties as fingerprinting tracers.

UK applicability

Given the UK authorship and the focus on field-scale soil variability, the findings are directly applicable to UK agricultural erosion studies and sediment tracing protocols. The work informs best practice for using isotopic signatures to track soil loss and sediment dynamics in British farming systems and catchments.

Key measures

δ13C (carbon-13 to carbon-12 ratio), δ15N (nitrogen-15 to nitrogen-14 ratio), TC (total carbon), TN (total nitrogen)

Outcomes reported

The study characterised temporal and spatial variability of stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes (δ13C, δ15N) and total carbon and nitrogen content (TC, TN) across a field scale, as suggested by the title. These soil properties were examined to assess their utility as tracers for identifying sediment sources in erosion and sediment transport studies.

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