Assessment of soil movements in a watershed from Cs-137 data and conventional measurements (example: the Parisian Basin)

Soil degradation, by water and wind erosion is a matter of growing concern in Europe. Caesium-137, paired with conventional methods, is used in many countries to assess the extent of soil erosion. This technique was tested in a small watershed of the Laonnois area (Parisian Basin) which has been monitored for several years by traditional computerized and automatic techniques. tudy makes possibe a comparison of both methods. The first results suggest a difference in the soil loss estimates in a ratio near 1:1.6. However, the two methods appear complementary: caesium-137 can be used to estimate rapidly the magnitude and the spatial pattern of soil erosion, while the conventional techniques can produce more accurate soil loss data and can be used for in-depth investigations of the influence of various factors (ground cover, cultural practices, etc.) on soil erosion.