Sediment Transfer through the Fluvial System (Proceedings of a symposium held in Moscow, August 2004). IAHS Publ. 288, 2004, 93–104

Applying various methods for assessing soil and sediment redistribution within an intensively cultivated dry valley subcatchment

Vladimir R. Belyaev1, Maxim V. Markelov1, Valentin N. Golosov1, Yuri R. Belyaev2 & Elvira V. Tishkina1

1 The Laboratory of Soil Erosion and Channel Processes, Faculty of Geography, Moscow State University,
GSP-2, 119992, Vorob’evy Gory, Moscow, Russia

river@river.geogr.msu.su

2 Department of Geomorphology and Palaeogeography, Faculty of Geography, Moscow State University, GSP-2, 119992, Vorob’evy Gory, Moscow, Russia

Abstract Four independent methods have been employed to evaluate rates of soil and sediment redistribution during a period of intensive agriculture (about 300 years) for a small catchment (area 0.81 km2) located within the forest zone of the northwestern Russian Plain. These included direct soil survey, radionuclide tracers (137Cs and 210Pbex), and USLE-based modelling. Estimates for cultivated slopes vary from 6.4 to 24.2 t ha-1 year-1. Up to 40% of mobilized soil has been redeposited on arable slopes within the catchment. Aggradation of the dry valley bottom has been estimated at 0.3–0.7 m. The intensity of soil and sediment redistribution is low in comparison with forest-steppe and steppe zones of the Russian plain.

Key words deposition; modelling; radionuclide tracers; small catchment; soil erosion