Biogeosciences
Biogeosciences
BG
Articles | Volume 22, issue 4
Articles | Volume 22, issue 4
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-1077-2025
© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-1077-2025
© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Articles | Volume 22, issue 4
Research article
 | 
27 Feb 2025
Research article |  | 27 Feb 2025

Plutonium concentrations link soil organic matter decline to wind erosion in ploughed soils of South Africa

Joel Mohren, Hendrik Wiesel, Wulf Amelung, L. Keith Fifield, Alexandra Sandhage-Hofmann, Erik Strub, Steven A. Binnie, Stefan Heinze, Elmarie Kotze, Chris Du Preez, Stephen G. Tims, and Tibor J. Dunai

Viewed

Total article views: 1,201 (including HTML, PDF, and XML)
HTML PDF XML Total Supplement BibTeX EndNote
901 160 140 1,201 56 37 52
  • HTML: 901
  • PDF: 160
  • XML: 140
  • Total: 1,201
  • Supplement: 56
  • BibTeX: 37
  • EndNote: 52
Views and downloads (calculated since 20 Jun 2024)
Cumulative views and downloads (calculated since 20 Jun 2024)

Viewed (geographical distribution)

Total article views: 1,201 (including HTML, PDF, and XML) Thereof 1,173 with geography defined and 28 with unknown origin.
Country # Views %
  • 1
1
 
 
 
 
Latest update: 05 Oct 2025
Download
Short summary
We measured concentrations of nuclear fallout in soil samples taken from arable land in South Africa. We find that during the second half of the 20th century, the data strongly correlate with the organic matter content of the soils. The finding implies that wind erosion strongly influenced the loss of organic matter in the soils we investigated. Furthermore, the exponential decline of fallout concentrations and organic matter content over time peaks shortly after native grassland is ploughed.
Read more
Share
Altmetrics
Final-revised paper
Preprint