Nationwide Soil Erosion Assessment in India Using Radioisotope Tracers 137 Cs and 210 Pb:The Need for Fallout Mapping

Soil degradation induced by erosion represents a major threat to food production and ecosystem service globally, and in India more than 80 Mha have been impacted. In the light of the serious threat, there is a pressing need for a systematic nationwide assessment of land degradation due to erosion. We discuss the potential for using caesium-137 and lead-210 tracers to address this need and the next steps to realizing nationwide implementation.