Fallout 210Pb as a soil and sediment tracer in catchment sediment budget investigations: A review

The aim of this review is to provide a comprehensive evaluation and discussion of the various applications of 210Pbex as a tracer in terrestrial and aquatic environments, with particular emphasis on catchment sediment budget investigations. This paper summarizes the state-of-the-art related to the use of this tracer, the main assumptions, the requirements (including the need for accurate analytical measurements and for parallel validation), and the limitations which must be recognised when using this fallout radionuclide as a soil and sediment tracer. Lessons learned and current and future research needs in the environmental and radiochronological application of 210Pbex are also presented and discussed.