Valores de referência de 137 Cs em solos de três regiões edafoclimáticas de Pernambuco

Abstract

Soil 137Cs contents have been used to quantify losses or accumulations, based on values from reference sites with little soil disturbance in the last decades. Determinations in such sites have not been made in Northeast Brazil. Three areas with flat topography, native vegetation and undisturbed soils were selected in the municipalities of Goiana, Araripina and Sertânia, Pernambuco state. In each area, four locations were marked, 20 to 50 m distant from each other, and, in each one, soil samples were collected in consecutive 3 cm deep layers, down to 30cm. 137Cs activities were determined using gamma spectrometry with a hyperpure germanium detector (HPGe). Average contents of 137Cs (Bq m-2) were 71.6 ± 6.3 in Goiana, 64.0 ± 13.8 in Araripina and 95.5 ± 9.8 in Sertânia. Values in this range have been reported in Paraíba and Bahia, and higher ones in the Southeastern region, confirming the reduction of stocks in areas closer to the equator. The highest activities occurred in the surface layers, ranging from 0.50 to 2.06 Bq kg-1, and they decreased linearly with depth until the detection limits: 18 cm in Araripina, 15 cm in Goiana, and 9 cm in Sertânia. In Goiana, the surface layer corresponded to an organic horizon and had the highest activity (2.06 ± 1.0 Bq kg-1). High activities and stock and lower depth in Sertânia could be explained by the predominance of 2:1 clay minerals in opposition to 1:1 clay minerals in the other areas. 137Cs activities were positively correlated with water and KCl pH values and negatively correlated with Al concentrations. The results confirm that, in reference areas, the largest 137Cs activities are in the surface layers, with regular decreases down the soil profile.