A Review of REE Tracer Method Used in Soil Erosion Studies

Rare earth elements (REEs) have been proved ideal tracers for soil erosion and aggregation. REE tracer method (REETM) used to study soil erosion, as a new technique, has been developed in recent 20 yr. It is able to quantitatively monitor the temporal and spatial variation of erosion intensity, compared with traditional approaches. The applications of REETM in studying of sediment differentiation law, erosion process evolution, determination of sediment sources and sedimentation investigations, and determination of prediction parameters, were reviewed. Some application limitations were summarized.