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Characteristics of soil organic carbon (SOC) and total nitrogen (total N) are important for determining the overall quality of soils. Studies on spatial and temporal variation in SOC and total N are of great importance because of global environmental concerns. Soil erosion is one of the major processes affecting the redistribution of SOC and total N in the test fields. To characterize the distribution and dynamics of SOC and N in the intensively eroded soil of the headwaters of the Yangtze River, China, we measured profiles of soil organic C, total N stocks, and Cs-137 in a control plot and a treatment plot. The amounts of SOC, Cs-137 of sampling soil profiles increased in the following order, lower> middle> upper portions on the control plot, and the amounts of total N ofsampling soil profile increase in the following order: upper> middle> lower on the control plot. Intensive soil erosion resulted in a significant decrease of SOC amounts by 34.9%, 28.3% and 52.6% for 0-30 cm soil layer at upper, middle and lower portions and (CS)-C-137 inventory decreased by 68%, 11% and 85% at upper, middle and lower portions, respectively. On the treatment plot total N decreased by 50.2% and 14.6% at the upper and middle portions and increased by 48.9% at the lower portion. Coefficients of variation (CVs) of SOC decreased by 31%, 37% and 30% in the upper, middle and lower slope portions, respectively. Similar to the variational trend of SOC, CVS of Cs-137 decreased by 19.2%, 0.5% and 36.5%; and total N decreased by 45.7%, 65.1% and 19% in the upper, middle and lower slope portions, respectively. The results showed that Cs-137, SOC and total N moved on the sloping land almost in the same physical mechanism during the soil erosion procedure, indicating that fallout of Cs-137 Could be used directly for quantifying dynamic SOC and total N redistribution as the soil was affected by intensive soil erosion. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.