Soil degradation threatens human resources under current global change regime. As such, indicators for soil degradation are urgently needed to survey and monitor short term and long term impacts on soils. With this proposed study we aim to delineate indicators for soil erosion and carbon degradation during soil erosion in grassland and forest soils of the Alps qualitatively and quantitatively. The latter will be investigated at two test site in the Swiss Alps (Goms, Canton Valais and Val Piora, Canton Ticino) where data on 137Cs based erosion rates are already available. We further aim to develop a concept to use isotope depth profiles as well as ash contents as indicators for wetland disturbance (draining, nutrient input or climate change warming). In combining stable isotope profiles and ash content data we aim to quantify carbon degradation due to disturbance by draining or nutrient input. A gradient of wetlands ranging from the northern most Europe 200 km north of the polar cycle down to the Alps will be investigated to test our hypotheses.