Effects of gully head height and soil texture on gully headcut erosion in the Loess Plateau of China

Analyzing the dynamics of soil particle size distribution (PSD) and erodibility is important for understanding the changes of soil texture and quality after cropland abandonment. This study aimed to determine how restoration age and latitude affect soil erodibility and the multifractal dimensions of PSD during natural recovery. We collected soil samples from grassland, shrubland, and forests with different restoration ages in the steppe zone (SZ), forest-steppe zone (FSZ), and forest zone (FZ). Various analyses were conducted on the samples, including multifractal analysis and erodibility analysis. Our results showed that restoration age had no significant effect on the multifractal dimensions of PSD (capacity dimension (D0), information dimension (D1), information dimension/capacity dimension ratio (D1/D0), correlation dimension (D2)), and soil erodibility. Multifractal dimensions tended to increase, while soil erodibility tended to decrease, with restoration age. Latitude was negatively correlated with fractal dimensions (D0, D2) and positively correlated with K and D1/D0. During vegetation restoration, restoration age, precipitation, and temperature affect the development of vegetation, resulting in differences in soil organic carbon, total nitrogen, soil texture, and soil enzyme activity, and by affecting soil structure to change the soil stability. This study revealed the impact of restoration age and latitude on soil erosion in the Loess Plateau.

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The Gully Head in the Loess Plateau and the Protection of the Gully Head for Oil and Gas Pipeline Engineering

ICPTT 2013 ◽

10.1061/9780784413142.028 ◽

2013 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Cunjie Guo ◽

Laibin Zhang ◽

Wei Liang ◽

Zhong Lu ◽

Detian Liu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Loess Plateau ◽

Oil And Gas ◽

Gas Pipeline ◽

The Loess Plateau ◽

Gully Head

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The impact of flow discharge on the hydraulic characteristics of headcut erosion processes in the gully region of the Loess Plateau

Hydrological Processes ◽

10.1002/hyp.13620 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 34 (3) ◽

pp. 718-729 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Qianhua Shi ◽

Wenlong Wang ◽

Mingming Guo ◽

Zhuoxin Chen ◽

Lanqian Feng ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Loess Plateau ◽

Hydraulic Characteristics ◽

The Loess Plateau ◽

Flow Discharge ◽

Erosion Processes ◽

Headcut Erosion ◽

The Impact

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A New Method to Predict Gully Head Erosion in the Loess Plateau of China Based on SBAS-InSAR

Remote Sensing ◽

10.3390/rs13030421 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (3) ◽

pp. 421

Author(s):

Chengcheng Jiang ◽

Wen Fan ◽

Ningyu Yu ◽

Yalin Nan

Keyword(s):

Loess Plateau ◽

Erosion Rate ◽

Surface Deformation ◽

Slope Angle ◽

Slope Aspect ◽

Small Scale ◽

The Loess Plateau ◽

Topographic Wetness Index ◽

Sbas Insar ◽

Gully Head

Gully head erosion causes serious land degradation in semiarid regions. The existing studies on gully head erosion are mainly based on measuring the gully volume in small-scale catchments, which is a labor-intensive and time-consuming approach. Therefore, it is necessary to explore an accurate method quantitatively over large areas and long periods. The objective of this study was to develop a model to assess gully head erosion in the Loess Plateau of China using a method based on the SBAS-InSAR technique. The gully heads were extracted from the digital elevation model and validated by field investigation and aerial images. The surface deformation was estimated with SBAS-InSAR and 22 descending ALOS PALSAR datasets from 2007 to 2011. A gully head erosion model was developed; this model can incorporate terrain factors and soil types, as well as provides erosion rate predictions consistent with the SBAS-InSAR measurements (R2 = 0.889). The results show that gully head erosion significantly depends on the slope angle above the gully head, slope length, topographic wetness index, and catchment area. The relationship between these factors and the gully head erosion rate is a power function, and the average rate of gully head erosion is 7.5 m3/m2/year, indicating the high erosional vulnerability of the area. The accuracy of the model can be further improved by considering other factors, such as the stream power factor, curvature, and slope aspect. This study indicates that the erosion rate of gully heads is almost unaffected by soil type in the research area. An advantage of this model is that the gully head area and surface deformation can be easily extracted and measured from satellite images, which is effective for assessing gully head erosion at a large scale in combination with SBAS-InSAR results and terrain attributes.

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