Predicting soil erosion and sediment yield at the basin scale: Scale issues and semi-quantitative models

2005 ◽  
Vol 71 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 95-125 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joris de Vente ◽  
Jean Poesen
Keyword(s):  
Soil Erosion ◽  
Sediment Yield ◽  
Quantitative Models ◽  
Basin Scale

scholarly journals Soil erosion by snow gliding – a first quantification attempt in a subalpine area in Switzerland

2014 ◽  
Vol 18 (9) ◽  
pp. 3763-3775 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Meusburger ◽  
G. Leitinger ◽  
L. Mabit ◽  
M. H. Mueller ◽  
A. Walter ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Soil Erosion ◽  
Land Cover ◽  
Sediment Yield ◽  
Soil Loss ◽  
Water Erosion ◽  
Erosion Rates ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Snow Gliding

Abstract. Snow processes might be one important driver of soil erosion in Alpine grasslands and thus the unknown variable when erosion modelling is attempted. The aim of this study is to assess the importance of snow gliding as a soil erosion agent for four different land use/land cover types in a subalpine area in Switzerland. We used three different approaches to estimate soil erosion rates: sediment yield measurements in snow glide depositions, the fallout radionuclide 137Cs and modelling with the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE). RUSLE permits the evaluation of soil loss by water erosion, the 137Cs method integrates soil loss due to all erosion agents involved, and the measurement of snow glide deposition sediment yield can be directly related to snow-glide-induced erosion. Further, cumulative snow glide distance was measured for the sites in the winter of 2009/2010 and modelled for the surrounding area and long-term average winter precipitation (1959–2010) with the spatial snow glide model (SSGM). Measured snow glide distance confirmed the presence of snow gliding and ranged from 2 to 189 cm, with lower values on the north-facing slopes. We observed a reduction of snow glide distance with increasing surface roughness of the vegetation, which is an important information with respect to conservation planning and expected and ongoing land use changes in the Alps. Snow glide erosion estimated from the snow glide depositions was highly variable with values ranging from 0.03 to 22.9 t ha−1 yr−1 in the winter of 2012/2013. For sites affected by snow glide deposition, a mean erosion rate of 8.4 t ha−1 yr−1 was found. The difference in long-term erosion rates determined with RUSLE and 137Cs confirms the constant influence of snow-glide-induced erosion, since a large difference (lower proportion of water erosion compared to total net erosion) was observed for sites with high snow glide rates and vice versa. Moreover, the difference between RUSLE and 137Cs erosion rates was related to the measured snow glide distance (R2 = 0.64; p < 0.005) and to the snow deposition sediment yields (R2 = 0.39; p = 0.13). The SSGM reproduced the relative difference of the measured snow glide values under different land uses and land cover types. The resulting map highlighted the relevance of snow gliding for large parts of the investigated area. Based on these results, we conclude that snow gliding appears to be a crucial and non-negligible process impacting soil erosion patterns and magnitude in subalpine areas with similar topographic and climatic conditions.

scholarly journals Prioritization of Sub-Watersheds to Sediment Yield and Evaluation of Best Management Practices in Highland Ethiopia, Finchaa Catchment

Land ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 650
Author(s):  
Wakjira Takala Dibaba ◽  
Tamene Adugna Demissie ◽  
Konrad Miegel
Keyword(s):  
Soil Erosion ◽  
Best Management Practices ◽  
Sediment Yield ◽  
Soil Loss ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Assessment Tool ◽  
Swat Model ◽  
Sediment Yields ◽  
Soil And Water

Excessive soil loss and sediment yield in the highlands of Ethiopia are the primary factors that accelerate the decline of land productivity, water resources, operation and function of existing water infrastructure, as well as soil and water management practices. This study was conducted at Finchaa catchment in the Upper Blue Nile basin of Ethiopia to estimate the rate of soil erosion and sediment loss and prioritize the most sensitive sub-watersheds using the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model. The SWAT model was calibrated and validated using the observed streamflow and sediment data. The average annual sediment yield (SY) in Finchaa catchment for the period 1990–2015 was 36.47 ton ha−1 yr−1 with the annual yield varying from negligible to about 107.2 ton ha−1 yr−1. Five sub-basins which account for about 24.83% of the area were predicted to suffer severely from soil erosion risks, with SY in excess of 50 ton ha−1 yr−1. Only 15.05% of the area within the tolerable rate of loss (below 11 ton ha−1yr−1) was considered as the least prioritized areas for maintenance of crop production. Despite the reasonable reduction of sediment yields by the management scenarios, the reduction by contour farming, slope terracing, zero free grazing and reforestation were still above the tolerable soil loss. Vegetative contour strips and soil bund were significant in reducing SY below the tolerable soil loss, which is equivalent to 63.9% and 64.8% reduction, respectively. In general, effective and sustainable soil erosion management requires not only prioritizations of the erosion hotspots but also prioritizations of the most effective management practices. We believe that the results provided new and updated insights that enable a proactive approach to preserve the soil and reduce land degradation risks that could allow resource regeneration.

scholarly journals Using SWAT to Evaluate Streamflow and Lake Sediment Loading in the Xinjiang River Basin with Limited Data

Water ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 39 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lifeng Yuan ◽  
Kenneth J. Forshay
Keyword(s):  
Soil Erosion ◽  
River Basin ◽  
Lake Sediment ◽  
Sediment Yield ◽  
Sediment Load ◽  
Poyang Lake ◽  
Sediment Source ◽  
Sediment Loading ◽  
Source Areas ◽  
Annual Sediment

Soil erosion and lake sediment loading are primary concerns of watershed managers around the world. In the Xinjiang River Basin of China, severe soil erosion occurs primarily during monsoon periods, resulting in sediment flow into Poyang Lake and subsequently causing lake water quality deterioration. Here, we identified high-risk soil erosion areas and conditions that drive sediment yield in a watershed system with limited available data to guide localized soil erosion control measures intended to support reduced sediment load into Poyang Lake. We used the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model to simulate monthly and annual sediment yield based on a calibrated SWAT streamflow model, identified where sediment originated, and determined what geographic factors drove the loading within the watershed. We applied monthly and daily streamflow discharge (1985–2009) and monthly suspended sediment load data (1985–2001) to Meigang station to conduct parameter sensitivity analysis, calibration, validation, and uncertainty analysis of the model. The coefficient of determination (R2), Nash–Sutcliffe efficiency (NSE), percent bias (PBIAS), and RMSE -observation’s standard deviation ratio (RSR) values of the monthly sediment load were 0.63, 0.62, 3.8%, and 0.61 during calibration, respectively. Spatially, the annual sediment yield rate ranged from 3 ton ha−1year−1 on riparian lowlands of the Xinjiang main channel to 33 ton ha−1year−1 on mountain highlands, with a basin-wide mean of 19 ton ha−1year−1. The study showed that 99.9% of the total land area suffered soil loss (greater than 5 ton ha−1year−1). More sediment originated from the southern mountain highlands than from the northern mountain highlands of the Xinjiang river channel. These results suggest that specific land use types and geographic conditions can be identified as hotspots of sediment source with relatively scarce data; in this case, orchards, barren lands, and mountain highlands with slopes greater than 25° were the primary sediment source areas. This study developed a reliable, physically-based streamflow model and illustrates critical source areas and conditions that influence sediment yield.

Prediction of the soil erosion in a forest and sediment yield from road network through GIS and SEDMODL

2014 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 118-125 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aidin PARSAKHOO ◽  
Majid LOTFALIAN ◽  
Ataollah KAVIAN ◽  
Seyed Ataollah HOSSEINI
Keyword(s):  
Soil Erosion ◽  
Sediment Yield ◽  
Road Network

scholarly journals A Study of Sedimentation in Chenab Basin in Western Himalayas

1997 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 201-216 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. V. N. Rao ◽  
M. V. Rao ◽  
K. S. Ramasastri ◽  
R. N. P. Singh
Keyword(s):  
Water Resources ◽  
Soil Erosion ◽  
Sediment Yield ◽  
Spatial Models ◽  
Study Data ◽  
Fine Sediment ◽  
Western Himalayas ◽  
Vital Importance ◽  
Correct Estimation ◽  
Development And Management

The young Himalayas have a serious problem of soil erosion and consequent sedimentation in river reaches downstream. The study revealed the high rates of sedimentation in Chenab basin and its effect on an existing reservoir. Correct estimation of sediment yield at any given point in space and time is of vital importance for water resources development and management. In the present study data of 17 to 27 years were used to develop statistically significant spatial models to estimate sediment yield in the Chenab basin (22,000 km2) using geomorphological, climatic and landuse parameters. The sediment yield was estimated for total and fine sediment for monsoon, premonsoon seasons and the year.

scholarly journals Assessing the large-scale impacts of environmental change using a coupled hydrology and soil erosion model

2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 687-703 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joris P. C. Eekhout ◽  
Wilco Terink ◽  
Joris de Vente
Keyword(s):  
Soil Erosion ◽  
Environmental Change ◽  
Sediment Yield ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Catchment Scale ◽  
Time Step ◽  
Vegetation Development ◽  
Erosion Model ◽  
Complete Representation ◽  
Large Catchment

Abstract. Assessing the impacts of environmental change on soil erosion and sediment yield at the large catchment scale remains one of the main challenges in soil erosion modelling studies. Here, we present a process-based soil erosion model, based on the integration of the Morgan–Morgan–Finney erosion model in a daily based hydrological model. The model overcomes many of the limitations of previous large-scale soil erosion models, as it includes a more complete representation of crucial processes like surface runoff generation, dynamic vegetation development, and sediment deposition, and runs at the catchment scale with a daily time step. This makes the model especially suited for the evaluation of the impacts of environmental change on soil erosion and sediment yield at regional scales and over decadal periods. The model was successfully applied in a large catchment in southeastern Spain. We demonstrate the model's capacity to perform impact assessments of environmental change scenarios, specifically simulating the scenario impacts of intra- and inter-annual variations in climate, land management, and vegetation development on soil erosion and sediment yield.

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