Impact of vegetative cover and slope on runoff, erosion, and water quality for field plots on a range of soil and spoil materials on central Queensland coal mines

Soil Research ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 38 (2) ◽  
pp. 313 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Carroll ◽  
L. Merton ◽  
P. Burger
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Soil Erosion ◽  
Overland Flow ◽  
Salt Content ◽  
Vegetative Cover ◽  
Rhodes Grass ◽  
Erosion Rates ◽  
Mine Sites ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Field Plots

In 1993, a field study commenced to determine the impact of vegetative cover and slope on runoff, erosion, and water quality at 3 open-cut coal mine sites. Runoff, sediment, and water quality were measured on 0.01-ha field plots from 3 slope gradients (10, 20, 30%), with pasture and tree treatments imposed on soil and spoil material, and 2 soil and spoil plots left bare. The greatest soil erosion occurred before pasture cover established, when a large surface area of soil (>0.5 plot area) was exposed to rainfall and overland flow. Once buffel grass (Cenchrus ciliaris) colonised soil plots, there were negligible differences in soil erosion between slope gradients. On spoil, Rhodes grass (Chloris gayana) reduced in situ soluble salt content, and reduced runoff electrical conductivity to levels measured in surrounding creeks. Where spoil crusted there was poor vegetative growth and unacceptably large runoff and erosion rates throughout the study.

scholarly journals The impact of road and railway embankments on runoff and soil erosion in eastern Spain

2015 ◽  
Vol 12 (12) ◽  
pp. 12947-12985 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Pereira ◽  
A. Gimeìnez-Morera ◽  
A. Novara ◽  
S. Keesstra ◽  
A. Jordán ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Soil Erosion ◽  
Overland Flow ◽  
Erosion Rates ◽  
Infiltration Rates ◽  
Erosion Processes ◽  
Land Use Types ◽  
Soil Erosion Rates ◽  
On The Road ◽  
The Impact

Abstract. Road and railway infrastructure increased in the Mediterranean region during the last three decades. This included the building of embankments, which are assumed to be a~large source of sediments and runoff. However, little is known about soil erosion rates, the factors that control them, and the processes that contribute to detachment, transport and deposition of sediments from road and railway embankments. The objective of this study was therefore to assess the impacts of road and railway embankments as a source of sediment and water, and compare them to other land use types (citrus plantations and shrublands) representative of the Cànyoles watershed to evaluate the importance of road embankments as a~source of water and sediment under high magnitude low frequency rainfall events. Sixty rainfall experiments (1 m2 plots; 60 min duration; 78 mm h−1 rainfall intensity) were carried out on these land use types: 20 on two railway embankments (10 + 10), 20 on two road embankments (10 + 10), and 10 on citrus and 10 on shrubland. Road and railway embankments were characterized by bare soils with low organic matter and high bulk density. Erosion processes were more active in road, railway and citrus plots, and null in the shrublands. The non-sustainable soil erosion rates of 3 Mg ha−1 y−1 measured on the road embankments were due to the efficient runoff connectivity plus low infiltration rates within the plot as the runoff took less than one minute to reach the runoff outlet. Road and railway embankments are both an active source of sediments and runoff, and soil erosion control strategies must be applied. The citrus plantations also act as a~source of water and sediments (1.5 Mg ha−1 y−1), while shrublands are sediment sinks, as no overland flow was observed due to the high infiltration rates.

How spatial vegetation distribution affects soil erosion and sediment transport

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Malte Kuegler ◽  
Thomas Hoffmann ◽  
Jana Eichel ◽  
Lothar Schrott ◽  
Juergen Schmidt
Keyword(s):  
Soil Erosion ◽  
Vegetation Cover ◽  
Vegetation Pattern ◽  
Vegetation Coverage ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Initial Increase ◽  
Vegetation Patterns ◽  
Erosion Rates ◽  
Catchment Areas ◽  
The Impact

<p>There are a multitude of factors that affect soil erosion and the process of sediment movement. One particular factor known to have a considerable impact is vegetation coverage within catchment areas.  Previous studies have examined the impact of vegetation cover on erosion. However, there is a lack of research on how the spatial distribution of vegetation influences erosion rates.</p><p>A greater understanding of hillslope erosion is fundamental in modelling previous and future topographic changes under various climate conditions. Here, the physical based erosion model EROSION 3D © is used to evaluate the impact of a variety of vegetation patterns and degrees of vegetation cover on sediment erosion and transport. The model was applied on a natural catchment in La Campana (Central Chile). For this purpose, three different vegetation patterns were created: (i) random distribution, (ii) water-dependent distribution (TWIR) and (iii) banded vegetation pattern distribution. Additional to this, the areas covered by vegetation generated in the first step were expanded by steps of 10% [0...100%]. The Erosion3D © model then was applied on all vegetation patterns and degrees of cover.</p><p>Our results show an initial increase of soil erosion with increasing plant coverage within the catchment up to a certain cover threshold ranging between 10 and 40%. At larger vegetation cover soil erosion rates decline. The strength of increase and decline, as well as the cover-threshold is strongly conditioned by the spatial vegetation pattern. In the light of this, future research should pay particular attention to the properties of the plants and their distribution, not solely on the amount of biomass within catchment areas.</p>

Effects of vegetation cover on runoff and erosion under simulated rain and overland flow on a rehabilitated site on the Meandu Mine, Tarong, Queensland

Soil Research ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 38 (2) ◽  
pp. 299 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. J. Loch
Keyword(s):  
Overland Flow ◽  
Extreme Rainfall ◽  
Rainfall Runoff ◽  
Vegetative Cover ◽  
Erosion Rates ◽  
Overland Flows ◽  
Simulated Rain ◽  
Runoff Events ◽  
Flow Study

This research was carried out to quantify the role of vegetative cover in reducing runoff and erosion from rehabilitated mined land. Duplicate plots 1.5 m wide and 12 m long were prepared on a rehabilitated area of the Meandu Mine, Tarong, with vegetative cover of 0, 23%, 37%, 47%, and 100%. The area had a uniform 15% slope, and there were no rill or gully lines present. Simulated rain equivalent to a 1 : 100 year storm was applied to the plots, and runoff and erosion were measured. Infiltration totals and rates increased strongly with increasing vegetative cover. There was visibly greater infiltration under vegetation. Erosion from the simulated storm was greatly reduced by vegetative cover, declining from 30–35 t/ha at 0% vegetative cover to 0.5 t/ha at 47% cover. Reductions in erosion at lower levels of vegetative cover were greater than predicted by the cover/erosion relationship used in the USLE. The dominantly stoloniferous growth habit of the grass at this site may have increased the effectiveness of vegetative cover in this study. To allow the data to be extrapolated to slopes longer than 12 m, a series of overland flows were applied to the upslope boundaries of the plots, simulating flows on slopes up to 70 m long. Detachment and transport of sediment by applied overland flow was similarly reduced by vegetative cover, and results from the overland flow study also indicate that for slopes up to 70 m long with grass cover of 47% or greater, erosion rates will be minimal, even under extreme rainfall/runoff events.

Sediment origins across the terrestrial-aquatic continuum: climate threat mitigation and promotion of water quality

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katy Wiltshire ◽  
Toby Waine ◽  
Bob Grabowski ◽  
Miriam Glendell ◽  
Steve Addy ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Soil Erosion ◽  
Soil Loss ◽  
River Channel ◽  
River Channels ◽  
Catchment Scale ◽  
Transport Pathways ◽  
Fine Grained ◽  
Erosion Rates ◽  
Erosion Modelling

<p>Although fine-grained sediment (FGS) is a natural component of river systems, increased fluxes can impact FGS levels to such an extent they cause detrimental, irreversible changes in the way rivers function intensifying flood risk and negatively affecting water quality.</p><p>Previous catchment scale studies indicate there is no simple link between areas of sediment loss and the organic carbon (OC) load in waterways; areas with a high soil loss rate may not contribute most sediment to the rivers and areas that contribute the most sediment may not contribute the most OC. Anthropogenic and climate changes can accelerate soil erosion and the role of soil OC transported by erosional processes in the fluxes of C between land, water and atmosphere is still debated. Tracing sediment pathways, likely depositional areas and connections to streams leads to better assumptions about control processes and better estimation of OC fluxes.</p><p>In this innovative study OC fingerprinting of sediment reaching a catchment’s waterbodies is combined with OC stock and erosion modelling of the terrestrial catchment. Initial results show disconnect between catchment OC loss erosion modelling and fingerprinting results, which could be due to failure to model connectivity between the land and river channel. The current soil erosion model RUSLE (Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation) calculates only the spatial pattern of mean annual soil erosion rates. Using the WaTEM SEDEM model, which in includes routing (and possible en route deposition) of eroded sediments to river channels, we aim to determine the dominant source of OC within catchment streams by identification of both the land-use specific areas with the highest OC loss and the transport pathways between the sources and river channel.</p>

scholarly journals Predicting the impact of logging activities on soil erosion and water quality in steep, forested tropical islands

2018 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 044035 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amelia S Wenger ◽  
Scott Atkinson ◽  
Talitha Santini ◽  
Kim Falinski ◽  
Nicholas Hutley ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Soil Erosion ◽  
Tropical Islands ◽  
The Impact

scholarly journals Changes in land-use and their impact on erosion rates and overland flow generation in the Maghreb region

2005 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 163-180 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. O.A. Coelho ◽  
A. J.D. Ferreira ◽  
A. Laouina ◽  
A.-K. Boulet ◽  
M. Chaker ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Soil Erosion ◽  
Land Management ◽  
Overland Flow ◽  
Animal Husbandry ◽  
Rainfall Simulation ◽  
Management Systems ◽  
Simulation Experiments ◽  
Erosion Hazard ◽  
Erosion Rates

The ongoing intensification of grazing as well as the replacement of traditional land management systems in the Maghreb has brought to the forefront the fundamental role of land-use in determining soil erosion hazard. This paper reports on erosion rates and soil hydrological characteristics of a variety of land uses in Morocco and Tunisia. The results were obtained through rainfall simulation experiments carried out in the field using a portable simulator, following the design of CERDÀ et al. (1997). Traditional land management systems - typically involving a combination of agriculture, animal husbandry and forestry - produced the least amounts of overland flow and the lowest soil erosion rates. Over-exploitation of these systems apparently has only minor hydrological and erosional impacts. Heavily grazed, degraded "maquis" shrublands, on the other hand, produced considerable amounts of overland flow. At the plot scale of the rainfall simulation experiments (0.24 m2), the corresponding sediment loads are rather insignificant. Nevertheless, slopes where "maquis" shrublands (which generally have very compacted soils) occur upslope from more erodible soils may present a major erosion hazard.

scholarly journals SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE MANAGEMENTS TO CONTROL SOIL EROSION

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Artemi Cerdà ◽  
Enric Terol
Keyword(s):  
Soil Erosion ◽  
Sustainable Agriculture ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Traditional Management ◽  
Erosion Rates ◽  
Olive Groves ◽  
Simulated Rain ◽  
The Impact

High rates of soil erosion compromise sustainable agriculture. In rainfed agricultural fields, erosion rates several orders ofmagnitude higher than the erosion rates considered tolerable have been quantified. In Mediterranean rainfed crops suchas vineyards, almonds and olive groves, and in the new sloping citrus and persimmon plantations, the rates of soil lossmake it necessary to apply measures to reduce them to avoid collapse in agricultural production. Managements such asweeds, catch crops and mulches (straw and pruning remains) are viable options to achieve sustainability. This work appliesmeasurements through plots, simulated rainfall experiments and ISUM (Improved Stock-Unearhing method) to quantifythe loss of soil at different temporal and spatial scales in fields of traditional management (herbicide or tillage) and underalternative management (mulches and plant covers). The work carried out at the experimental station for the study of soilerosion in the Sierra de Enguera and those of Montesa and Les Alcusses provide information on erosion plots undernatural rain. Experiments carried out with simulated rain in fields of olive, almond, citrus, persimmon, vineyard and fruittrees report the hydrological and erosive response under low frequency and high intensity rains. And finally, the ISUMtopographic method report the impact of long-term management, from the plantation. The results indicate that the loss ofsoil is greater (x10-1000) in soils under traditional management (tillage and herbicide) due to the fact that they remain barefor most of the year. The use of straw mulch immediately reduces soil erosion by two orders of magnitude. Also mulchesfrom chipped pruned branches remains are very efficient but require more years to reduce soil loss. Weeds and catchcrops are very efficient in controlling erosion.

scholarly journals Assessment and Prevention Strategies of Soil Surface Crusting Caused by Rainfall Events: Case Study of Sebeya Catchment Agricultural Land in Rwanda

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Félicien Majoro ◽  
Umaru Garba Wali ◽  
Omar Munyaneza ◽  
François-Xavier Naramabuye ◽  
Concilie Mukamwambali
Keyword(s):  
Soil Erosion ◽  
Cover Crops ◽  
Soil Conservation ◽  
Soil Loss ◽  
Field Experiments ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Soil Surface ◽  
Water Infiltration ◽  
Vegetative Cover ◽  
Field Plots

The history of soil erosion is an integral part of the agriculture. All over the world, wherever human being started the agricultural operations, there exists the problem of soil erosion in some extent. Soil erosion leads to the reduction of water infiltration rate and enhances runoff and soil degradation. This study focuses on Sebeya catchment located in the Western part of Rwanda. The main objective of this study was to assess various preventive measures against soil surface crusting and development of runoff coefficients in order to minimize the soil loss in Sebeya catchment agricultural fields. The proposed methodology was much concerned with the efficiency analysis of soil conservation practice of mulching in maize cover crops. The names of the three experimental field plots sited are Maize-Fertilizer-Mulching (MFM), Maize-Fertilizer (MF) and Bare Soil (BS) which were set in Rugerero Sector of Rubavu District. Each of these 3 plots was constructed with its runoff collecting tank and they were under similar conditions except land cover. Samples of soil from field plots and water from runoff collecting tanks were tested for soil classification and soil loss estimation from each plot respectively. The analysis of results showed that soil of the experimental plots is a gravelly sand with (sand:56.27%; clay and silt: 3.24% and gravel: 40.49%). Also, the results showed that the plot coded as MFM, has high moisture content with low runoff and soil loss compared to 2 other plots. This research revealed that soil conservation practices such as surface mulching and vegetative cover reduce runoff, soil loss and are well recommended for preventing and controlling soil surface crusting. Keywords: Soil erosion, mulching, soil crusting, field experiments, Rwanda

scholarly journals FOREST MANAGEMENT AND WATER QUALITY IN LATVIA: IDENTIFYING CHALLENGES AND SEEKING SOLUTIONS

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zane KALVITE ◽  
Zane LIBIETE ◽  
Arta BARDULE Arta BARDULE
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Forest Management ◽  
Forest Cover ◽  
Overland Flow ◽  
Anthropogenic Impacts ◽  
Regional Scale ◽  
Drainage System ◽  
Hazardous Substances ◽  
System Maintenance ◽  
The Impact

Rise in human population, industrialization, urbanization, intensified agriculture and forestry pose considerable risks to water supply and quality both on global and regional scale. While freshwater resources are abundant in Latvia, during recent years increased attention has been devoted to water quality in relation to anthropogenic impacts. Forest cover in Latvia equals 52% and forest management and forest infrastructure building and maintenance are among the activities that may, directly or indirectly, affect water quality in headwater catchments. Sedimentation, eutrophication and export of hazardous substances, especially mercury (Hg), are of highest concern. To address these topics, several initiatives have started recently. In 2011, cooperation programme between Latvian State Forest Research Institute (LSFRI) “Silava” and JSC “Latvia’s State Forests” was launched to evaluate the impact of forest management on the environment. This programme included research on the efficiency of water protection structures used at drainage system maintenance (sedimentation ponds, overland flow) and regeneration felling (bufferzones). In 2016, within the second stage of this cooperation programme, a study on the impact of forest management on water quality (forest road construction, drainage system maintenance, felling) was started on a catchment scale. Since 2016 LSFRI Silava is partner in the Interreg Baltic Sea Region Programme project “Water management in Baltic forests”. By focusing on drainage systems, riparian zones and beaver activity, this project aims at reducing nutrient and Hg export from forestry sites to streams and lakes. While this project mostly has a demonstration character, it will also offer novel results on Hg and methylmercury (MeHg) concentrations in beaver ponds in all participating states. This paper aims at summarizing most important challenges related to the impact of forest management on water quality and corresponding recent initiatives striving to offer solutions.

scholarly journals Biological assessments of streams that have been adversely impacted by sediment runoff in Idaho, USA

2010 ◽  
Vol 42 (1) ◽  
pp. 31-37
Author(s):  
Robert Mahler ◽  
Michael Barber
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Soil Erosion ◽  
Pacific Northwest ◽  
Stream Water ◽  
Sediment Runoff ◽  
Stream Water Quality ◽  
Erosion Rates ◽  
Soil Erosion Rates ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Biological Assessments

Biological assessments of streams that have been adversely impacted by sediment runoff in Idaho, USA Sediments are the major source of pollution in surface waters of the Pacific Northwest Region of the USA. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the relationship between SMI water quality scores at 76 sampling sites in eight watersheds and the observed soil erosion rates on adjacent landscapes. The water quality SMI scores in streams were obtained using stream macro invertebrates as an indicator of water quality, while soil erosion rates were determined by observation on adjoining landscapes during periods of maximum precipitation. Soil erosion rates of >2, 2-5, 5-15, 15-25 and <25 mt/ha/yr were observed at 9, 20, 45, 14 and 12% of the sampling sites, respectively. Landscapes with erosion rates of less than 5 mt/ha/yr generally resulted in good water quality in adjacent streams; however, when soil erosion rates on adjacent landscapes exceeded 5 mt/ha/yr SMI water quality scores were less than good 86% of the time. Strong significant relationships were observed between SMI water quality rating and observed soil erosion rates. Consequently, land management or rehabilitation practices that reduce soil erosion rates to levels below 5 mt/ha//yr should improve stream water quality.

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