scholarly journals Soil Erosion and Controls in the Slope-Gully System of the Loess Plateau of China: A Review

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bingbing Zhu ◽  
Zhengchao Zhou ◽  
Zhanbin Li
Keyword(s):  
Soil Erosion ◽  
Loess Plateau ◽  
Overland Flow ◽  
Vegetation Pattern ◽  
Sediment Source ◽  
The Loess Plateau ◽  
Erosion Process ◽  
Slope Length ◽  
Base Level ◽  
Erosion Processes

The Loess Plateau has long been suffering from serious soil erosion of which erosion from the slope-gully system is now dominant. The slope-gully system is characterized with distinctive erosion distribution zones consisting of inner and inter gully areas wherein erosion patterns spatially vary, acting as both sediment source and the dominant sediment and water transport mechanism. In this paper, a substantial body of research is reviewed concentrating on the soil erosion processes and control practices in the slope-gully system. The inner gully area is identified as the main sediment source while runoff and sediment from the inter-gully upland is found to significantly affect down slope erosion processes. Correspondingly, the protective vegetation pattern and coverage should be strategically designed for different erosion zones with an emphasis on the critical vegetation cover and pattern to reduce sediment yield of the whole slope-gully system. Check-dam could change the base level of erosion and reduce the slope length of the gully side, which will further decrease the possibility and magnitude of gravity erosion. We concluded that understanding the erosion processes and implementing erosion practices for the slope-gully system are of importance and require more research efforts that emphasize: 1) the influence of upland runoff on erosion processes at downslope; 2) the relationship between hydraulic characteristics of overland flow and erosion process at a slope-gully system scale; 3) physical mechanisms of different vegetation patterns on the slope-gully erosion process.

scholarly journals Quantifying the Effects of Vegetation Restorations on the Soil Erosion Export and Nutrient Loss on the Loess Plateau

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jun Zhao ◽  
Xiaoming Feng ◽  
Lei Deng ◽  
Yanzheng Yang ◽  
Zhong Zhao ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soil Erosion ◽  
Loess Plateau ◽  
Vegetation Cover ◽  
Vegetation Change ◽  
Soil Nutrient ◽  
Vegetation Restoration ◽  
Nutrient Loss ◽  
The Loess Plateau ◽  
Erosion Processes ◽  
Grain For Green Project

The transport of eroded soil to rivers changes the nutrient cycles of river ecosystems and has significant impacts on the regional eco-environment and human health. The Loess Plateau, a leading vegetation restoration region in China and the world, has experienced severe soil erosion and nutrient loss, however, the extent to which vegetation restoration prevents soil erosion export (to rivers) and it caused nutrient loss is unknown. To evaluate the effects of the first stage of the Grain for Green Project (GFGP) on the Loess Plateau (started in 1999 and ended in 2013), we analyzed the vegetation change trends and quantified the effects of GFGP on soil erosion export (to rivers) and it caused nutrient loss by considering soil erosion processes. The results were as follows: (1) in the first half of study period (from 1982 to 1998), the vegetation cover changed little, but after the implementation of the first stage of the GFGP (from 1999 to 2013), the vegetation cover of 75.0% of the study area showed a significant increase; (2) The proportion of eroded areas decreased from 41.8 to 26.7% as a result of the GFGP, and the erosion intensity lessened in most regions; the implementation significantly reduce the soil nutrient loss; (3) at the county level, soil erosion export could be avoided significantly by the increasing of vegetation greenness in the study area (R = −0.49). These results illustrate the relationships among changes in vegetation cover, soil erosion and nutrient export, which could provide a reference for local government for making ecology-relative policies.

Seasonal variation in soil erosion resistance to overland flow in gully-filled farmland on the Loess Plateau, China

2022 ◽  
Vol 218 ◽  
pp. 105297
Author(s):  
Jia-xin Liu ◽  
Bing Wang ◽  
Xing-wu Duan ◽  
Yan-fen Yang ◽  
Guo-bin Liu
Keyword(s):  
Seasonal Variation ◽  
Soil Erosion ◽  
Loess Plateau ◽  
Overland Flow ◽  
Erosion Resistance ◽  
The Loess Plateau

Research Progress on Soil Erosion Process of Slope-Gully System on the Loess Plateau of China

2013 ◽  
Vol 726-731 ◽  
pp. 3747-3750 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pei Qing Xiao ◽  
Er Yang ◽  
Li Li
Keyword(s):  
Soil Erosion ◽  
Loess Plateau ◽  
Water Conservation ◽  
Sediment Concentration ◽  
Scientific Basis ◽  
Research Progress ◽  
The Loess Plateau ◽  
Erosion Process ◽  
Research Issues ◽  
Water Transportation

The Loess Plateau has the highest erosion rates in the world. Studying soil erosion process on the Loess Plateau has received more attention in recent years. Vertical erosion distribution zone is an important feature on the loess plateau. Infiltration, sediment concentration, erosion pattern and characteristic of sediment and water transportation have a clear distribution too. Research on soil erosion process can provide basis for constructing physical process based soil erosion mode and can provide scientific basis for laying out soil and water conservation measures effectively. So, spatial variability of slope erosion pattern, sheet, rill, shallow gully and permanent gully erosion process dominated at different erosion zone as well as slope-gully coupling system were discussed in this paper. And then, further research issues have been presented in the future.

scholarly journals Effects of Vegetation Restoration on Soil Erosion on the Loess Plateau: A Case Study in the Ansai Watershed

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (12) ◽  
pp. 6266
Author(s):  
Hui Wei ◽  
Wenwu Zhao ◽  
Han Wang
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Soil Erosion ◽  
Loess Plateau ◽  
Water Conservation ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Land Use Changes ◽  
Vegetation Restoration ◽  
The Loess Plateau ◽  
Local Soil ◽  
Erosion Environment

Large-scale vegetation restoration greatly changed the soil erosion environment in the Loess Plateau since the implementation of the “Grain for Green Project” (GGP) in 1999. Evaluating the effects of vegetation restoration on soil erosion is significant to local soil and water conservation and vegetation construction. Taking the Ansai Watershed as the case area, this study calculated the soil erosion modulus from 2000 to 2015 under the initial and current scenarios of vegetation restoration, using the Chinese Soil Loess Equation (CSLE), based on rainfall and soil data, remote sensing images and socio-economic data. The effect of vegetation restoration on soil erosion was evaluated by comparing the average annual soil erosion modulus under two scenarios among 16 years. The results showed: (1) vegetation restoration significantly changed the local land use, characterized by the conversion of farmland to grassland, arboreal land, and shrub land. From 2000 to 2015, the area of arboreal land, shrub land, and grassland increased from 19.46 km2, 19.43 km2, and 719.49 km2 to 99.26 km2, 75.97 km2, and 1084.24 km2; while the farmland area decreased from 547.90 km2 to 34.35 km2; (2) the average annual soil erosion modulus from 2000 to 2015 under the initial and current scenarios of vegetation restoration was 114.44 t/(hm²·a) and 78.42 t/(hm²·a), respectively, with an average annual reduction of 4.81 × 106 t of soil erosion amount thanks to the vegetation restoration; (3) the dominant soil erosion intensity changed from “severe and light erosion” to “moderate and light erosion”, vegetation restoration greatly improved the soil erosion environment in the study area; (4) areas with increased erosion and decreased erosion were alternately distributed, accounting for 48% and 52% of the total land area, and mainly distributed in the northwest and southeast of the watershed, respectively. Irrational land use changes in local areas (such as the conversion of farmland and grassland into construction land, etc.) and the ineffective implementation of vegetation restoration are the main reasons leading to the existence of areas with increased erosion.

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