scholarly journals Effects of vegetation cover and slope on soil erosion in the Eastern Chinese Loess Plateau under different rainfall regimes

PeerJ ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
pp. e11226
Author(s):  
Congjian Sun ◽  
Huixin Hou ◽  
Wei Chen
Keyword(s):  
Soil Erosion ◽  
Loess Plateau ◽  
Water Conservation ◽  
Vegetation Cover ◽  
Interactive Effects ◽  
Chinese Loess Plateau ◽  
Slope Gradient ◽  
Chinese Loess ◽  
Sediment Yields ◽  
Erosion Processes

Soil erosion is a critical environmental problem of the Chinese Loess Plateau (CLP). The effects of vegetation cover on soil erosion reduction under different rainfall types are not well understood especially in the eastern Chinese Loess Plateau (ECLP). In this study, we monitored runoff and sediment yield at the Fengjiagou water and soil conservation station with five types of vegetation cover (arbor trees (ARC), shrubs (SHC), arable (ABC), natural vegetation (NVC), and artificial grass (APC)) and three slope gradients (10°, 15°, and 20°) in the ECLP. Based on long-term monitoring data, five rainfall types were classified by the maximum 30 min rainfall intensity (I30). We also quantitatively revealed the interactive effects of different types precipitation, vegetation cover and slope gradients on regional soil erosion. The results showed that (1) The RII (13 times) and RIII (eight times) type are the most threatening erosive rainfall in this region. (2) The ARC and SHC type were most beneficial for soil and water conservation in the ECLP; The APC and ABC are not conductive to the prevention of regional soil erosion. (3) Runoff and sediment yields increased with the slope gradient. The farmland is vulnerable to soil erosion when the slope gradient exceeds 10°. The results of this study can improve the understanding of regional soil erosion processes on the ECLP and provide useful information for managing regional water and land resources.

scholarly journals A Bibliometric Analysis of Soil and Water Conservation in the Loess Tableland-Gully Region of China

Water ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 20 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yaping Wang ◽  
Wenzhao Liu ◽  
Gang Li ◽  
Weiming Yan ◽  
Guangyao Gao
Keyword(s):  
Soil Erosion ◽  
Loess Plateau ◽  
Water Conservation ◽  
Soil And Water Conservation ◽  
Control Measures ◽  
Chinese Loess Plateau ◽  
Annual Growth Rate ◽  
Chinese Loess ◽  
Ecological Remediation ◽  
Soil And Water

The tableland-gully region is one of the main topographic-ecological units in the Chinese Loess Plateau (CLP), and the soil in this region suffers from serious water erosion. In recent years, much work has been conducted to control soil erosion in this area. This paper summarized the development of soil and water conservation researches in the CLP from the bibliometric perspective based on the Science Citation Index (SCI) and Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) databases. The quantity of SCI literatures has increased rapidly since 2007, with an average annual growth rate of 21.4%, and the quantity of CNKI literatures in the last decade accounted for 62% of the past 30 years. The development trends showed that early SCI research was related to loess geology in the context of ecological remediation, while the CNKI literature focused on agricultural production under comprehensive management. Over time, the research themes of the two databases gradually became unified, i.e., the management of sloping farmland and the improvement of agricultural productivity. Subsequently, the themes gradually extended to the disposition of comprehensive control measures for soil erosion and the environmental effect of agro-fruit ecosystems. The highly cited papers mainly focused on soil reservoir reconstruction, soil erosion factors, and environmental effects of vegetation restoration. Two aspects need further study, including (i) the effect of soil erosion control under different ecological remediation patterns; and, (ii) the ecosystem maintenance mechanism and regulation approaches that are based on the sustainable utilization of soil and water resources in the tableland-gully region of the Loess Plateau.

scholarly journals Application of a modified distributed-dynamic erosion and sediment yield model in a typical watershed of hilly and gully region, Chinese Loess Plateau

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lei Wu ◽  
Xia Liu ◽  
Xiaoyi Ma
Keyword(s):  
Soil Erosion ◽  
Loess Plateau ◽  
Sediment Yield ◽  
Water Conservation ◽  
Soil And Water Conservation ◽  
Chinese Loess Plateau ◽  
Rainfall Erosivity ◽  
Chinese Loess ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Soil And Water

Abstract. Soil erosion not only results in the destruction of land resources and the decline of soil fertility, but also makes river channel sedimentation. In order to explore spatiotemporal evolution of erosion and sediment yield before and after returning farmland in a typical watershed of hilly and gully region, Chinese Loess Plateau, a distributed, dynamic model of sediment yield based on the Chinese Soil Loss equation (CSLE) was established and modified to assess effects of hydrological factors and human activities on soil erosion and sediment yield from 1995 to 2013. Results indicate that: 1) the modified model has characteristics of simple algorithm, high accuracy, wide practicability and easy expansion, and can be applied to forecast erosion and sediment yield of the hilly and gully region, Chinese Loess Plateau; 2) soil erosion gradations are closely related to spatial distributions of rainfall erosivity and land use patterns, the current soil and water conservation projects are not very ideal for high rainfall intensity; 3) the average sediment transport modulus before and after model modification in recent 5 years (in addition to 2013) is 4574.62 Mg/km2 and 1696.1 Mg/km2 respectively, it has decreased by about 35.4 % and 78.2 % compared with the early governance (1995–1998). However, in July 2013 the once-in-a-century storm is the most important factor causing the emergence of maximum value. Results may provide effective and scientific basis for soil and water conservation and ecological management of the hilly and gully region, Chinese Loess Plateau.

scholarly journals Application of a modified distributed-dynamic erosion and sediment yield model in a typical watershed of a hilly and gully region, Chinese Loess Plateau

Solid Earth ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 7 (6) ◽  
pp. 1577-1590 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lei Wu ◽  
Xia Liu ◽  
Xiaoyi Ma
Keyword(s):  
Soil Erosion ◽  
Loess Plateau ◽  
Sediment Yield ◽  
Water Conservation ◽  
Soil And Water Conservation ◽  
Chinese Loess Plateau ◽  
Rainfall Erosivity ◽  
Chinese Loess ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Soil And Water

Abstract. Soil erosion not only results in the destruction of land resources and the decline of soil fertility, but also contributes to river channel sedimentation. In order to explore the spatiotemporal evolution of erosion and sediment yield before and after returning farmland in a typical watershed of the hilly and gully region (Chinese Loess Plateau), a distributed-dynamic model of sediment yield based on the Chinese Soil Loss Equation (CSLE) was established and modified to assess the effects of hydrological factors and human activities on erosion and sediment yield between 1995 and 2013. Results indicate that (1) the modified model has the characteristics of a simple algorithm, high accuracy, wide practicability and easy expansion, and can be applied to predict erosion and sediment yield in the study area, (2) soil erosion gradations are closely related to the spatial distribution of rainfall erosivity and land use patterns, and the current soil and water conservation measures are not efficient for high rainfall intensities, and (3) the average sediment yield rate before and after model modification in the most recent 5 years (in addition to 2013) is 4574.62 and 1696.1 Mg km−2, respectively, decreasing by about 35.4 and 78.2 % when compared to the early governance (1995–1998). However, in July 2013 the once-in-a-century storm is the most important reason for maximum sediment yield. Results may provide an effective and scientific basis for soil and water conservation planning and ecological construction of the hilly and gully region, Chinese Loess Plateau.

scholarly journals Spatial heterogeneity of surface roughness on tilled loess slopes in erosion stages

2018 ◽  
Vol 13 (No. 2) ◽  
pp. 90-97
Author(s):  
Q. Zhang ◽  
J. Wang ◽  
F. Wu
Keyword(s):  
Surface Roughness ◽  
Spatial Heterogeneity ◽  
Loess Plateau ◽  
Chinese Loess Plateau ◽  
Strengthening Effect ◽  
Methodological Framework ◽  
Rill Erosion ◽  
Slope Gradient ◽  
Chinese Loess ◽  
Relief Effect

The main soil erosion areas of the Chinese Loess Plateau are tilled slopes. The knowledge of their spatial heterogeneity will contribute to the understanding of erosion mechanisms on a microtopographic scale. In this study, the spatial heterogeneity of four conventionally tilled slopes was examined under simulated rainfall conditions using a semivariogram-based methodological framework. Results show that all tilled slopes have a relatively stable spatial structure and the erosion stages of all tilled slopes have a similar spatial variability. The rainfall in the splash, sheet, and rill erosion stages has a degree of relief effect, strengthening effect, and relief effect on the surface roughness, respectively. However, the effects of tillage practices and slope gradient on the spatial heterogeneity are much larger than those of the rainfall. The spatial heterogeneity decreases with increasing slope gradient. The general autocorrelation scale of the tilled slopes is 3.15 m and their fractal dimension ranges from 1.59 to 1.85. The tilled slopes have certain anisotropy with respect to the slope direction from 10° to 22.5° while they show isotropy or weaker anisotropy in other directions. In this work, a semivariogram-based methodological framework was established for the spatial heterogeneity of microtopographic-scale slopes. The results also provide a theoretical foundation for future tillage measures on sloping fields of the Loess Plateau.

Site Characterization of Soil-rock Mixture Sedimentary Stratum Based on HVSR Analysis in the Chinese Loess Plateau

2020 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 101-109
Author(s):  
Ruyun Tian ◽  
Liwei Ma ◽  
Xiaohua Zhou ◽  
Junqiu Wang ◽  
Jun Lin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soil Erosion ◽  
Loess Plateau ◽  
Spectral Ratio ◽  
Middle Layer ◽  
Chinese Loess Plateau ◽  
Geophysical Method ◽  
S Wave ◽  
Chinese Loess ◽  
The Stability ◽  
The Chinese Loess Plateau

The soil-rock mixture sedimentary stratum is a compound with complex and loose topography, of which the structure is difficult to detect by the ordinary geophysical method. There is a need for a convenient, efficient and effective geophysical method to detect site effects in this area. This paper is an application of the S wave velocity profile inversion for the soil-rock mixture sedimentary stratum, using HVSR (Horizontal to Vertical Spectral Ratio) analysis of ambient noise by some three-component observations in the Chinese Loess Plateau. We carried out the measurement using three nested circular arrays and data recording systems with a spectrum expansion circuit. Inversion of the HVSR curves was performed by a three-layer model. Results of geological observation reveal that the upper part of the sedimentary stratum is Quaternary strata containing a large amount of humus and loess, the middle layer part is the stratum of the loose gravel and the under part is completely weathered granite with homogeneous lithology and fewer rocks. Interpretation results are consistent with previous drilling data, providing a valid geophysical basis for evaluating the stability of the soil erosion and designing a reasonable water and soil erosion control scheme.

scholarly journals Sap flow in response to rainfall pulses for two shrub species in the semiarid Chinese Loess Plateau

2016 ◽  
Vol 64 (2) ◽  
pp. 121-132 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shengqi Jian ◽  
Zening Wu ◽  
Caihong Hu ◽  
Xueli Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Loess Plateau ◽  
Sap Flow ◽  
Arid Ecosystems ◽  
Interactive Effects ◽  
Chinese Loess Plateau ◽  
Flow Density ◽  
Delay Model ◽  
Chinese Loess ◽  
Caragana Korshinskii ◽  
Semi Arid

Abstract Rainfall pulses can significantly drive the evolution of the structure and function of semiarid ecosystems, and understanding the mechanisms that underlie the response of semiarid plants to rainfall is the key to understanding the responses of semi–arid ecosystems to global climatic change. We measured sap flow in the branches and stems of shrubs (Caragana korshinskii Kom. and Hippophae rhamnoides Linn.) using sap flow gauges, and studied the response of sap flow density to rainfall pulses using the “threshold–delay” model in the Chinese Loess Plateau. The results showed that the sap flow began about 1 h earlier, and increased twofold after rainfall, compared to its pre-rainfall value. The sap flow increased significantly with increasing rainfall classes, then gradually decreased. The response of sap flow was different among rainfall, species, position (branch and stem) during the pulse period, and the interactive effects also differed significantly (P < 0.0001). The response pattern followed the threshold–delay model, with lower rainfall thresholds of 5.2, 5.5 mm and 0.7, 0.8 mm of stem and branch for C. korshinskii and H. rhamnoides, demonstrating the importance of small rainfall events for plant growth and survival in semi–arid regions.

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