Rainfall and Tillage Impacts on Soil Erosion of Sloping Cropland with Subtropical Monsoon Climate- A Case Study in Hilly Purple Soil area,China

Under global warming, storm events tend to intensify, particularly in monsoon-affected regions.As an important agricultural area in China, the purple soil region in the Sichuan Basin, where it has a prevailing monsoon climate, is threatened by serious soil erosion. Tillage operations alter runoff and soil erosion processes on croplands by changing the physical properties of the soil surface. To clarify the relationship between tillage and soil erosion in the purple soil region, three different tillage practices in this region were investigated at the plot scale over 4 years: bare land with minimum tillage(BL),conventional tillage(CT) and seasonal no-tillage ridges(SNTR) which was initially designed to prevent soil erosion by contoured ridges and no-tillage techniques. The results showed that although there were no significant differences in the surface runoff and soil erosion among the three practices, BL causedrelatively high surface runoff and soil erosion,followed by CT and SNTR. Classification and comparison of the rainfall events based on cluster analysis(CA) verified that the surface runoff was not significantly different between most intensive event and long intensive events but was significantly different between most intensive and short and medium-duration events. Only the rainfall events with the highest rainfall intensity could trigger serious soil erosion, up to 1000 kg ha-1 in the region. Further detailed investigations on the effects of tillage operations on the soil erosion in a subtropical region with a monsoon climate are needed to provide a basis for modeling catchments and designing better management practices.     

Effects of slope gradient on runoff from bare-fallow purple soil in China under natural rainfall conditions

Purple soil is highly susceptible for overland flow and surface erosion, therefore understanding surface runoff and soil erosion processes in the purple soil region are important to mitigate flooding and erosion hazards. Slope angle is an important parameter that affects the magnitude of runoff and thus surface erosion in hilly landscapes or bare land area. However, the effect of slope on runoff generation remains unclear in many different soils including Chinese purple soil. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between different slope gradients and surface runoff for bare-fallow purple soil, using 5 m × 1.5 m experimental plots under natural rainfall conditions. Four experimental plots(10°, 16°, 20° and 26°) were established in theYanting Agro-ecological Experimental Station of Chinese Academy of Science in central Sichuan Basin. The plot was equipped with water storage tank to monitor water level change. Field monitoring from July 1 to October 31, 2012 observed 42 rainfall events which produced surface runoff from the experimental plots. These water level changes were converted to runoff. The representative eight rainfall events were selected for further analysis, the relationship between slope and runoff coefficient were determined using ANOVA, F-test, and z-score analysis. The results indicated a strong correlation between rainfall and runoff in cumulative amount basis. The mean value of the measured runoff coefficient for four experimental plots was around 0.1. However, no statistically significant relationship was found between slope and runoff coefficient. We reviewed the relationship between slope and runoff in many previous studiesand calculated z-score to compare with our experimental results. The results of z-score analysis indicated that both positive and negative effects of slope on runoff coefficient were obtained, however a moderate gradient(16°-20° in this study) could be a threshold of runoff generation for many different soils including the Chinese purple soil.     

Effects of soil conservation practices on soil erosion and the size selectivity of eroded sediment on cultivated slopes

Soil conservation practices can greatly affect the soil erosion process, but limited information is available about its influence on the particle size distribution(PSD) of eroded sediment, especially under natural rainfall. In this study, the runoff, sediment yields, and effective/ultimate PSD were measured under two conventional tillage practices, downhill ridge tillage(DT) and plat tillage(PT) and three soil conservation practices, contour ridge tillage(CT), mulching with downhill ridge tillage(MDT), and mulching with contour ridge tillage(MCT) during 21 natural rainfall events in the lower Jinsha River. The results showed that(1) soil conservation practices had a significant effect on soil erosion. The conventional tillage of DT caused highest runoff depth(0.58 to 29.13 mm) and sediment yield(0.01 to 3.19 t hm-2). Compared with DT, the annual runoff depths and sediment yields of CT, MDT and MCT decreased by 12.24%-49.75% and 40.79%-88.30%, respectively.(2) Soil conservation practices can reduce the decomposition of aggregates in sediments. The ratios of effective and ultimate particle size(E/U) of siltand sand-sized particles of DT and PT plots were close to 1, indicating that they were transported as primary particles, however, values lower/greater than 1 subject to CT, MDT and MCT plots indicated they were transported as aggregates. The ratios of E/U of claysized particles were all less than 1 independently of tillage practices.(3) The sediments of soil conservation practices were more selective than those of conventional tillage practices. For CT, MDT and MCT plots, the average enrichment ratios(ERs) of clay, silt and sand were 1.99, 1.93 and 0.42, respectively, with enrichment of clay and silt and depletion of sand in sediments. However, the compositions of the eroded sediments of DT and PT plots were similar to that of the original soil. These findings support the use of both effective and ultimate particle size distributions for studying the size selectivity of eroded sediment, and provide a scientific basis for revealing the erosion mechanism in the purple soil area of China.     

基于洪峰模数的山洪灾害雨量预警指标研究

山洪灾害预警是防御山洪的重要非工程措施,雨量预警指标是山洪灾害预警的关键。目前的雨量预警指标计算方法对水文气象资料条件以及模型建模率定都有很高的要求,并不适用于基层防汛人员。因此,本文基于全国山洪灾害调查评价成果数据,提出了一种运用洪峰模数计算雨量预警指标的简便、易用的方法。该方法以小流域洪水计算推理公式为基础,将公式中流量与流域面积的比值用洪峰模数表示,得到基于洪峰模数的临界雨量估算公式,并考虑流域土壤含水量等因素,分析临界雨量变化阈值,最终得到雨量预警指标。本文以云南省绥江县双河小流域为例,计算结果显示不同时段（1 h、3 h、6 h）净雨量和预警时段呈线性关系。降雨损失计算中洼地蓄水和植被截留在不同时段相同,土壤下渗在不同的时段不相同。在此基础上,计算不同土壤含水量条件下,不同时段的雨量预警指标。最后,对临界流量、降雨损失和预警指标进行了合理性分析,结果显示预警指标和调查评价结果及实测降雨都比较接近,计算的预警指标合理。本研究为基层山洪灾害预警提供了一种快速、便捷的预警指标计算方法,为预警指标计算提供技术支持。     

Effects of spatial information of soil physical properties on hydrological modeling based on a distributed hydrological model

The spatial distribution of soil physical properties is essential for modeling and understanding hydrological processes. In this study, the different spatial information (the conventional soil types map-based spatial information (STMB) versus refined spatial information map (RSIM)) of soil physical properties, including field capacity, soil porosity and saturated hydraulic conductivity are used respectively as input data for Water Flow Model for Lake Catchment (WATLAC) to determine their effectiveness in simulating hydrological processes and to expound the effects on model performance in terms of estimating groundwater recharge, soil evaporation, runoff generation as well as partitioning of surface and subsurface water flow. The results show that: 1) the simulated stream flow hydrographs based on the STMB and RSIM soil data reproduce the observed hydrographs well. There is no significant increase in model accuracy as more precise soil physical properties information being used, but WATLAC model using the RSIM soil data could predict more runoff volume and reduce the relative runoff depth errors; 2) the groundwater recharges have a consistent trend for both cases, while the STMB soil data tend to produce higher groundwater recharges than the RSIM soil data. In addition, the spatial distribution of annual groundwater recharge is significantly affected by the spatial distribution of soil physical properties; 3) the soil evaporation simulated using the STMB and RSIM soil data are similar to each other, and the spatial distribution patterns are also insensitive to the spatial information of soil physical properties; and 4) although the different spatial information of soil physical properties does not cause apparent difference in overall stream flow, the partitioning of surface and subsurface water flow is distinct. The implications of this study are that the refined spatial information of soil physical properties does not necessarily contribute to a more accurate prediction of stream flow, and the selection of appropriate soil physical property data needs to consider the scale of watersheds and the level of accuracy required.     

Assessment of the performance of WEPP in purple soil area with simulated rainfall experiments

The water erosion prediction project(WEPP) model is a popular water erosion prediction tool developed on the basis of the physical processes of water erosion.Although WEPP has been widely used around the world,its application in China is still insufficient.In this study,the performance of WEPP used to estimate the runoff and soil loss on purple soil(Calcaric Regosols in FAO taxonomy) sloping cropland was assessed with the data from runoff plots under simulated rainfall conditions.Based on measured soil properties,runoff and erosion parameters,namely effective hydraulic conductivity,inter-rill erodibility,rill erodibility,and critical shear stress were determined to be 2.68 mm h-1,5.54 × 106 kg s-1 m 4,0.027 s m 1 and 3.5 Pa,respectively,by using the recommended equations in the WEPP user manual.The simulated results were not good due to the low Nash efficiency of 0.41 for runoff and negative Nash efficiency for soil loss.After the four parameters were calibrated,WEPP performed better for soil loss prediction with a Nash efficiency of 0.76.The different results indicated that the equations recommended by WEPP to calculate parameters such as erodiblity and critical shear stress are not suitable for the purple soil areas,Sichuan Province,China.Although the predicted results can be accepted by optimizing the runoff and erosion parameters,more research related to the determination of erodibility and critical sheer stress must be conducted to improve the application of WEPP in the purple soil areas.     

Effects of tillage management on infiltration and preferential flow in a black soil, Northeast China

The impacts of no-tillage (NT) and moldboard plough (MP) managements on infiltration rate and preferential flow were characterized using a combined technique of double-ring device and dye tracer on a black soil (Mollisols) in Northeast China. The objective of this study is to evaluate how tillage practices enhance soil water infiltration and preferential flow in favor of soil erosion control in the study area. The steady infiltration rates under NT management are 1.6 and 2.1 times as high as those under MP management in the 6th and 8th years of the tillage management in place, while the infiltrated water amounts under NT management are 1.4 and 2.0 times as high as those under MP management, respectively. The depth of methylene blue penetrated into NT soil increases from 43 cm in the 6th year to 57 cm in the 8th year, which are 16 cm and 19 cm deeper than those in MP soil, respectively. The results of morphologic image show that more biological macro-pores occur in NT soil than in MP soil. These macro-pores play a key role in enhancing preferential flow in NT soil, which in turn promotes water infiltration through preferential pathways in NT soil. The results are helpful to policy-making in popularizing NT and have the implications for tillage management in regard to soil erosion control in black soil region of China.     

Effect of storm pattern on soil erosion in damaged rangeland; field rainfall simulation approach

Raindrop size,rainfall intensity and runoff discharge affect the detachment and transportation of soil particles.Among these three factors,the rainfall intensity seems to be more important because it can change other two factors.Storm patterns can be determined by changing the rainfall intensity during the storm.Therefore,the objective of this research is to test the influence of storm pattern on runoff,soil erosion and sediment concentration on a rangeland soil slope under field rainfall simulation.Four storm rainfall intensity patterns were selected for examining the effects of variations in storm event characteristics on soil erosion processes.The selected storm patterns were:I(45,55 and 70 mm h-1);II(45,70 and 55 mm h-1);III:(70,55 and 45 mm h-1);and IV(55,45 and 70 mm h1).The last pattern is a new one instead of the uniform pattern which has been sufficiently studied in previous researches.The experiments were conducted in field plots(in Kojour watershed,Mazandaran Province,Iran)with an area of one square meter and an constant slope gradient of 18%,surrounded by galvanised sheets.Following the nonuniform prioritization of the storm patterns for the studied variables,time to runoff(I>II>IV>III),runoff volume(III>IV>II>I),sediment concentration(IV>III>I>II)and soil erosion(III>IV>II>I)),it can be generally inferred that each pattern has specific effect on soil erosion processes during a storm.The results of the general linear model(GLM)test indicated that the effects of storm pattern on time to runoff,total runoff volume,runoff coefficient and soil erosion were significant at a level of 99%.The Duncan test showed that the storm patterns can be divided into three groups of III,IV;II;I(for time to runoff),I,II;IV,III(for runoff coefficient),and I;II;IV,III(for runoff volume and soil erosion).     

Tillage pedogenesis of purple soils in southwestern China

Land cultivation and tillage process, and their consequent impacts on soil erosion, have been criticized as the main cause of degradation of land or soil quality. However, purple soils, classified as Regosols in FAO Taxonomy or Entisols in USDA Taxonomy, are formed from purple rocks of the Trias- Cretaceous system, have been developed or at least accelerated the development due to continual tillage operation, especially digging and ridging. The present study took micromorphological investigation on the sedimentary rocks and the soils under different operations of tillage. Results show that the purple rock of Feixiangguan Formation of the Trias system （Tlf） is the easiest to physical weathering and the most fertile soil material enriched in nutrients, and it has been, therefore, mostly cultivated and intensively tilled around the year. It has the fastest soil formation rate. Soil formation rate in the cropland with conventional tillage is higher than that in the forestiand and the grassland. It implies that the artificial brokenness and tillage disturbance play a great role in physical weathering and initiating soil formation processes.     

川中紫色丘陵区径流泥沙SWAT模型的模拟应用分析

针对川中丘陵区紫色土坡耕地严重水土流失,选取典型代表李子溪流域为研究区,构建了其SWAT的模型数据库,包括地形、土壤、气象和土地利用数据库。并利用赵家祠水文站1970-1979年的实测径流和泥沙资料,对该流域的SWAT模型参数进行率定再采用1980-1986年的实测资料,对模型的适用性进行验证,同时用相对误差Re和Nash确定性系数Ens评价模拟效果。结果显示,径流和泥沙模拟相对误差均在±15%范围以内,Nash确定性系数均大于等于0.70,说明SWAT模型对李子溪流域年、月径流和年泥沙量的模拟精度较高。同时模拟值与实测值和降雨量的变化趋于一致。可见,用SWAT模型模拟和预测雨量较为丰沛、土壤侵蚀较严重的紫色丘陵地区的产流产沙是实用、可行的。     

Landslides & debris flows formation from gravelly soil surface erosion and particle losses in Jiangjia Ravine

Gravelly soils are made up of gravel, sand, silt and clay. They are widely used in engineering applications such as rock-fill dams with clay cores, which are the main researches at present. The strength and mechanical properties of the gravelly soils are affected by the content of coarse grain, fine particles, and their adhesive states. These Properties can be verified by laboratory unconsolidated undrained triaxial tests with grain size less than 5 mm and by large scale direct-shear tests with original grain content. Fine particles of the loose gravelly slopes are released under rainfalls, alternated the structures and mechanical properties, even affected the slope stability. There are a series of large scale direct-shear tests with different coarse grain contents to study the influence of fine particles releasing and migration, results showed the strength behavior of the gravelly soils were affected by the coarse grain content （5） and the inflection coarse grain contents. In order to study the erosion features of the gravelly soil slopes on rainfall conditions and the slopes stability alteration, we had carried out one sort of artificial rainfall local and model experiments, the runoff sediment contents were monitored during the experiments. Result showed that the shapes of the slopes surface transformed periodically, runoff sediment contents were divided into five phases according to the experiment phenomena, runoff sediment contents maintained downtrend during the rain time and the downtrend was obviouslyinterpreted by one descend belt no matter the rainfall intensity and the slope angels. Particle size analysis released the deposit on the slope surface lost almost all of the clay, most of the silt and sand after the experiments, this meant the fine particles releasing, migration and accumulation process on condition of rainfall resulted in the instability factor of the slopes even induced landslide or debris flow.     

Analyzing forest effects on runoff and sediment production using leaf area index

Quantifying the effects of forests on water and soil conservation helps further understanding of ecological functions and improving vegetation reconstruction in water-eroded areas.Studies on the effects of vegetation on water and soil conservation have generally focused on vegetation types or vegetation horizontal distribution densities.However,only a few studies have used indicators that consider the vegetation vertical distribution.This study used the leaf area index(LAI) to investigate the relationship between forests and water and soil conservation in experimental plots.From 2007 to 2010,rainfall characteristics,LAI,and water and soil loss in 144 natural erosive rainfall events were measured from five pure tree plots(Pinus massoniana).These tree plots were located in Hetian Town,Changting County,Fujian Province,which is a typical water-eroded area in Southern China.Quadratic polynomial regression models for LAI and water/soil conservation effects(RE/SE) were established for each plot.The RE and SE corresponded to the ratios of the runoff depth(RD) and the soil loss(SL) of each pure tree plot to those of the control plot under each rainfall event.The transformation LAIs of the LAI–RE and LAI–SE curves,as well as the rainfall characteristics for the different water/soil conservation effects,were computed.The increasing LAI resulted in descending,descending–ascending,ascending–descending,and ascending trends in the LAI–RE and LAI–SE curves.The rainfall frequencies corresponding to each trend of LAI–RE and LAI–SE were different,and the rainfall distributions were not uniform per year.The effects of soil conservation in the plots were superior to those of water conservation.Most of the RE and SE values presented a positive effect on water and soil conservation.The main factor that caused different effects was rainfall intensity.During heavy rains(e.g.,rainfall erosivity R = 145 MJ mm/ha h and maximum 30 min intensity I30 = 13 mm/h),the main effects were positive,whereas light rains(e.g.,R = 70 MJ mm/ha h and I30 = 8 mm/h) generally led to negative effects.When the rainfall erosivity was lower than that of the positive or the negative effects to a threshold and the tree LAI reached a transformation value,the relationships between LAI and RE or SE notably transformed.Results showed that the plottransformation LAIs for water and soil conservation during rainfall events were both approximately 1.0 in our study.These results could be used to come up with a more efficient way to alleviate water and soil loss in water-eroded areas.     

Stormwater runoff pollution in a rural township in the hilly area of the central Sichuan Basin, China

Stormwater runoff in rural townships has a high potential for water quality impairment but little information is available on strormwater runoff pollution from rural townships.To investigate the characteristics of runoff pollution in a rural township,a catchment(2.32 ha) in Linshan Township,Sichuan,China was selected to examine runoff and quality parameters including precipitation,flow rate,and total nitrogen(TN),dissolved nitrogen(DN),total phosphorus(TP),dissolved phosphorus(DP),particulate phosphorus(PP),chemical oxygen demand(COD) and suspended solid(SS) in 12 rainfall events occurring between June 2006 and July 2007.Results show that the annual pollutant loads were 47.17 kg ha-1 for TN,6.64 kg ha-1 for TP,1186 kg ha-1 for COD,and 4297 kg ha-1 for SS.DN and PP were the main forms of nitrogen and phosphorus in stormwater runoff.TP,COD and SS showed medium mass first flushes,in which nearly 40% of the total pollutant masses were transported by the first 30% of total flow volume.The peak of pollutant concentration appeared before the peak of runoff due to the first flush of accumulative pollutants in impervious areas and drainage ditches.The EMC values of TN,TP,DN and PP were negatively correlated to the maximum rainfall intensity,precipitation,total flow volume,and runoff duration(P<0.05,n=12),while EMC of COD and SS were not related to any rainfall characteristics.The FF30(FF,First Flush) for TN,TP,COD and SS were positively correlated to the maximum rainfall intensity(P<0.05,n=12),and TP was also positively correlated to the average rainfall intensity(P<0.05,n=12),indicating that the magnitude of first flush increased with the rainfall intensity in the Linshan Township.     

Estimating purple-soil moisture content using Vis-NIR spectroscopy

Soil moisture is essential for plant growth in terrestrial ecosystems. This study investigated the visible-near infrared(Vis-NIR) spectra of three subgroups of purple soils(calcareous, neutral, and acidic) from western Chongqing, China, containing different water contents. The relationship between soil moisture and spectral reflectivity(R) was analyzed using four spectral transformations, and estimation models were established for estimating the soil moisture content(SMC) of purple soil based on stepwise multiple linear regression(SMLR) and partial least squares regression(PLSR). We found that soil spectra were similar for different moisture contents, with reflectivity decreasing with increasing moisture content and following the order neutral calcareous acidic purple soil(at constant moisture content). Three of the four spectral transformations can highlight spectral sensitivity to SMC and significantly improve the correlation between the reflectance spectra and SMC. SMLR and PLSRmethods provide similar prediction accuracy. The PLSR-based model using a first-order reflectivity differential(R ?) is more effective for estimating the SMC, and gave coefficient of determination(v2), root mean square errors of validation(RMSEV), and ratio of performance to inter-quartile distance(RPIQ)values of 0.946, 1.347, and 6.328, respectively, for the calcareous purple soil, and 0.944, 1.818, and 6.569,respectively, for the acidic purple soil. For neutral purple soil, the best prediction was obtained using the SMLR method with R ? transformation, yieldingv2,RMSEV and RPIQ values of 0.973, 0.888 and 8.791,respectively. In general, PLSR is more suitable than SMLR for estimating the SMC of purple soil.     

Experimental study on the moving characteristics of fine grains in wide grading unconsolidated soil under heavy rainfall

The initiation mechanism of debris flow is regarded as the key step in understanding the debris-flow processes of occurrence, development and damage. Moreover, migration, accumulation and blocking effects of fine particles in soil will lead to soil failure and then develop into debris flow. Based on this hypothesis and considering the three factors of slope gradient, rainfall duration and rainfall intensity, 16 flume experiments were designed using the method of orthogonal design and completed in a laboratory. Particle composition changes in slope toe, volumetric water content, fine particle movement characteristics and soil failure mechanism were analyzed and understood as follows: the soil has complex, random and unstable structures, which causes remarkable pore characteristics of poor connectivity, non-uniformity and easy variation. The major factors that influence fine particle migration are rainfall intensity and slope. Rainfall intensity dominates particle movement, whereby high intensity rainfall induces a large number of mass movement and sharp fluctuation, causing more fine particles to accumulate at the steep slope toe. The slope toe plays an important role in water collection and fine particle accumulation. Both fine particle migration and coarse particle movement appears similar fluctuation. Fine particle migration is interrupted in unconnected pores, causing pore blockage and fine particle accumulation, which then leads to the formation of a weak layer and further soil failure or collapses. Fine particle movement also causes debris flow formation in two ways: movement on the soil surface and migration inside the soil. The results verify the hypothesis that the function of fine particle migration in soil failure process is conducive for further understanding the formation mechanism of soil failure and debris flow initiation.     

Response of Soil Moisture to Rainfall Event in Black Locust Plantations at Different Stages of Restoration in Hilly-gully Area of the Loess Plateau,China

Precipitation plays an important role in the water supplies that support ecological restoration by sustaining large-scale artificial plantations in arid and semiarid regions, especially black locust(Robinia pseudoacacia) plantations(RP plantations), which are widely planted due to R. pseudoacacia being an excellent pioneer species. Characterizing the response of soil moisture to rainfall events at different stages of restoration is important for assessing the sustainability of restoration in RP plantations. In this study, we quantified the response of soil moisture to rainfall events at different years of restoration(15, 20 and 30 yr) representing different restoration stages in RP plantations in a typical hilly-gully area, i.e., the Yangjuangou Catchment, of the Loess Plateau, China. Over the growing season(June to September) of 2017, smart probes were placed at nine depths(10, 20, 40, 60, 80, 100, 120, 150, and 180 cm below the soil surface) to obtain volumetric soil water information at 30-min intervals in the three RP plantations. The advance of the wetting front was depicted, and the total cumulative water infiltration was measured. Soil moisture was mainly replenished by eight heavy rainfall events(mean rainfall amount = 46.3 mm), accounting for 88.7% of the rainfall during the growing season. The mean soil moisture content profiles of RP plantations at the three restoration stages were ordered as 30-yr(14.07%) 20-yr(10.12%) 15-yr(8.03%), and this relationship displayed temporal stability. Soil moisture was primarily replenished by rainfall at the 0-60 cm soil depth, and soil moisture remained stable below the 100-cm soil depth. The rainfall regime influenced the advancement of the wetting front. Here, a single rainfall event of 30 mm was the rainfall threshold for infiltration into the 60-cm soil layer. The total infiltration time ranged from 310.5-322.0 h, but no significant differences were found among RP plantations at different restoration stages. Young and old RP plantations had more total infiltration(more than 228.2 mm) and deeper infiltration depths(80-100 cm) than middle-aged plantations. The RP plantation at the intermediate restoration stage exhibited minimal total infiltration(174.2 mm) and a shallow infiltration depth(60 cm) due to the soil physical structure of the plot, which may have limited rain infiltration. More stand conditions that may affect infiltration should be considered for priority afforestation areas.     

Analysis of runoff in ungauged mountain watersheds in Sichuan, China using kinematic-wave-based GIUH model

Floods are one of the most common natural hazards occurring all around the world. However, the knowledge of the origins of a food and its possible magnitude in a given region remains unclear yet. This lack of understanding is particularly acute in mountainous regions with large degrees in Sichuan Province, China, where runoff is seldom measured. The nature of streamflow in a region is related to the time and spatial distribution of rainfall quantity and watershed geomorphology. The geomorphologic characteristics are the channel network and surrounding landscape which transform the rainfall input into an output hydrograph at the outlet of the watershed. With the given geomorphologic properties of the watershed, theoretically the hydrological response function can be determined hydraulically without using any recorded data of past rainfall or runoff events. In this study, a kinematic-wave-based geomorphologic instantaneous unit hydrograph (KW-GIUH) model was adopted and verified to estimate runoff in ungauged areas. Two mountain watersheds, the Yingjing River watershed and Tianquan River watershed in Sichuan were selected as study sites. The geomorphologic factors of the two watersheds were obtained by using a digital elevation model (DEM) based on the topographic database obtained from the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission of US’s NASA. The tests of the model on the two watersheds were performed both at gauged and ungauged sites. Comparison between the simulated and observed hydrographs for a number of rainstorms at the gauged sites indicated the potential of the KW-GIUH model as a useful tool for runoff analysis in these regions. Moreover, to simulate possible concentrated rainstorms that could result in serious flooding in these areas, synthetic rainfall hyetographs were adopted as input to the KW-GIUH model to obtain the flow hydrographs at two ungauged sites for different return period conditions. Hydroeconomic analysis can be performed in the future to select the optimum design return period for determining the flood control work.     

Stability analysis of an unsaturated soil slope considering rainfall infiltration based on the Green-Ampt model

Based on the principle of saturated infiltration and the Green-Ampt model, an unsaturated infiltration model for a soil slope surface was established for either constant moisture content, or depth-varying moisture content and the slope. Infiltration parameters in the partially saturated slope were revealed under sustained rainfall. Through analysis of the variation of initial moisture content in the slope, the ponding time, infiltration depth, and infiltration rate were deduced for an unsaturated soil slope subject to rainfall infiltration. There is no ponded water on the surface of the slope under sustained low-intensity rainfall. The results show that the infiltration parameters of an unsaturated slope are influenced by the initial moisture content and the wetting front saturation, the soil cohesion and rainfall intensity under sustained rainfall. More short-term slope failures can occur with the decrease of cohesion of the soil of the slope. The ponding time and infiltration depth differ considering constant or different initial moisture content respectively in the soil slope. Then, best-fit curves of the infiltration rate, ponding time, and infiltration depth to the wetting front saturation were obtained with constant or different initial moisture contents. And the slope failure time is roughly uniform when subject to a rainfall intensity I5 mm/h.     

Soil detachment and transport under the combined action of rainfall and runoff energy on shallow overland flow

Rainfall and runoff energy results in soil erosion. This paper presents new the concepts of rainfall and runoff energy and analyzes the relationship of rainfall energy and runoff energy with sediment transport based on the conversion theory of kinetic and potential energy using artificial rainfall and mechanical calculation. The results show that the ratio of sediment detachment in sloping fallow overland flow increases with the slope gradient, rainfall energy and runoff energy, while the sediment detachment ratio under raindrop impact are significantly higher than those under no raindrop impact. The sediment concentration increases with the slope gradient and rainfall energy; when the slope gradient and rainfall energy are constant, the sediment concentration decreases as the runoff energy increases. Rainfall disturbance coefficients have a logarithmic correlation with the rate of rainfall energy and runoff energy. On the same slope gradient, when the rainfall energy is constant, the disturbance coefficient decreases as the runoff energy increases, while when the runoff energy is constant, the disturbance coefficient increases as the rainfall energy increases. Rainfall energy results in sediment detachment, and runoff energy is the transportation for erosion sediment. This showed that rainfall energy and runoff energy are important in the sediment detachment and transportation of shallow overland flow.     

Spatial-temporal variability of throughfall in a subtropical deciduous forest from the hilly regions of eastern China

Throughfall variability plays a crucial role in regulating hydrological and biogeochemical processes in forest ecosystems. However, throughfall variability and its potential influencing factors remain unclear in the subtropical deciduous forest because of its complex canopy and meteorological conditions. Here, the spatial variability and temporal stability of throughfall were investigated from October 2016 to December 2017 within a deciduous forest in the subtropical hilly regions of eastern China, and the effects of meteorological variables and distance from nearest tree trunk on throughfall variability were systematically evaluated. Throughfall variability during the leafed period was slightly higher than that during the leafless period inferred from the coefficient of variation of throughfall amounts(CVTF), with 13.2%-40.9% and 18.7%-31.9%, respectively. The multiple regression model analysis suggested that the controlling factors of throughfall variability were different in studied periods: Maximum 10-min rainfall intensity, wind speed and air temperature were the dominant influencing factors on throughfall variability during the leafed period, with the relative contribution ratio(RCR) of 25.9%, 18.7% and 8.9%, respectively. By contrast, throughfall variability was affected mainly by the mean rainfall intensity(RCR=40.8%) during the leafless period. The temporal stability plots and geostatistical analysis indicated that spatial patterns of throughfall were stable and similar among rainfall events. Our findings highlight the important role of various meteorological factors in throughfall variability and are expected to contribute to the accurate assessment of throughfall, soil water and runoff within the subtropical forests.