Erosion rates in badland areas recorded by collectors,erosion pins and profilometer techniques (Ebro Basin,NE-Spain)

In badland areas of the Ebro Basin, in a semiarid climate, two erosion plots (257 m²; 5° slope and 128 m²; 23° slope) on exposed Tertiary clays were monitored over two years (Nov. 1991–Nov. 1993). This material is characterized by high sodium absorption ratios which lead to high soil dispersivity. The dominant erosion processes in both plots are rilling and sheet erosion. Rainfall intensity was recorded at a weather station, connected to a data-logger, sediment production for single events was collected in tanks, and ground lowering was measured every six months by erosion pins and microtopographic profile gauge techniques. Significant runoff was produced only by rainfall events above 5 mm. Another threshold at 20 mm rain was noted. For rainfalls higher than 20 mm, the 23° slope plot shows a greater runoff response than the 5° one. Rainfall events exceeding this threshold showed a higher sediment production for the steeper slope. In the relationship between precipitation and sediment concentration, an envelope curve can be drawn indicating that any rainfall event of a given amount and intensity has a maximum sediment concentration which we speculate to be a function of the runoff sediment transport capacity. Runoff response and sediment yield in the studied plots are controlled by the rainfall and soil characteristics and their seasonal variations. In both plots, the erosion pins show that erosion rates in rill areas are 25–50% higher than in the interrill areas. Sediment yield recorded by collector devices was higher than the rates measured by erosion pins. The erosion rates based on rill cross-sections by profilometers were higher than the ones recorded by collectors.     

RUNOFF PRODUCTION AND EROSION PROCESSES ON A DEHESA IN WESTERN SPAIN*

ABSTRACT. Runoff generation and soil erosion were investigated at the Guadalperalón experimental watershed (western Spain), within the land‐use system known as dehesa, or open, managed evergreen forests. Season and type of surface were found to control runoff and soil‐loss rates. Five soil units were selected as representative of surface types found in the study area: hillslope grass, bottom grass, tree cover, sheep trails, and shrub cover. Measurements were made in various conditions with simulated rainfall to gain an idea of the annual variation in runoff and soil loss. Important seasonal differences were noted due to surface cover and moisture content of soil, but erosion rates were determined primarily by runoff. Surfaces covered with grass and shrubs always showed less erosion; surfaces covered with holm oaks showed higher runoff rates, due to the hydrophobic character of the soils. Concentrations of runoff sediment during the simulations confirmed that erosion rates at the study site depended directly on the sediment available on the soil surface.     

广东鹤山赤红壤坡地林茶利用模式的水土保持效应

野外观测试验于1997年在广东省鹤山茶叶科技研究所的赤红壤坡地上进行，试验设计了人工林下地表覆盖（A）、人工林下地表裸露（B）、等高梯田种植茶树（C）和等高梯田裸地对照（CK）4个处理，采用自制的径流收集器分别测定了各处理4场降雨的径流深度、径流系数、水土流失量和侵蚀量等指标，结果表明，CK的平均径流深度高产田3.72mm/10mm，降水流失率为37.2%，平均每10mm降雨的土壤侵蚀量为43.6kg.hm^-2，年土壤侵蚀模数为7.42t.hm^-2；其它3个不同植被覆盖处理的地表径流量比裸地对照降低2.20%-67.08%，平均土壤侵蚀量减少43.81%-90.83%；林下地表覆盖处理的保土效果果好，等高梯田种植茶树处理的保水效果最好。     

Runoff and soil erosion on cultivated rainfed terraces in the Middle Hills of Nepal

The paper presents runoff and soil erosion measurements from plots on outward-sloping rainfed agricultural terraces in the Likhu Khola drainage basin, Middle Hills, Nepal, for the pre-monsoon and monsoon periods of 1992 and 1993. Runoff coefficients ranged from 5% to over 50%, depending on the nature of the rainfall event and the characteristics of the terrace. Total rainfall amount provided the highest level of explanation for the variation in runoff. Soil losses ranged from 2.7 to 8.2 t ha^–1 for 1993 and up to 12.9 t ha^–1 for 1992. The higher losses were associated with red, finer-grained soils. The majority of these rates are lower than the rates of soil loss that have been commonly perceived for the Middle Hills of the Himalaya. However, they are broadly similar to rates obtained from the few other studies that have examined runoff and erosion under traditional rainfed cultivation. The results suggest that a re-evaluation of the degree of land degradation in such areas may be necessary. Relationships between soil loss and rainfall characteristics were highly variable but were improved considerably when vegetation cover was included. This indicates that the maintenance of some form of ground cover is advisable if runoff and erosion are to be minimized.     

Formation of river terraces in conditions of high seismicity

We have investigated the river terraces on the left bank of the Irkut river in the Torskaya depression a short distance from the village of Guzhiry. On the basis of lithological-geological findings and radiocarbon datings of buried soils from two sections of the second terrace (12–14 m), we identified nine formation stages of the terrace in the latter half of the Late Neopleistocene and in the Holocene. They reflect multiple changes of the leading exogenous process, implying a variety of the genetic types of deposits (soils, and aeolian and alluvial sediments) during the Early and Mid-Holocene. The formation stages of alluvium are correlated with periods of high water. It is found that the final transition of alluvial to cover deposits is associated with incision of the river to 2–4 m and is dated to 5.2–4.5 cal. ka. We examine the alternation of the natural factors for the formation of deposits of the second terrace of the Irkut river in the Late Neopleistocene and Holocene. One (hydroclimatic) factor implies accumulation of deposits of the alluvial and cover complex depending on climate and water runoff fluctuations, landscape changes, and on variation in the base level of erosion. The other (seismic) factor is correlated with data on high activity of the Tory paleoseismogenic structure, which seems to have caused the lowering as well as the rise of the bottom of the depression at the time of strong earthquakes and, as a consequence, erosion or accumulation of deposits of the channel facies of alluvium. It is established that the chief causes for the change of the terrace’s deposit types were the natural-climatic changes, the character and directedness of tectonic movements, the variations in the base levels of erosion, and the height of floo ds.     

GEOMORPHIC RESPONSE TO WILDFIRE IN AN ARID WATERSHED,CROW CANYON,NEVADA

On August 28, 1981, the Crow Canyon drainage basin in central Nevada was burned by a lightning-generated wildfire that destroyed the vegetation cover consisting primarily of juniper trees, sagebrush, and desert grasses. The geomorphic impact of the wildfire was assessed on the basis of aerial photography, measurements of sediment movement on hillslopes using charred tree trunks as erosion indicators, and surveys of the valley floor, axial channel, and alluvial fan. Aerial photographs indicate the valley floor was untrenched prior to the fire. The combination of foliage destruction and heavy runoff in the spring following the wildfire initiated channel downcutting that has now reached as much as 3.9 m in depth. Entrenchment of the valley-fill in the lower 2.2 km of the drainage network produced as much as 48, 142 m³ of sediment. Much of the channel incision occurred during 1982 and 1983, years characterized by above-normal precipitation. Approximately 17,608 m³ of sediment were deposited on a preexisting alluvial fan at the mouth of the basin. Following initial channel entrenchment and deposition on the fan, a spatially out-of-phase episode of channel cutting was initiated on the fan apex, a process that is redistributing sediment down-fan. Thus, one geomorphic disturbance has produced two discrete depositional events on the fan. Moreover, the geomorphic instability was still evident over a decade after the wildfire. [Key words: wildfire, degradation, channel entrenchment, soil erosion, complex-response.]     

Influence of late Holocene hillslope processes and landforms on modern channel dynamics in upland watersheds of central Nevada

Stratigraphic, geomorphic, and paleoecological data were collected from upland watersheds in the Great Basin of central Nevada to assess the relationships between late Holocene climate change, hillslope processes and landforms, and modern channel dynamics. These data indicate that a shift to drier, warmer climatic conditions from approximately 2500 to 1300 YPB led to a complex set of geomorphic responses. The initial response was massive hillslope erosion and the simultaneous aggradation of both side-valley alluvial fans and the axial valley system. The final response was fan stabilization and axial channel incision as fine-grained sediments were winnowed from the hillslope sediment reservoirs, and sediment yield and runoff processes were altered. The primary geomorphic response to disturbance for approximately the past 1900 years has been channel entrenchment, suggesting that the evolutionary history of hillslopes has produced watersheds that are prone to incision. The magnitude of the most recent phase of channel entrenchment varies along the valley floor as a function of geomorphic position relative to side-valley alluvial fans. Radial fan profiles suggest that during fan building, fan deposits temporarily blocked the flow of sediment down the main stem of the valley, commonly creating a stepped longitudinal valley profile. Stream reaches located immediately upvalley of these fans are characterized by low gradients and alternating episodes of erosion and deposition. In contrast, reaches coincident with or immediately downstream of the fans exhibit higher gradients and limited valley floor deposition. Thus, modern channel dynamics and associated riparian ecosystems are strongly influenced by landforms created by depositional events that occurred approximately 2000 years ago.     

Differences in hillslope runoff and sediment transport rates within two semi-arid catchments in southeast Spain

This paper focuses on hillslope runoff and sediment transport within two catchments in southeast Spain. Five monitoring sites were established on hillslope concavities throughout the two catchments. The techniques used were mini-crest stage recorders, spray-painted lines, sediment traps and tipping bucket rain gauges (established during previous research). Results show that a storm event in the Rambla Nogalte on 30 June 2002 of 83.0 mm was responsible for a maximum runoff depth of 12 cm and a maximum hillslope sediment transport of 1886 cm³ m⁻¹. The same storm in the Rambla de Torrealvilla produced 53.4 mm of rainfall on the 1 July 2002, had a maximum runoff depth of 26 cm and resulted in 2311 cm³ m⁻¹ of sediment transport. There is evidence to suggest that measured sediment transport is related to runoff and a qualitative estimate of Morphological Runoff Zones (MRZ). Sediment transport and depth of runoff varied dramatically with lithology; marl sites produced most runoff and sediment transport, followed by the sites of mixed red and blue schist, then blue schist. These results are important for understanding the behaviour of slopes and show that for short lived storms with high, but not rare, rainfall intensities and total rainfall amounts, runoff can cause significant hillslope sediment transport in semi-arid areas.     

Rainfall distribution around shrubs: Eco-geomorphic implications for arid hillslopes

A single shrub in a widely spaced shrubby area acts as a roughness element and, therefore, it can affect the distribution of the rainfall received on the ground surface surrounding it. This paper focuses on such rainfall distribution on arid hillslopes and its eco-geomorphic implications. Relatively simple methods were used to measure the rainfall around shrubs growing in a small basin that is associated with a prevailing wind direction during rain events. There was a trend toward significantly reduced rainfall onto bare soil areas located on the leeward side, compared with that on other bare soil areas along the hillslope. This may alert to another potential cause for patchiness in the hydrological response of arid hillslope systems.     

Modelling and application of the geomorphic and environmental controls on flash flood flow

The surface water runoff (sheet wash) during simulated heavy rainfall of between 25 and 100 mm/h (rainfall durations of between 1 and 6 hours, on plots of between 2.5 and 3.5 m²) on soils of Pliocene and Quaternary sediments and on cherts from Ordovician sediments in nearly-natural environments was dependent on inclination of slope (32%) and on kinetic energy of rainfall (30%). When using vegetation cover as an additional variable for nearly-natural and human influenced environments, the vegetation cover increases R² from 0.62 to 0.74. The degree of slope controls between 25 and 30% of topsoil characteristics. The results of model simulations were confirmed during natural heavy rainfalls on different field plots. Because simulated rainfalls were based on recorded intensities and durations, results compared with historic records and estimations imply also that specific intensity of between 25 and 100 mm/h and duration of between 1 and 6 hours are not so important, relative to geomorphic-environmental impact, in flash flood generation in a Mediterranean climate area like the Roussillon area (SE-France).On 26 September 1992 the rainfall intensity of a four-hour heavy rainfall event was to a large extent influenced by the topography of the catchment of River Réart/Canterrane (Roussillon, SE-France), increasing with altitude. As an example of the model application: the flash flood of 26/27 September 1992 was simulated. The peak flash-flood flow at the river mouth of River Réart/Canterrane was 1100 m³/s or 7 (m³/km²)/s. Runoff conditions for the natural or nearly natural catchment would have accounted for 43.6% of this, agricultural impact for 9.1% and building areas and construction sites for 5.5%. A further 41.8% was accounted for by the effects of breaching of stored floodwater. In absence of breaching of stored floodwater, the nearly-natural part of the peak flash-flood flow would have been about 480 m³/s (75%) and the part caused by human influence about 160 m³/s (25%).     

Geomorphological and sedimentological analysis of a catastrophic flash flood in the Arás drainage basin (Central Pyrenees, Spain)

On August 7th, 1996, an intense and short-duration convective storm occurred over the 18.6-km² Arás drainage basin (Central Pyrenees, Spain). This high relief basin is composed of three subbasins, Aso, Betés and La Selva, and feeds the Arás alluvial fan, in the Gállego river valley. This alluvial fan had been drained by an artificial channel (about 125 m³/s at bank-full capacity). More than 30 check dams in its feeder channel, the Arás barranco, had been previously filled by earlier sediments. The heaviest rain was over the Betés subbasin (total rainfall 178.4 mm; maximum rainfall intensity of 153 mm/h for a 10-min time interval was estimated). Most of the rainfall fell in a 70-min period. This storm resulted in high runoff, causing catastrophic damage and significant geomorphic changes in the drainage basin, especially in the Betés subbasin. The high discharge, concentrated in the Arás barranco, destroyed most of the check dams, flushing out a great amount of debris. Major channel trenching and widening occurred in this barranco. When the confined sediment-laden flash flood reached the basin mouth, it sheet-flooded the southern sector of the Arás fan depositing a massive amount of debris. On this fan 87 people lost their lives and the direct physical damage has been estimated at 55 million dollars. Two stages in the development of the flood have been differentiated from the sedimentological and morphological analysis of the flooded fan lobe. A first stage (peak discharge) of sheet-flooding deposited a coarse boulder lobe, burying the artificial channel at the fan head and causing a darnming effect on the water flood. During the second stage (discharge decline) the flood made its way through the fan head, incising the previous debris accumulation and splitting into two main flow paths.     

A field investigation into the effects of progressive rainfall-induced soil seal and crust development on runoff and erosion rates: The impact of surface cover

Surface crusts and seals can form from a variety of processes, both physical and biological, and have the potential to alter runoff and erosion, especially in regions with low vegetation covers. Despite the obvious links between seals and crusts these features have rarely been considered together. This study uses rainfall simulation experiments to investigate interrill soil crust and seal development in response to structural (or raindrop-impact-induced) and depositional (or runoff-induced) processes on a semiarid piedmont in southern New Mexico, USA, which has undergone substantive vegetation change (replacement of grasses by shrubs) over the last 100 years. The study design incorporates six double-paired runoff plots divided into four subplots, each of which was exposed to three rainfall simulation events. Crust development on these plots was assessed using penetration-resistance measurements while seal development was assessed using runoff coefficients. The penetration-resistance data indicate that subplots directly exposed to raindrop impacts (uncovered plots) have crusts that are  40% stronger than those positioned beneath a mesh cover (covered plots) that intercepts the kinetic energy of the rainfall. The crusts exposed to raindrop-impacts increased in strength following each simulation, whereas the crusts on the covered surfaces reached a plateau after two events.Runoff data indicate that seal development does not directly mirror crust formation. Runoff coefficients increased after each rainfall simulation event but were not significantly different between the covered and uncovered plots. Rather, the presence of stone lags or litter on the soil surface influenced the relation between runoff and seal development. Sediment yields from uncovered surfaces exceeded those from covered surfaces, indicating that raindrop impacts contribute to the delivery of sediment into flows. The results of this study indicate that the loss of vegetation cover on the piedmont has increased the extent of surface crust and seal development but that those crusts may be playing an important role in mitigating erosion.     

Spatial distribution of surface conditions and runoff generation in small arid watersheds, Zin Valley Badlands, Israel

High rill density may be regarded as indicative of frequent and integrated runoff along a drainage network. However, field observations of soil development and rill geometry in small, first-order catchments (0.1 to 1 ha) of the Zin Valley Badlands, northern Negev, Israel, suggest a pattern of partial area contribution and frequent flow discontinuities along hillslopes and channels. Changing soil properties, associated with an increase of slope angle and slope length, appear to be responsible for high infiltration on the slopes, leading to nonuniform runoff generation within small drainage basins. Runoff observation, sprinkling tests, and soil analysis along ridges and sideslopes were carried out to test this hypothesis. The results confirmed that infiltration capacity on the sideslopes is significantly higher than on the ridges. Under current rainfall conditions, only extreme rainfall intensities are sufficient to generate runoff along entire slopes. The discontinuous nature of most runoff events causes erosion on ridges and deposition on slopes, which enhances soil development on the valley sideslopes, creating a positive feedback on infiltration rate and depth. This demonstrates that the links between within-storm rainfall conditions and spatial distribution of soil characteristics have to be incorporated into our understanding of landscape development in badlands.     

Infiltration on mountain slopes: a comparison of three environments

Water is well established as a major driver of the geomorphic change that eventually reduces mountains to lower relief landscapes. Nonetheless, within the altitudinal limits of continuous vegetation in humid climates, water is also an essential factor in slope stability. In this paper, we present results from field experiments to determine infiltration rates at forested sites in the Andes Mountains (Ecuador), the southern Appalachian Mountains (USA), and the Luquillo Mountains (Puerto Rico). Using a portable rainfall simulator–infiltrometer (all three areas), and a single ring infiltrometer (Andes), we determined infiltration rates, even on steep slopes. Based on these results, we examine the spatial variability of infiltration, the relationship of rainfall runoff and infiltration to landscape position, the influence of vegetation on infiltration rates on slopes, and the implications of this research for better understanding erosional processes and landscape change.Infiltration rates ranged from 6 to 206 mm/h on lower slopes of the Andes, 16 to 117 mm/h in the southern Appalachians, and 0 to 106 mm/h in the Luquillo Mountains. These rates exceed those of most natural rain events, confirming that surface runoff is rare in montane forests with deep soil/regolith mantles. On well-drained forested slopes and ridges, apparent steady-state infiltration may be controlled by the near-surface downslope movement of infiltrated water rather than by characteristics of the full vertical soil profile. With only two exceptions, the local variability of infiltration rates at the scale of 10° m overpowered other expected spatial relationships between infiltration, vegetation type, slope position, and soil factors. One exception was the significant difference between infiltration rates on alluvial versus upland soils in the Andean study area. The other exception was the significant difference between infiltration rates in topographic coves compared to other slope positions in the tabonuco forest of one watershed in the Luquillo Mountains. Our research provides additional evidence of the ability of forests and forest soils to preserve geomorphic features from denudation by surface erosion, documents the importance of subsurface flow in mountain forests, and supports the need for caution in extrapolating infiltration rates.     

Sediment yield and runoff frequency of small drainage basins in the Mojave Desert, U.S.A.

Sediment yield from small arid basins, particularly in the Mojave Desert, is largely unknown owing to the ephemeral nature of these fluvial systems and long recurrence interval of flow events. We examined 27 reservoirs in the northern and eastern Mojave Desert that trapped sediment from small (< 1 km²) drainage basins on alluvial fans over the past 100 yr, calculated annual sediment yield, and estimated the average recurrence interval (RI) of sediment-depositing flow events. These reservoirs formed where railbeds crossed and blocked channels, causing sediment to be trapped and stored upslope. Deposits are temporally constrained by the date of railway construction (1906–1910), the presence of ¹³⁷Cs in the reservoir profile (post-1952 sediment), and either 1993, when some basins breached during regional flooding, or 2000–2001, when stratigraphic analyses were performed. Reservoir deposits are well stratified at most sites and have distinct fining-upward couplets indicative of discrete episodes of sediment-bearing runoff. Average RI of runoff events for these basins ranges from 2.6 to 7.3 yr and reflects the incidence of either intense or prolonged rainfall; more than half the runoff events occurred before 1963. A period of above-normal precipitation, from 1905 to 1941, may have increased runoff frequency in these basins. Mean sediment yield (9 to 48 tons km^− 2 yr^− 1) is an order of magnitude smaller than sediment yields calculated elsewhere and may be limited by reduced storm intensity, the presence of desert pavement, and shallow gradient of fan surfaces. Sediment yield decreases as drainage area increases, a trend typical of much larger drainage basins where sediment-transport processes constrain sediment yield. Coarse substrate and low-angle slopes of these alluvial fan surfaces likely limit sediment transport capacity through transmission losses and channel storage.     

Alluvium formation history in the valley of the Goloustnaya river (southwestern Baikal Region) in the Holocene

The terrace evolution history is considered for the Goloustnaya river during the Holocene after a seismic impact on the detrital fan when it descended below the water level of Lake Baikal. Radiocarbon analysis data have been used to calculate the mean accumulation rates of alluvial deposits and the buildup of peat.     

AN EXPERIMENTAL STUDY OF SHEET EROSION IN GRANITIC REGION OF WUHUA COUNTY,GUANGDONG PROVINCE

1.IntroductionWuhuaCounty,locatedintheupstreamOfHanjianghiver,isoneofthemostseriouslyerodedcountiesinSouthChinagraniticweatheringregionOfGUangdOngPrOvince.ByinveStighion,thetOtalerodedareaisestimatedtobe875.33km,whichoccupiedbot30percentofthetOtalerodedareaoftenmostseriouserodedcountiesintheregion.Insomeconununes,theeroddareaevenreachedtomorethan6Opercent.ErosionresuItedinwidesPedOfbemountalns,landdopadaion,shortOfwterresourceshoperecotw.~ngthethreetypesoferosionintheupstreamOfHanjian…     

Analyzing the runoff response to soil and water conservation measures in a tropical humid Ethiopian highland

Abstract

Different soil and water conservation (SWC) practices have been implemented in many drought-prone parts of Ethiopia since the 1980s. We assessed the effect of SWC practices on runoff response and experimentally derived and tested the validity of the runoff curve number (CN) model parameter for the tropical humid highland climate of the Kasiry watershed in northwestern Ethiopia. We recorded daily rainfall and runoff depth from 18 runoff plots (30 m long × 6 m wide) representing the five main land-use types with various SWC practices and two slope classes (gentle and steep). CN values were derived using the lognormal geometric mean CN procedure. Runoff was significantly less from plots with SWC measures, with average reductions of 44 and 65% observed in cultivated and non-agricultural lands, respectively. Runoff on plots representing non-agricultural land was relatively accurately predicted with the derived CN method, but predictions were less accurate for plots treated with a SWC practice. We conclude that predicting the effect of SWC practices on runoff requires parameterization with separate sets of CN value for each SWC practice.     

陇中黄土高原丘陵沟壑区不同植被恢复模式下次降雨产流产沙特征

基于甘肃省清水县汤峪河径流小区2015—2017年的观测数据,研究不同植被恢复模式条件下坡面次降雨入渗、产流产沙特征。结果表明：不同植被恢复模式条件下的土壤入渗量与降雨强度呈二次函数关系,存在入渗量达到最大值的临界降雨强度。入渗速率与降雨历时可以用幂函数关系表达,符合考斯恰可夫入渗模型。不同植被恢复模式条件下的产流率在0.003 3~0.003 6 mm·min^-1之间,相对裸地的减流率为54%~58%。产流率与降雨强度之间呈二次函数关系（R²>0.88）,产流率的主要影响因素是降雨强度。径流含沙量平均值乔灌混合区（3.13 g·L^-1）>灌木林（2.95 g·L^-1）>乔木林（2.79 g·L^-1）>草地（2.58 g·L^-1）,径流含沙量与降雨强度呈线性递增函数关系。裸地的产沙量显著高于各植被小区（P<0.05）,是各植被小区的43~57倍,各植被小区的减沙率在93%~94%之间,减沙效益高于其减流效益。各植被坡面土壤流失量与降雨侵蚀力呈线性递增函数关系;产流率与侵蚀产沙率之间呈极显著正相关关系（P<0.01）,二者间可采用二次函数关系表达。本研究成果可为黄土高原丘陵沟壑区水土保持优化配置提供理论依据。     

FLUVIAL ADJUSTMENTS TO SOIL EROSION AND PLANT COVER CHANGES IN THE CENTRAL SPANISH PYRENEES

ABSTRACT. Until the middle of the 20th century, Pyrenean rivers were characterized by braided channels, unstable sedimentary structures and an almost complete lack of plant cover in the alluvial plain, due to the high sediment yield in hillslopes and the occurrence of frequent and intense flooding. This was probably related to strong demographic pressures, including the cultivation of steep slopes, frequent fires, deforestation and overgrazing. Depopulation and farmland abandonment resulted in plant recolonization in formerly cultivated areas, causing a decrease in runoff and sediment yield. As a consequence, most Pyrenean rivers tend to reduce the width of the alluvial plain and to replace the braided pattern with an incised, somewhat meandering pattern, involving the construction of new terrace levels and the stabilization of fluvial bars.