黄土高原复杂地形上高质量湍流通量数据获取方法

利用兰州大学半干旱气候与环境观测站(Semi-Arid Climate and Environment Observatory of Lanzhou University,SACOL)湍流观测资料,分析了二次坐标旋转(double rotation,DR)、平面拟合(planar fit,PF)和分风区平面拟合(fetch planar fit,FPF)在复杂地形上的适用性,总结出一套适用于SACOL的总体湍流特征参数化方案.经过超声虚温订正、坐标旋转、空气密度脉动订正以及平稳性检验、总体湍流特征检验、总体质量分级处理,摩擦速度(u*)、感热通量、潜热通量、CO_2通量高质量数据所占比例分别为45%~62%、66%~68%、62%~65%、52%~54%.采用DR得到的高质量数据比例与采用PF相比,u*提高了17%,后三种通量略降低2%~3%.PF和FPF两种结果的差别主要体现在u*上,只考虑主导风向数据DR得到的u*质量仍最好.综合兼顾数据质量和计算工作量,在复杂地形上处理湍流观测资料的最优坐标旋转方法是DR.     

Soil hydrophobic effects on infiltration and catchment runoff

After dry summers or drought, eucalypt forest soils at two sites in southeastern Australia developed hydrophobic or non-wetting surface characteristics that reduced infiltration, measured using a sprinkling infiltrometer. At one site the development of hydrophobic conditions caused the rainfall to runoff conversion efficiency of a forested catchment to increase from 5 per cent to 15 per cent. Under non-hydrophobic conditions at this site, grassland always generated more runoff than forest. However, one major rainfall-runoff was recorded at a time of highly hydrophobic forest soil conditions and this storm generated greater runoff on the forested catchment than the grassland catchment. At the second site forest soils have naturally highly conductive surface layers because of a dense network of macropores and pathways for preferential flow. Hydrophobic conditions produced by drought caused soil water movement to be confined to only a few of the larger macropores exposed to surface ponded water. Even so, infiltration rates remained relatively high so that the impacts of hydrophobic soils were not translated into increased catchment runoff as at the first site.     

北京夏季夜间低空急流特征观测分析

利用三年夏季系留气艇探测结果,分析了北京夏季夜间低空急流的一般特征.30％的夜间观测记录出现了低空急流.急流平均高度为200 m,其最大频率出现在140 m左右,90％急流出现在320 m以下.W、SW、SE是夜间低空急流的主要风向.不同观测地点低空急流在速度、风向和高度上存在明显差异.城区低空急流高度大部分时间比郊区高.个例分析表明,在夜间稳定边界层条件下,低空急流与局地山谷风环流强弱变化有很好相关.进一步成因分析认为,斜坡地形产生的热成风、山谷风环流可能是北京夏季夜间低空急流形成的主要原因.     

陇东黄土高原下垫面不均匀性指标的建立及其对大孔径闪烁仪(LAS)观测感热通量的影响

目前定量研究下垫面不均匀性对大孔径闪烁仪(LAS)、涡动相关仪(ECS)观测感热通量差异的影响还比较少.本文利用黄土高原庆阳观测站2012年6、7月典型晴天两主风向范围E-SE和SW-W的陆面过程数据,在建立了下垫面不均匀性定量化指标的基础上,分析了下垫面不均匀性与地表温度变率的关系及其对LAS、ECS观测感热通量差异的影响.结果表明:庆阳站下垫面不均匀性大小η和地表温度变率г具有很好的相关性,相关系数达到0.566以上,证明了新建立指标的合理性.下垫面不均匀性大小η和LAS、ECS观测的感热通量差异HLAS-HECS具有很好的一致性,相关系数达到0.634.下垫面不均匀性对LAS和ECS的感热通量差异影响显著,下垫面越不均匀LAS和ECS测量的感热通量差异越大.对两主风向分别进行分析,在E-SE风向范围η和HLAS-HECS的相关系数为0.430,HLAS和HEC拟合的线性趋势系数为1.279,在SW-W风向范围η和HLAS-HECS的相关系数为0.680,HLAS和HEC拟合的线性趋势系数为1.297.下垫面不均匀性的影响程度越大,LAS和ECS观测的感热通量差异越大.     

Using a remote sensing field experiment to investigate flux-footprint relations and flux sampling distributions for tower and aircraft-based observations

During a remote sensing field experiment conducted in the Southern Great Plains in 1997 (SGP97), tower and aircraft-based flux observations were collected over one of the main study sites in central Oklahoma. This is an agricultural region and contains primarily grassland/pasture and winter wheat, which was recently harvested leaving a significant number of fields either as wheat stubble or plowed bare soil. Multi-spectral data obtained by aircraft provided high-resolution (30 m) spatially-distributed vegetation cover and surface temperature information over the study area. The spatial variations in these surface states strongly affect the partitioning of surface fluxes between sensible and latent heat. These data, together with coarser resolution (5 km) satellite data, are used in a remote sensing-based energy balance modeling system that disaggregates flux estimates from 5 km to 30-m resolution. The resulting high-resolution flux maps provide a means for evaluating whether tower and aircraft-based flux measurements sample a full range in flux conditions for this landscape. In addition, this remote sensing-based modeling system can be used to investigate the influence of variability in these key surface states on tower and aircraft measurements through flux-footprint modeling. Under the light wind and unstable conditions that existed during the observations, highest correlation between aircraft and modeled estimated heat and water vapor fluxes were obtained using different flux-footprint estimates. More specifically, the source area for heat was estimated to be much closer to the aircraft flight line than for water vapor.     

Isotope-aided modelling of ecohydrologic fluxes and water ages under mixed land use in Central Europe: The 2018 drought and its recovery

Understanding the interactions of vegetation and soil water under varying hydrological conditions is crucial to aid quantitative assessment of land-use sustainability for maintaining water supply for humans and plants. Isolating and estimating the volume and ages of water stored within different compartments of the critical zone, and the associated fluxes of evaporation, transpiration, and groundwater recharge, facilitates quantification of these soil–plant-water interactions and the response of ecohydrological fluxes to wet and dry periods. We used the tracer-aided ecohydrological model EcH₂O-iso to examine the response of water ages of soil water storage, groundwater recharge, evaporation, and root-uptake at a mixed land use site, in northeastern Germany during the drought of 2018 and in the following winter months. The approach applied uses a dynamic vegetation routine which constrains water use by ecological mechanisms. Two sites with regionally typical land-use types were investigated: a forested site with sandy soils and a deep rooting zone and a grassland site, with loamier soils and shallower rooting zone. This results in much younger water ages (<1 year) through the soil profile in the forest compared to the grass, coupled with younger groundwater recharge. The higher water use in the forest resulted in a more pronounced annual cycle of water ages compared to the more consistent water age in the loamier soil of the grasslands. The deeper rooting zone of the forested site also resulted in older root-uptake water usage relative to soil evaporation, while the grassland site root-uptake was similar to that of soil evaporation. Besides more dynamic water ages in the forest, replenishment of younger soil waters to soil storage was within 6 months following the drought (cf. >8 months in the grassland). The temporal evaluation of the responsiveness of soil and vegetation interactions in hydrologic extremes such as 2018 is essential to understand changes in hydrological processes and the resilience of the landscape to the longer and more severe summer droughts predicted under future climate change.     

Understanding of the Common Land Model performance for water and energy fluxes in a farmland during the growing season in Korea

The Common Land Model (CLM) is one of the most widely used land surface models (LSMs) due to the practicality of its simple parameterization scheme and its versatility in embracing a variety of field datasets. The improved assessment of land surface water and energy fluxes using CLM can be an alternative approach for understanding the complex land–atmosphere interactions in data‐limited regions. The understanding of water and energy cycles in a farmland is crucial because it is a dominant land feature in Korea and Asia. However, the applications of CLM to farmland in Korea are in paucity. The simulations of water and energy fluxes by CLM were conducted against those from the tower‐based measurements during the growing season of 2006 at the Haenam site (a farmland site) in Korea without optimization. According to the International Geosphere–Biosphere Programme (IGBP) land cover classification, a homogeneous cropland was selected initially for this study. Although the simulated soil moisture had a similar pattern to that of the observed, the former was relatively drier (at 0·1 m³ m^?3) than the latter. The simulated net radiation showed good agreement with the observed, with a root mean squared error (RMSE) of 41 W m^?2, whereas relatively large discrepancies between the simulation and observation were found in sensible (RMSE of 66 W m^?2) and latent (RMSE of 60 W m^?2) heat fluxes. On the basis of the sensitivity analysis, soil moisture was more receptive to land cover and soil texture parameterizations when compared to soil temperature and turbulent fluxes. Despite the uncertainty in the predictive capability of CLM employed without optimization, the initial performance of CLM suggests usefulness in a data‐limited heterogeneous farmland in Korea. Further studies are required to identify the controls on water and energy fluxes with an improved parameterization. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Evaluation of energy balance closure adjustment methods by independent evapotranspiration estimates from lysimeters and hydrological simulations

Non‐closure of the surface energy balance is a frequently observed phenomenon of hydrometeorological field measurements, when using the eddy‐covariance method, which can be ascribed to an underestimation of the turbulent fluxes. Several approaches have been proposed in order to adjust the measured fluxes for this apparent systematic error. However, there are uncertainties about partitioning of the energy balance residual between the sensible and latent heat flux and whether such a correction should be applied on 30‐min data or longer time scales. The data for this study originate from two grassland sites in southern Germany, where measurements from weighable lysimeters are available as reference. The adjusted evapotranspiration rates are also compared with joint energy and water balance simulations using a physically based distributed hydrological model. We evaluate two adjustment methods: the first one preserves the Bowen ratio and the correction factor is determined on a daily basis. The second one attributes a smaller portion of the residual energy to the latent heat flux than to the sensible heat flux for closing the energy balance for every 30‐min flux integration interval. Both methods lead to an improved agreement of the eddy‐covariance based fluxes with the independent lysimeter estimates and the physically based model simulations. The first method results in a better comparability of evapotranspiration rates, and the second method leads to a smaller overall bias. These results are similar between both sites despite considerable differences in terrain complexity and grassland management. Moreover, we found that a daily adjustment factor leads to less scatter than a complete partitioning of the residual for every half‐hour time interval. The vertical temperature gradient in the surface layer and friction velocity were identified as important predictors for a potential future parameterisation of the energy balance residual.     

Effects of landuse change on surface runoff and sediment yield at different watershed scales on the Loess Plateau

Erosion and sediment yield from large and small watersheds exhibit different laws. Variations in surface runoff and sediment yield because of landuse change in four watersheds of different scales from 1 km2 to 73 km2 were analyzed. Due to reforestation and farmland terracing, surface runoff and sediment yield reduced by 20-100% and 10-100% respectively. Reductions in surface runoff were differed significantly under different precipitation regimes. For the large watershed (73 km2) landuse change had similar effects on surface runoff regardless of changing of precipitation. For the small watershed (1 km2) landuse change had fewer effects on surface runoff under high precipitation. The relative changes of sediment yield in the four watersheds under reforestation and farmland terracing decreased as precipitation increased from 350 mm to 650 mm, then increased as precipitation increased from 650 mm to 870 mm. Where initial forest coverage rate was below 45%, sediment yield decreased dramatically as forest coverage rate increased. Watershed management with aiming at reducing both surface runoff and sediment yield should be conducted both on sloping surfaces and in channels in large watersheds.     

Long‐wave radiation and heat flux estimates within a small tributary in Catamaran Brook (New Brunswick,Canada)

River water temperature is an important water quality parameter that also influences most aquatic life. Physical processes influencing water temperature in rivers are highly complex. This is especially true for the estimation of river heat exchange processes that are highly dependent on good estimates of radiation fluxes. Furthermore, very few studies were found within the stream temperature dynamic literature where the different radiation components have been measured and compared at the stream level (at microclimate conditions). Therefore, this study presents results on hydrometeorological conditions for a small tributary within Catamaran Brook (part of the Miramichi River system, New Brunswick, Canada) with the following specific objectives: (1) to compare between stream microclimate and remote meteorological conditions, (2) to compare measured long‐wave radiation data with those calculated from an analytical model, and (3), to calculate the corresponding river heat fluxes. The most salient findings of this study are (1) solar radiation and wind speed are parameters that are highly site specific within the river environment and play an important role in the estimation of river heat fluxes; (2) the incoming, outgoing, and net long‐wave radiation within the stream environment (under the forest canopy) can be effectively calculated using empirical formula; (3) at the study site more than 80% of the incoming long‐wave radiation was coming from the forest; (4) total energy gains were dominated by solar radiation flux (for all the study periods) followed by the net long‐wave radiation (during some periods) whereas energy losses were coming from both the net long‐wave radiation and evaporation. Conductive heat fluxes have a minor contribution from the overall heat budget (<3·5%); (5) the reflected short‐wave radiation at the water surface was calculated on average as 3·2%, which is consistent with literature values. Results of this study contribute towards a better understanding of river heat fluxes and water temperature models as well as for more effective aquatic resources and fisheries management. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Experimental study on N_2O and CH_4 fluxes from the dark coniferous forest zone soil of the Gongga Mountain, China

The increasing concentration of greenhouse gas in the atmosphere and their resultant climatic and environmental changes have been drawing much attention of the governments of various countries in recent years. The sphere of global influence and the comp…     

Modeling studies of the upper ocean response to a tropical cyclone

A coupled ocean and boundary layer flux numerical modeling system is used to study the upper ocean response to surface heat and momentum fluxes associated with a major hurricane, namely, Hurricane Dennis (July 2005) in the Gulf of Mexico. A suite of experiments is run using this modeling system, constructed by coupling a Navy Coastal Ocean Model simulation of the Gulf of Mexico to an atmospheric flux model. The modeling system is forced by wind fields produced from satellite scatterometer and atmospheric model wind data, and by numerical weather prediction air temperature data. The experiments are initialized from a data assimilative hindcast model run and then forced by surface fluxes with no assimilation for the time during which Hurricane Dennis impacted the region. Four experiments are run to aid in the analysis: one is forced by heat and momentum fluxes, one by only momentum fluxes, one by only heat fluxes, and one with no surface forcing. An equation describing the change in the upper ocean hurricane heat potential due to the storm is developed. Analysis of the model results show that surface heat fluxes are primarily responsible for widespread reduction (0.5°–1.5°C) of sea surface temperature over the inner West Florida Shelf 100–300 km away from the storm center. Momentum fluxes are responsible for stronger surface cooling (2°C) near the center of the storm. The upper ocean heat loss near the storm center of more than 200 MJ/m² is primarily due to the vertical flux of thermal energy between the surface layer and deep ocean. Heat loss to the atmosphere during the storm’s passage is approximately 100–150 MJ/m². The upper ocean cooling is enhanced where the preexisting mixed layer is shallow, e.g., within a cyclonic circulation feature, although the heat flux to the atmosphere in these locations is markedly reduced.     

Ecohydrological modelling with EcH2O‐iso to quantify forest and grassland effects on water partitioning and flux ages

We used the new process‐based, tracer‐aided ecohydrological model EcH₂O‐iso to assess the effects of vegetation cover on water balance partitioning and associated flux ages under temperate deciduous beech forest (F) and grassland (G) at an intensively monitored site in Northern Germany. Unique, multicriteria calibration, based on measured components of energy balance, hydrological function and biomass accumulation, resulted in good simulations reproducing measured soil surface temperatures, soil water content, transpiration, and biomass production. Model results showed the forest “used” more water than the grassland; of 620 mm average annual precipitation, losses were higher through interception (29% under F, 16% for G) and combined soil evaporation and transpiration (59% F, 47% G). Consequently, groundwater (GW) recharge was enhanced under grassland at 37% (~225 mm) of precipitation compared with 12% (~73 mm) for forest. The model tracked the ages of water in different storage compartments and associated fluxes. In shallow soil horizons, the average ages of soil water fluxes and evaporation were similar in both plots (~1.5 months), though transpiration and GW recharge were older under forest (~6 months compared with ~3 months for transpiration, and ~12 months compared with ~10 months for GW). Flux tracking using measured chloride data as a conservative tracer provided independent support for the modelling results, though highlighted effects of uncertainties in forest partitioning of evaporation and transpiration. By tracking storage—flux—age interactions under different land covers, EcH₂O‐iso could quantify the effects of vegetation on water partitioning and age distributions. Given the likelihood of drier, warmer summers, such models can help assess the implications of land use for water resource availability to inform debates over building landscape resilience to climate change. Better conceptualization of soil water mixing processes and improved calibration data on leaf area index and root distribution appear obvious respective modelling and data needs for improved simulations.     

Two-dimensional simulations of katabatic layers observed during the GIMEX experiment

The hydrostatic model SALSA is used to simulate a particular event observed during the Greenland Ice Margin EXperiment “GIMEX” (on July 12th, 1991). The time evolution of the large-scale flow was incorporated in the model through time dependent boundary conditions which were updated using the closest upwind sounding. A turbulent scheme for the stable boundary layer and an appropriate parametrization of the surface fluxes implemented in the same model, are used for this study. The simulation results are discussed and compared to the available observations. The computed turbulent fluxes are correctly estimated. The model predicts a mixing zone of about 1500 m high which is in good agreement with tundra site observations. Over the ice cap, the katabatic layer is correctly simulated by the model. Its height of 80–300 m is well estimated. The comparison between the simulation and observations taken at ice cap sites is reasonably valid. The ablation computed along the ice cap corresponds well to the values reconstructed of observations at sites 4 and 9. Finally, a sensibility study to a specified westward geostrophic wind (2 ms⁻¹) shows that the consideration of this latter improves the simulated tundra wind evolution.     

Sensitivity of model parameterizations for simulated latent heat flux at the snow surface for complex mountain sites

The snowcover energy balance is typically dominated by net radiation and sensible and latent heat fluxes. Validation of the two latter components is rare and often difficult to undertake at complex mountain sites. Latent heat flux, the focus of this paper, is the primary coupling mechanism between the snow surface and the atmosphere. It accounts for the critical exchange of mass (sublimation or condensation), along with the associated snowcover energy loss or gain. Measured and modelled latent heat fluxes at a wind‐exposed and wind‐sheltered site were compared to evaluate variability in model parameters. A well‐tested and well‐validated snowcover energy balance model, Snobal, was selected for this comparison because of previously successful applications of the model at these sites and because of the adjustability of the parameters specific to latent heat transfer within the model. Simulated latent heat flux and snow water equivalent (SWE) were not sensitive to different formulations of the stability profile functions associated with heat transfer calculations. The model parameters of snow surface roughness length and active snow layer thickness were used to improve latent heat flux simulations while retaining accuracy in the simulation of the SWE at an exposed and sheltered study site. Optimal parameters for simulated latent heat flux and SWE were found at the exposed site with a shorter roughness length and thicker active layer, and at the sheltered site with a longer roughness length and thinner active layer. These findings were linked to physical characteristics of the study sites and will allow for adoption into other snow models that use similar parameters. Physical characteristics of wind exposure and cover could also be used to distribute critical parameters in a spatially distributed modelling domain and aid in parameter selection for application to other watersheds where detailed information is not available. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

High-frequency monitoring of the occurrence of preferential flow on hillslopes and its relationship with rainfall features,soil moisture and landscape

ABSTRACT

High-frequency monitoring was conducted to quantify the frequency and controlling factors of preferential flow (PF) in a monsoon-influenced sub-humid mountainous catchment (6.48 km²) of Northern China. Rainfall was measured using nine bucket raingauges. Soil moisture probes were set up at 12 sites to observe the PF. Overall, 129 rainfall events were identified during the years 2014–2016. The average PF occurrence was 41%, which increased to 71% during heavy rainfall events (>20 mm) revealing a strong influence of the amount and intensity of rainfall. The study also revealed that the PF increased with antecedent soil moisture. Soil moisture was much higher on flat sites compared to sloping sites, providing evidence that the topography has a strong influence on rainfall infiltration and runoff which, subsequently, influence soil moisture variation and the occurrence of PF. Our findings provide valuable insights into the hydrological processes for studies in regions with similar environmental conditions.     

Evaluation of a wind erosion model in a desert area of northern Asia by eddy covariance

For the first time, vertical fluxes of mineral dust measured by Eddy Covariance in two desert sites of Northern Asia have been used to test the performances of a wind erosion model in the field. Soil parameters required by the model were obtained through field and laboratory determinations. Model predictions and direct measurements have been compared. The main finding was that the direction of the horizontal wind relative to the orientation of nebkhas played a crucial role in determining the emission of particles in one of the investigated sites. Being unable to simulate such interaction, the model generally overestimated the actual emission. It provided, instead, reliable predictions (r² = 0·87) when the wind direction was suitable in detaching loose erodible elements placed on nebkhas thanks to their normal orientation. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Estimating fog deposition at a Puerto Rican elfin cloud forest site: comparison of the water budget and eddy covariance methods

The deposition of fog to a wind‐exposed 3 m tall Puerto Rican cloud forest at 1010 m elevation was studied using the water budget and eddy covariance methods. Fog deposition was calculated from the water budget as throughfall plus stemflow plus interception loss minus rainfall corrected for wind‐induced loss and effect of slope. The eddy covariance method was used to calculate the turbulent liquid cloud water flux from instantaneous turbulent deviations of the surface‐normal wind component and cloud liquid water content as measured at 4 m above the forest canopy. Fog deposition rates according to the water budget under rain‐free conditions (0·11 ± 0·05 mm h^?1) and rainy conditions (0·24 ± 0·13 mm h^?1) were about three to six times the eddy‐covariance‐based estimate (0·04 ± 0·002 mm h^?1). Under rain‐free conditions, water‐budget‐based fog deposition rates were positively correlated with horizontal fluxes of liquid cloud water (as calculated from wind speed and liquid water content data). Under rainy conditions, the correlation became very poor, presumably because of errors in the corrected rainfall amounts and very high spatial variability in throughfall. It was demonstrated that the turbulent liquid cloud water fluxes as measured at 4 m above the forest could be only ～40% of the fluxes at the canopy level itself due to condensation of moisture in air moving upslope. Other factors, which may have contributed to the discrepancy in results obtained with the two methods, were related to effects of footprint mismatch and methodological problems with rainfall measurements under the prevailing windy conditions. Best estimates of annual fog deposition amounted to ～770 mm year^?1 for the summit cloud forest just below the ridge top (according to the water budget method) and ～785 mm year^?1 for the cloud forest on the lower windward slope (using the eddy‐covariance‐based deposition rate corrected for estimated vertical flux divergence). Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Analysis of Weak Wind Stable Conditions from the Observations of the Land Surface Processes Experiment at Anand in India

The observations in weak wind stable conditions are scarce. The present study examines the observations from the Land Surface Processes Experiment (LASPEX) conducted at Anand, (Gujarat, India) during the year 1997–1998 to study the characteristics of surface layer under weak wind stable conditions. The observed surface fluxes are compared with those computed using Monin-Obukhov (M-O) similarity theory. The upper air observations and regional climatology are used to justify the persistence of weak wind conditions at Anand. The frequency of occurrence of weak wind stable conditions is observed to be around 67%. In 86% of the cases under weak wind conditions, bulk Richardson number (R_iB) is found to be larger than 0.2. The magnitude of surface fluxes computed from M-O similarity theory is shown to be smaller in comparison to those based on the observations in weak wind stable conditions. Surface fluxes computed using the empirical relations for the eddy diffusivities and drag and heat exchange coefficients are found to be comparable with those based on M-O similarity theory however these fluxes are under-predicted in comparison to the observations. The traditional M-O similarity theory is not able to simulate the observed fluxes well in weak wind stable conditions at Anand.     

Exploring the interaction of surface roughness and slope gradient in controlling rates of soil loss from sloping farmland on the Loess Plateau of China

Surface roughness and slope gradient are two important factors influencing soil erosion. The objective of this study was to investigate the interaction of surface roughness and slope gradient in controlling soil loss from sloping farmland due to water erosion on the Loess Plateau, China. Following the surface features of sloping farmland in the plateau region, we manually prepared rough surfaces using four tillage practices (contour drilling, artificial digging, manual hoeing, and contour plowing), with a smooth surface as the control measure. Five slope gradients (3°, 5°, 10°, 15°, and 20°) and two rainfall intensities (60 and 90 mm/hr) were considered in the artificial rainfall simulation experiment. The results showed that the runoff volume and sediment yield increased with increasing slope gradient under the same tillage treatment. At gentle slope gradients (e.g., 3° and 5°), the increase in surface roughness prevented the runoff and sediment production, that is, the surface roughness reduced the positive effect of slope gradient on the runoff volume and sediment yield to a certain extent. At steep slope gradients, however, the enhancing effect of slope gradient on soil erosion gradually increased and surpassed the reduction effect of surface roughness. This study reveals the existence of a critical slope gradient that influences the interaction of surface roughness and slope gradient in controlling soil erosion on sloping farmland. If the slope gradient is equal to or less than the critical value, an increase in surface roughness would decrease soil erosion. Otherwise, the increase in surface roughness would be ineffective for preventing soil erosion. The critical slope gradient would be smaller under higher rainfall intensity. These findings are helpful for us to understand the process of soil erosion and relevant for supporting soil and water conservation in the Loess Plateau region of China.