Development and controlling factors of gullies and gully complexes,East Coast,New Zealand

Sequential aerial photographs of a small headwater catchment in the Waiapu basin, East Coast Region, North Island, New Zealand, were interpreted to measure and analyse temporal changes in active area of gullies and gully complexes for a longer time span (1939–2003) and with higher temporal resolution compared to previous studies. We focus on the conditions leading to the development of gullies and gully complexes under pasture and forest by using topographic thresholds (slope–area relationships) of catchments for the initiation of gullies and gully complexes. In addition, the influence of two different lithologies as well as the occurrence of major rainfall events was related to gully activity. Twenty gullies and four gully complexes (occupying 62·5 ha or 12·5 per cent of the catchment area) occurred in the study catchment between 1939 and 2003. However, the majority of these were not active at all of the dates studied. Gullies developed in the sandstone‐dominated Tapuwaeroa Formation tended to attain their maximum size by 1957 with a mean catchment area of 2·1 ha. Gullies developed in mudstone of the Whangai Formation attained their maximum size in 1939 with a mean catchment area of 4·31 ha. Exceptions are gullies which developed into mass movement deposits or into an earth flow deposit as well as gullies developed under indigenous forest. Topographic threshold values for gullies under pasture and indigenous forest show that values for gullies under forest plot far above the threshold line of gullies under pasture, indicating that the topographical threshold for gully development under forest is higher compared to under pasture. A threshold value of 9·4 ha in catchment area is needed for the development of gully complexes under pasture, all located in the Whangai Formation and with the same orientation as the strike of the mudstones. Gully‐complex area and dominance of mass‐movement erosion increased with larger catchment area. A decreasing distance to the threshold line for gullies under pasture indicates a later development for gully complexes. No gully complexes developed under indigenous forest, indicating that the threshold value for gully‐complex development is higher than for gully complexes under pasture and was not reached in the study area. A model of shifting topographical threshold for gully development for a given catchment is developed which depends on land use. When a catchment has an indigenous forest cover the topographical threshold is very high. After conversion to pasture, threshold values decrease drastically. With the invasion of scrub, the threshold slowly increases and returns to a similar level to that under indigenous forest after reforestation. Development of gullies and gully complexes is a highly dynamic phenomenon, and phases of expansion and inactivity indicate that models describing only unidirectional advancing stages without periods of inactivity are not suitable. Therefore, this study adds more phases to models of gully and gully‐complex development in the East Coast Region. The threshold line for gully initiation under pasture and a value of 9·4 ha in catchment area for gully‐complex initiation permits one to predict which catchments, under similar environmental settings, develop gullies and gully complexes on a physical basis. This enables land managers to implement sustainable land‐use strategies to reduce erosion rates of gullies and gully complexes. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

水库泥沙与防治

水库的修建及伴随而来的泥沙淤积与环境问题是当今世界上水资源开发利用中最关心的问题。本文根据国内外有关水库泥沙问题的文献资料,概述了国内外水库建设的发展情况,指出了水库泥沙淤积的严重性及其对水利工程和周围环境的影响,并介绍了各种类型水库的防淤、减淤及泥沙处理的方法和经验,可作为研究水库泥沙问题以及防治对策的参考。     

Rehabilitation effects on gully sediment yields and vegetation in a savanna rangeland

Gully rehabilitation can contribute to catchment management by stabilizing erosion and reducing downstream sediment yields, yet the globally observed responses are variable. Developing the technical basis for gully rehabilitation and establishing guidelines for application requires studies that evaluate individual rehabilitation measures in specific environments. An eight-year field experiment was undertaken to evaluate sediment yield and vegetation responses to several gully rehabilitation measures. The rehabilitation measures aimed to reduce surface runoff into gully head cuts, trap sediment on gully floors and increase vegetation cover on gully walls and floors. The study occurred in a savanna rangeland in northeast Australia. Two gullies were subject to treatments while four gullies were monitored as untreated controls. A runoff diversion structure reduced headcut erosion from 4.3 to 1.2 m² yr⁻¹. Small porous check dams and cattle exclusion reduced gully total sediment yields by more than 80%, equivalent to a reduction of 0.3 to 2.4 t ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹, but only at catchment areas less than 10 ha. Fine sediment yields (silt and clay) were reduced by 7 and 19% from the two treated gullies, respectively. The porous check dam deposits contained a lower percentage of the fine fraction than the parent soil. Significant regeneration of gully floor vegetation occurred, associated with trapping of organic litter and fine sediment. Increases in vegetation cover and biomass were comprised of native perennial grasses, trees and shrubs. In variable climates, long-term gully rehabilitation will progress during wetter periods, and regress during droughts. Understanding linkages between rehabilitation measures, their hydrologic, hydraulic and vegetation effects and gully sediment yields is important to defining the conditions for their success.     

Suspended sediment transport regime in a debris‐flow gully on Vancouver Island,British Columbia

In debris‐flow‐prone channels, normal fluvial sediment transport occurs (nearly exclusively in suspended mode) between episodic debris‐flow events. Observations of suspended sediment transport through a winter season in a steepland gully in logged terrain revealed two event types. When flows exceeded a threshold of 270 l s⁻¹, events yielded significant quantities of sediment and suspended sediment concentration increased with flow. Smaller events were strongly ‘supply limited’; sediment concentration decreased as flow increased. Overall, there is no consistent correlation between runoff and sediment yield. Within the season, three subseasons were identified (demarcated by periods of freezing weather) within which a pattern of fine sediment replenishment and evacuation occurred. Finally, a signature of fine sediment mobilization and exhaustion was observed within individual events. Fine sediment transport occurred in discrete pulses within storm periods, most of the yield occurring within 5 to 15% of storm runoff duration, so that it is unlikely that scheduled sampling programs would identify significant transport. Significant events are, however, generally forecastable on the basis of regional heavy rainfall warnings, providing a basis for targeted observations. Radiative snowmelt events and rain‐on‐snow remain difficult to forecast, since the projection of temperatures from the nearest regular weather station yields variable results. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Grazing impacts on gully dynamics indicate approaches for gully erosion control in northeast Australia

Drainage network extension in semi‐arid rangelands has contributed to a large increase in the amount of fine sediment delivered to the coastal lagoon of the Great Barrier Reef, but gully erosion rates and dynamics are poorly understood. This study monitored annual erosion, deposition and vegetation cover in six gullies for 13 years, in granite‐derived soils of the tropical Burdekin River basin. We also monitored a further 11 gullies in three nearby catchments for 4 years to investigate the effects of grazing intensity. Under livestock grazing, the long‐term fine sediment yield from the planform area of gullies was 6.1 t ha^‐1 yr^‐1. This was 7.3 times the catchment sediment yield, indicating that gullies were erosion hotspots within the catchment. It was estimated that gully erosion supplied between 29 and 44% of catchment sediment yield from 4.5% of catchment area, of which 85% was derived from gully wall erosion. Under long‐term livestock exclusion gully sediment yields were 77% lower than those of grazed gullies due to smaller gully extent, and lower erosion rates especially on gully walls. Gully wall erosion will continue to be a major landscape sediment source that is sensitive to grazing pressure, long after gully length and depth have stabilised. Wall erosion was generally lower at higher levels of wall vegetation cover, suggesting that yield could be reduced by increasing cover. Annual variations in gully head erosion and net sediment yield were strongly dependent on annual rainfall and runoff, suggesting that sediment yield would also be reduced if surface runoff could be reduced. Deposition occurred in the downstream valley segments of most gullies. This study concludes that reducing livestock grazing pressure within and around gullies in hillslope drainage lines is a primary method of gully erosion control, which could deliver substantial reductions in sediment yield. Copyright © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Measurements of rill and gully erosion in Sicily

This article reports the results of a field investigation aimed to characterize the morphology of both rills monitored at Sparacia experimental area and two ephemeral gullies (EGs) located in the Tremamargi basin, Sicily, Italy. At first, the available literature data together with the measurements carried out in this investigation were used to show that the EG length is a key parameter for the estimation of the eroded volume. Then, the comparison among the pairs length and volume corresponding to measured rills, EGs and gullies showed that the exponent of the power relationship is independent of the channelized erosion type (rill, EG and gully), while a different scale factor has to be used for each erosion process. Finally, a single relationship applicable to all channelized erosion processes was deduced applying the dimensional analysis and the self‐similarity theory. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Factors and processes of permanent gully evolution in a Mediterranean marly environment (Cape Bon,Tunisia)

Abstract

Gully erosion is considered to be one of the most important soil erosion processes in Mediterranean marly environments, but its actual contribution to total soil loss is still under discussion. The objectives of this paper are: (a) to acquire the distributed value of erosion rate in a permanent gully developed on a marly substratum in a Mediterranean environment; and (b) to quantify the key factors responsible for the spatial and temporal differences in erosion rates observed within the gully. A permanent gully located in Cap Bon (northeastern Tunisia) has been intensively and regularly monitored over a 7-year period with electronic survey equipment (total station) to give five field topographic surveys, as well as hydrological measurements at the gully outlet. The net soil loss for the 7-year period comprised a denudation of 51 m³ of sediment on the gully bank slopes, which corresponds to a mean soil loss of 61 m³ ha^?1 year^?1 or 6.1 mm year^?1. Denudation was observed on bed units with a slope gradient greater than 20%, while the remainder showed deposition. By confirming the factors involved in gully evolution, and by refining the statistical link between factors and erosion rates within the gully, the results provide important information to predict gully erosion rates in Mediterranean marly environments.

Editor Z.W. Kundzewicz; Associate editor G. Mahé

Citation El Khalili, A., Raclot, D., Habaieb, H., and Lamachère, J.M., 2013. Factors and processes of permanent gully evolution in a Mediterranean marly environment (Cape Bon, Tunisia). Hydrological Sciences Journal, 58 (7), 1519–1531.     

Intersecting views of gully erosion in South Africa

Gully erosion is an environmental problem recognized as one of the worst land degradation processes worldwide. Insight into regional gully perturbations is required to combat the serious on- and off-site impacts of gullying on a catchment management scale. In response, we intersect different perspectives on gully erosion-specific views in South Africa (SA), a country that exhibits various physiographic properties and spans 1.22 million km². While the debate surrounding gully origin continues, there is consensus that anthropogenic activities are a major contemporary driver. The anthropogenic impact caused gullying to transcend climatic, geomorphic, and land-use boundaries, although it becomes more prominent in central to eastern SA. Soil erodibility plays a crucial role in what extent of gully erosion severity is attained from human impact, contributing to the east–west imbalance of erosion in SA. Soil erosion rates from gullying and badlands are limited but suggest that it ranges between 30 and 123 t ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹ in the more prominent areas. These soil loss rates are comparable to global rates where gullying is concerned; moreover, they are up to four orders of magnitude higher than the estimated baseline erosion rate. On a national scale, the complexity of gullying is evident from the different temporal timings of (re)activation or stabilizing and different evolution rates. Continued efforts are required to understand the intricate interplay of human activities, climate, and preconditions determining soil erodibility. In SA, more medium- to long-term studies are required to understand better how changing control factors affect gully evolution. More research is needed to implement and appraise mitigation measures, especially using indigenous knowledge. Establishing (semi)-automated mapping procedures would aid in gully monitoring and assessing the effectiveness of implemented mitigation measures. More urgently, the expected changes in climate and land-use necessitate further research on how environmental change affects short-term gully erosion dynamics.     

Gully-head morphology and implications for gully development on abandoned fields in a semi-arid environment,Sierra de Gata,southeast Spain

In this paper we examine whether gully-head morphology can be used as an indicator for gully development and, hence, for sediment production. A survey was conducted at five hillslopes in the Sierra de Gata where different types of channel heads occur close to each other. The survey included measurements of morphologic and pedologic properties, ground surface, channel and catchment characteristics of every gully head present (n = 59). On the basis of the observed morphologies, the heads were subdivided into four types: gradual, transitional (a short inclined section), abrupt and rilled-abrupt. The analyses showed that it is possible to explain the differences of gully heads and the role of some environmental factors on the basis of their morphologies, at least for the gradual and the abrupt types. The results suggested that steep headcuts (abrupt) were formed from secondary headcuts in the channel, which migrated upstream. The abrupt headcuts were always formed in more than one soil layer of which one was a resistant (stony) layer. However, shear strength measurements (at saturation) showed that the top layer was not always the most resistant one. Width–depth relationships indicated that gradual type headcuts were controlled by fluvial processes and abrupt headcuts by a combination of fluvial and mass-wasting processes. Gradual types occurred more downslope than the abrupt types suggesting that the incisions started by fluvial processes and migrated upwards when knickpoints developed in the channel. The rilled-abrupt types are still actively retreating. Thus, the abrupt types correspond to slower retreat rates. Abrupt gully heads may deteriorate into transitional types when plunge-pool erosion becomes less effective. The conceptual model is supported by data from ephemeral gullies in two other study areas (Sierra de la Torrecilla, Spain, and Alentejo, Portugal). Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Soil particle size distribution and induced soil carbon transport by ephemeral gully erosion in Mediterranean mountain arable land

In Mediterranean mountain agroecosystems, soil erosion associated with the development of ephemeral gullies is a common environmental problem that contributes to a loss of nutrient-rich topsoil. Little is known about the influence of ephemeral gully erosion on particle size distribution and its effect on soil organic (SOC) and inorganic (SIC) carbon among different sized soil particles in agricultural soils. In this study, laboratory tests were conducted using velocity settling tube experiments to examine the effects of erosion on sediment particle size distributions from an incised ephemeral gully, associated with an extreme event (235 mm). We also consider subsequent deposition on an alluvial fan in order to assess the distribution of SOC and SIC concentrations and dissolved carbon before and after the extreme event. Soil fractionation was carried out on topsoil samples (5 cm) collected along an ephemeral gully in a cultivated field, located in the lower part of a Mediterranean mountain catchment. The results of this study showed that the sediment transported downstream by runoff plays a key role in the particle size distribution and transportability of soil particles and associated carbon distribution in carbonate rich soils. The eroding sediment is enriched in clay and silt-sized particles at upslope positions with higher SOC contents and gradually becomes coarser and enriched in SIC at the end of the ephemeral gully because the finest particles are washed-out of the study field. The extreme event was associated with an accumulation of dissolved organic carbon at the distal part of the depositional fan. Assessment of soil particle distribution using settling velocity experiments provides basic information for a better understanding of soil carbon dynamics in carbonate rich soils. Processes of soil and carbon transport and relationships between soil properties, erodibility and aggregate stability can be helpful in the development of more accurate soil erosion models. © 2019 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. © 2019 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Assessment of gully erosion rates through interviews and measurements: a case study from northern Ethiopia

Gullying has been widespread in the Ethiopian Highlands during the 20th century. It threatens the soil resource, lowers crop yields in intergully areas through enhanced drainage and desiccation, and aggravates flooding and reservoir siltation. Knowing the age and rates of gully development during the last few decades will help explain the reasons for current land degradation. In the absence of historical written or photographic documentation, the AGERTIM method (Assessment of Gully Erosion Rates Through Interviews and Measurements) has been developed. It comprises measurements of contemporary gully volumes, monitoring of gully evolution over several years and semi‐structured interview techniques. Gully erosion rates in the Dogu'a Tembien District, Tigray, Ethiopia, were estimated in three representative case‐study areas. In Dingilet, gullying started around 1965 after gradual environmental changes (removal of vegetation from cropland in the catchment and eucalyptus plantation in the valley bottom); rill‐like incisions grew into a gully, which increased rapidly in the drier period between 1977 and 1990. The estimated evolution of the total gully volume in the other areas show patterns similar to those of the Dingilet gully. Average gully erosion rate over the last 50 years is 6·2 t ha^?1 a^?1. Since 1995, no new gullies have developed in the study area. Area‐specific short‐term gully erosion rates are now on average 1·1 t ha^?1 a^?1. The successful application of the AGERTIM method requires an understanding of the geomorphology of the study area and an integration of the researchers with the rural society. It reveals that rapid gully development in the study area is some 50 years old and is mainly caused by human‐induced environmental degradation. Under the present‐day conditions of ‘normal’ rain and catchment‐wide soil and water conservation, gully erosion rates are decreasing. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Gully cut‐and‐fill cycles as related to agro‐management: a historical curve number simulation in the Tigray Highlands

Gully cut‐and‐fill dynamics are often thought to be driven by climate and/or deforestation related to population pressure. However, in this case‐study of nine representative catchments in the Northern Ethiopian Highlands, we find that neither climate changes nor deforestation can explain gully morphology changes over the twentieth century. Firstly, by using a Monte Carlo simulation to estimate historical catchment‐wide curve numbers, we show that the landscape was already heavily degraded in the nineteenth and early twentieth century – a period with low population density. The mean catchment‐wide curve number (> 80) one century ago was, under the regional climatic conditions, already resulting in considerable simulated historical runoff responses. Secondly, twentieth century land‐cover and runoff coefficient changes were confronted with twentieth century changing gully morphologies. As the results show, large‐scale land‐cover changes and deforestation cannot explain the observed processes. The study therefore invokes interactions between authigenic factors, small‐scale plot boundary changes, cropland management and sociopolitical forces to explain the gully cut processes. Finally, semi‐structured interviews and sedistratigraphic analysis of three filled gullies confirm the dominant impact of (crop)land management (tillage, check dams in gullies and channel diversions) on gully cut‐and‐fill processes. Since agricultural land management – including land tenure and land distribution – has been commonly neglected in earlier related research, we argue therefore that it can be a very strong driver of twentieth century gully morphodynamics. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Gully catchments as a sediment sink,not just a source: Results from a long‐term (~12 500 year) sediment budget

Sediment delivery from hillslopes to trunk streams represents a significant pathway of mass transfer in the landscape, with a large fraction facilitated by gully systems. The internal gully geomorphic dynamics represent a considerable gap in many landscape and empirical erosion models, therefore a better understanding of these processes over longer timescales (10–10⁴ years) is needed. This study analyses the sediment mass balance and storage dynamics within a headwater gully catchment in central Europe over the last ~12 500 years. Human induced erosion resulted in hillslope erosion rates ~2.3 times higher than under naturally de‐vegetated conditions (during the Younger Dryas), however the total sediment inputs to the gully system (and therefore gully aggradation), were similar. Net gully storage has consistently increased to become the second largest term in the sediment budget after hillslope erosion (storage is ~45% and ~73% of inputs during two separate erosion and aggradation cycles). In terms of the depletion of gully sediment storage, the sediment mass balance shows that export beyond the gully fan was not significant until the last ~500 years, due to reduced gully fan accommodation space. The significance of storage effects on the gully sediment mass balance, particularly the export terms, means that it would be difficult to determine the influences of human impact and/or climatic changes from floodplain or lake sedimentary archives alone and that the sediment budgets of the headwater catchments from which they drain are more likely to provide these mechanistic links. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Threshold criterion for debris flow initiation in seasonal gullies

A series of flume experiments were done to investigate the effect of grain composition on the critical gradient and discharge of debris flows initiated in seasonal gullies. The results indicated that the critical gradient and discharge for debris flow initiation decrease initially, and then increase as the mass content of fine particles (<2 mm) increases. As the mass content of fine particles increases, the angle of repose, permeability of widely graded gravel soils, and the incipient motion conditions of the coarse grains in non-uniform sediments decrease at first, and then increase. The mass content of fine particles of all inflection points is the same. The theoretical model based on the combination of hydrodynamic force and shear stress is more applicable to the prediction of the critical gradient for debris flow initiation. The critical discharge model considering the effect of non-homogeneity of the soil and the size of coarse and fine grains provides a more accurate prediction of debris flow initiation than other models based on the mean diameter.     

Short‐term versus medium‐term monitoring for detecting gully‐erosion variability in a Mediterranean environment

This study investigates how medium‐term gully‐development data differ from short‐term data, and which factors influence their spatial and temporal variability at nine selected actively retreating bank gullies situated in four Spanish basin landscapes. Small‐format aerial photographs using unmanned, remote‐controlled platforms were taken at the gully sites in short‐term intervals of one to two years over medium‐term periods of seven to 13 years and gully change during each period was determined using stereophotogrammetry and a geographic information system. Results show a high variability of annual gully retreat rates both between gullies and between observation periods. The mean linear headcut retreat rates range between 0·02 and 0·26 m a^–1. Gully area loss was between 0·8 and 22 m² a^–1 and gully volume loss between 0·5 to 100 m³ a^–1, of which sidewall erosion may play a considerable part. A non‐linear relationship between catchment area and medium‐term gully headcut volume change was found for these gullies. The short‐term changes observed at the individual gullies show very high variability: on average, the maximum headcut volume change observed in 7–13 years was 14·3 times larger than the minimum change. Dependency on precipitation varies but is clearly higher for headcuts than sidewalls, especially in smaller and less disturbed catchments. The varying influences of land use and human activities with their positive or negative effects on runoff production and connectivity play a dominant role in these study areas, both for short‐term variability and medium‐term difference in gully development. The study proves the value of capturing spatially continuous, high‐resolution three‐dimensional data using small‐format aerial photography for detailed gully monitoring. Results confirm that short‐term data are not representative of longer‐term gully development and demonstrate the necessity for medium‐ to long‐term monitoring. However, short‐term data are still required to understand the processes – particularly human activity at varying time scales – causing fluctuations in gully erosion rates. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Sediment production and yield from an alluvial gully in northern Queensland,Australia

Sediment production, transport and yield were quantified over various timescales in response to rainfall and runoff within an alluvial gully (7 · 8 ha), which erodes into dispersible sodic soils of a small floodplain catchment (33 ha) along the Mitchell River, northern Australia. Historical air photographs and recent global positioning system (GPS) surveys and LiDAR data documented linear increases in gully area and volume, indicating that sediment supply has been relatively consistent over the historic period. Daily time lapse photography of scarp retreat rates and internal erosion processes also demonstrated that erosion from rainfall and runoff consistently supplied fine washload (< 63 µm) sediment in addition to coarse lags of sand bed material. Empirical measurements of suspended sediment concentrations (10 000 to >100 000 mg/L) and sediment yields (89 to 363 t/ha/yr) were high for both Australian and world data. Total sediment yield estimated from empirical washload and theoretical bed material load was dominated by fine washload (< 63 µm). A lack of hysteresis in suspended sediment rating curves, scarp retreat and sediment yield correlated to rainfall input, and an equilibrium channel outlet slope supported the hypothesis that partially or fully transport‐limited conditions predominated along the alluvial gully outlet channel. This is in contrast to sediment supply‐limited conditions on uneroded floodplains above gully head scarps. While empirical data presented here can support future modelling efforts to predict suspended sediment concentration and yield under the transport limiting situations, additional field data will also be needed to better quantify sediment erosion and transport rates and processes in alluvial gullies at a variety of spatial and temporal scales. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Impacts of different vegetation restoration options on gully head soil resistance and soil erosion in loess tablelands

Vegetation restoration is identified as an effective approach to control soil erosion and affects soil detachment and resistance to concentrated flow on the Loess Plateau. However, the effects of vegetation restoration at gully heads in loess-tableland remains unclear. This study was performed to investigate the effects of nine vegetation restoration types at gully heads on soil detachment rate (Dr) and soil resistance to concentrated flow (i.e. soil erodibility, K_r and critical shear stress, τ_c). Undisturbed soil samples were collected from nine vegetation-restored lands and one slope cropland (as the control) and were subjected to a hydraulic flume to obtain Dr values of gully heads under six inflow discharges (0.5–3.5 L s^-1). The results showed that the Dr values of nine revegetated gully heads were 77.11% to 95.81% less than that of slope cropland, and the grassland dominated by Cleistogenes caespitosa and the shrubland dominated by Hippophae rhamnoides had a relatively greater decrease in Dr than those of other seven restoration types. The Dr value of nine revegetated gully heads could be better simulated by stream power than by flow velocity and shear stress and was also significantly affected by soil disintegration rate (positively), soil bulk density, saturated hydraulic conductivity, organic matter content, and water-stable aggregate stability (negatively). Additionally, roots with diameters of 0 to 0.5 mm showed a greater effect on Dr than those with larger diameters. Compared to cropland, the nine restored types reduced K_r by 76.26% to 94.26% and improved τ_c by 1.51 to 4.68 times. The decrease in K_r and the increase in τ_c were significantly affected by organic matter content, water-stable aggregate, mean weight diameter of aggregate and root mass density. The combination of grass species (Cleistogenes caespitosa) and shrub (Hippophae rhamnoides) could be considered the best vegetation restoration types for improving soil resistance of gully heads to concentrated flow. © 2019 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Gully morphological characteristics in the loess hilly‐gully region based on 3D laser scanning technique

Gully morphology characteristics can be used effectively to describe the status of gully development. The Chabagou watershed, located in the hilly‐gully region of the Loess Plateau in China, was selected to investigate gully morphological characteristics using a 3D laser scanning technique (LIDAR). Thirty‐one representative gullies located at different watershed locations and gully orders were chosen to quantitatively describe gully morphology and establish empirical equations for estimating gully volume based on gully length and gully surface area. Images and point cloud data for the 31 gullies were collected, and digital elevation models (DEMs) with 10‐cm resolution were generated. ArcGIS 10.1 was then used to extract fundamental gully morphological parameters covering gully length (L), gully width (W_T) and gully depth (D), and some derivative morphological parameters, including gully head curvature (C), gully width–depth ratio (w/d), gully bottom‐to‐top width ratio (W_B/W_T), gully surface area (A_g) and gully volume (V_g). The results indicated that gullies in the upper watershed and the second order were more developed based on their high values of gully head curvature. The potential for gully development increased from the second order to the fourth order. Within the same gully orders, gullies in the lower watershed were more active with more development potential. A method for differentiating between gully head and gully sidewalls based on the gully head curvature value was proposed with a mean relative error of 8.77%. U‐shaped cross‐sections were widely distributed in the upper watershed and upper positions of a gully, while V‐shaped cross‐sections were widely distributed in the lower watershed and lower positions of a gully. V–L and V–A_g empirical equations with acceptable accuracy were established and can be used to estimate gully erosion in the Loess hilly‐gully region. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.