Thresholds of geographic environmental elements in sediment yield of drainage basins

Threshold of environmental elements in drainage basin sediment yield refers to, under effect of climate, underlying surface and human activity, a turning point of abrupt changes in drainage sediment yield related to environmental element characteristics. Previous studies on threshold of sediment yield of relevant drainage basins were mainly concentrated on impact of natural zones with a few researches on impact of other environmental elements. Particularly studies on compound environmental element threshold in drainage basin sediment yield remain blank today. Studies indicate that sediment yield in drainage basins is affected by compound interactions and complex actions. Based on single element analysis, the present paper gives quantitatively compound threshold of environmental elements affecting sediment yield of the drainage basin between Hekouzhen and Tongguan in the middle Yellow River by the method of multi-variant, polynomial formula regression analysis.     

On the coupled geomorphological and ecohydrological organization of river basins

This paper examines the linkage between the drainage network and the patterns of soil water balance components determined by the organization of vegetation, soils and climate in a semiarid river basin. Research during the last 10 years has conclusively shown an increasing degree of organization and unifying principles behind the structure of the drainage network and the three-dimensional geometry of river basins. This cohesion exists despite the infinite variety of shapes and forms one observes in natural watersheds. What has been relatively unexplored in a quantitative and general manner is the question of whether or not the interaction of vegetation, soils, and climate also display a similar set of unifying characteristics among the very different patterns they presents in river basins. A recently formulated framework for the water balance at the daily level links the observed patterns of basin organization to the soil moisture dynamics. Using available geospatial data, we assign soil, climate, and vegetation properties across the basin and analyze the probabilistic characteristics of steady-state soil moisture distribution. We investigate the presence of organization through the analysis of the spatial patterns of the steady-state soil moisture distribution, as well as in the distribution of observed vegetation patterns, simulated vegetation dynamic water stress and hydrological fluxes such as transpiration. Here we show that the drainage network acts as a template for the organization of both vegetation and hydrological patterns, which exhibit self-affine characteristics in their distribution across the river basin. Our analyses suggest the existence of a balance between the large-scale determinants of vegetation pattern reflecting optimality in the response to water stress and the random small-scale patterns that arise from local factors and ecological legacies such as those caused by dispersal, disturbance, and founder effects.     

Monitoring and modelling of hydrological processes in the semiarid region of Brazil: The Cariri experimental basins

Catchments have highly variable yields of runoff and soil erosion. The size, land use and the surface cover play a significant role and influence the catchment response and parameter values of simulation models. Two experimental basins—the Cariri basins—were equipped in a semi-arid region of Brazil, for obtaining runoff and sediment yield at different catchment scales, as well as, to evaluate the influence of the land use and surface cover. In the first basin, located in the municipality of Sumé, the field studies were carried out at two different scales: four micro-catchments with an area of around 0.5 ha and nine standard Wischmeier-type erosion plots of 100 m². The experimental units had varied vegetation and management. They were subjected only to natural rainfall events, and were monitored from 1982 to 1991. The total runoff and total sediment yield were determined for each of the events. The installations in the second basin, in the municipality of São João do Cariri, from 1999, include two erosion plots, three micro-catchments, and two sub-catchments of a small basin. These basins are still being monitored for runoff and sediment production. Among the micro-catchments two are nested to detect any scale effect at the micro-catchment level. Nearly 600 events of precipitation, that produced runoff in at least one of the experimental units, have been registered. These data have been used to evaluate the influence of various factors, including cultivation practices and to calibrate hydrological models for plots and micro-catchments. Parameters have been tested by means of cross validations among micro-catchments and sub-catchments. The data sets are made available to all the catchment hydrology researchers and others at https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.4690886 .     

A study of scale effect on specific sediment yield in the Loess Plateau,China

Based on data from 148 hydrometric stations in the Yellow River Basin, an analysis of regional scale relationship, or the relationship between specific sediment yield and drainage basin area, has been undertaken in the study area of the Loess Plateau. For different regions, scale relationship in log-log ordinate can be fitted by two types of lines: straight and parabola, and for each line, a function was fitted using regression analysis. The different scale relationships have been explained in terms of the difference in surface material distribution and landforms. To offset the scale-induced influence, calcu-lation has been done based on the fitted functions, in order to adjust the data of specific sediment yield to a common standard area. Based on the scaled data, a map of specific sediment yield was con-structed using Kriging interpolation. For comparison, a map based on the un-scaled data of specific sediment yield was also constructed using the same method. The two maps show that the basic pattern of specific sediment yield was basically the same. The severely eroded areas (Ys >10000 t km-2a-1) were at the same locations from Hekouzhen to Longmen in the middle Yellow River Basin. However, after the adjustment to a common standard area, the very severely eroded area (Ys >20000 t km-2a-1) became much enlarged because after the adjustment, all the values of Ys in the lower river basin in those regions became much larger than before.     

GEOMORPHIC FEATURES OF THE SHULE RIVER DRAINAGE BASIN IN QILIANSHAN AND ITS INSIGHT INTO TECTONIC IMPLICATIONS

Because of the strong uplift of the Qilian Shan since late Cenozoic,the drainage basins that are derived from the mountains have undergone strong tectonic deformation.So the typical geomorphology characteristics of these drainage basins may indicate the strong tectonic movement in the region.For example,the Shule River drainage basin,which originates from the western part of the Qilian Shan owns unique geomorphology characteristics which may indicate the neotectonic movement. Stream networks of the Shule drainage basin extracted from the DEM data based on GIS spatial analysis technology are graded into five levels using Strahler classification method.Four sub-catchments,numbered 1,2,3 and 4 are chosen for detailed analysis.Furthermore,the four sub-catchments,the hypsometric integral curves,Hack profiles,SL index and average slope of the Shule drainage basin are determined by GIS tools.In addition,we analyzed the slope spectrum of the Shule drainage basin. The average elevation of the Shule drainage basin is very high,however,the slope of the drainage basin is very low,the gentle slope occupies so large area proportion that the slope spectrum shows a unimodal pattern and a peak value is in low slope region (0°~5°),so tectonic movement has a strong influence on the drainage basin.Under the intensive impact of the tectonic movement of the active fault and regional uplift,the hypsometric integral curve is sigmoid,revealing that the Shule drainage basin is in the mature stage.The Hack profile is on a convex,the longitudinal profile is best fitted by linear fitting and the abnormal data of the SL index of the Shule River has a good fit with the section through which the active fault traverses,that means the tectonic movement of the active fault has strong influence on the river's SL index.It is worth noting that lithologic factors also have great impact on the river geomorphology in some sections. According to the above analysis,we recognize that in the interior of active orogen,the evolution of river geomorphology usually is influenced by tectonic movement and reveals the regional neotectonics in turn.     

Modelling particle residence times in agricultural river basins using a sediment budget model and fallout radionuclide tracers

Contemporary patterns in river basin sediment dynamics have been widely investigated but the timescales associated with current sediment delivery processes have received much less attention. Furthermore, no studies have quantified the effect of recent land use change on the residence or travel times of sediment transported through river basins. Such information is crucial for understanding contemporary river basin function and responses to natural and anthropogenic disturbances or management interventions. To address this need, we adopt a process‐based modelling approach to quantify changes in spatial patterns and residence times of suspended sediment in response to recent agricultural land cover change. The sediment budget model SedNet was coupled with a mass balance model of particle residence times based on atmospheric and fluvial fluxes of three fallout radionuclide tracers (⁷Be, excess ²¹⁰Pb and ¹³⁷Cs). Mean annual fluxes of suspended sediment were simulated in seven river basins (38–920 km²) in south‐west England for three land cover surveys (1990, 2000 and 2007). Suspended sediment flux increased across the basins from 0.5–15 to 1.4–37 kt y^‐1 in response to increasing arable land area between consecutive surveys. The residence time model divided basins into slow (upper surface soil) and rapid (river channel and connected hillslope sediment source area) transport compartments. Estimated theoretical residence times in the slow compartment decreased from 13–48 to 5.6–14 ky with the increase in basin sediment exports. In contrast, the short residence times for the rapid compartment increased from 185–256 to 260–368 d as the modelled connected source area expanded with increasing sediment supply from more arable land. The increase in sediment residence time was considered to correspond to longer sediment travel distances linked to larger connected source areas. This novel coupled modelling approach provides unique insight into river basin responses to recent environmental change not otherwise available from conventional measurement techniques. © 2014 The Authors. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.     

Influence of agricultural development and climate changes on the drainage valley density of the southern half of the Russian Plain

The southern half of the Russian Plain is characterized by a relatively short history of intensively ploughed lands.The duration varies from approximately three centuries in the southern part of the forest zone to less than one century in some parts of the steppe zone.It was found that after cultivation,on more than 40％ of lands in river basins the drainage valley density (Ddv) decreased by 15-58％ in all landscape zones.In the first stage,the Ddv decrease was mostly associated with increasing surface runoff coefficient after cultivation of virgin lands with proportional decreases in groundwater runoff.In the second stage,usually after reaching areas of arable lands in river basins ＞ 60％,the volume of eroded sediments entering small fiver channels exceeded the transport capacities of the permanent water-courses.As a result,the river channels completely silted.In later stages,the sediment redistribution cascade within the small river basins of the Russian Plain stabilized because of the increasing proportion of sediment eroded from the basin areas and re-deposited before entering the river channels because of the increasing area of sediment sinks due to the increase in dry valley lengths and total areas.The morphological parameters of small valleys and groundwater discharges are the key parameters that affect the intensity of small river aggradation on the regional scale.     

Model study of the relationship between sediment yield and river basin area

The SHETRAN physically based, spatially distributed model is used to investigate the scaling relationship linking specific sediment yield to river basin area, for two contrasting topographies of upland and more homogeneous terrain and as a function of sediment source, land use and rainfall distribution. Modelling enables the effects of the controls to be examined on a systematic basis, while avoiding the difficulties associated with the use of field data (which include limited data, lack of measurements for nested basins and inability to isolate the effects of individual controls). Conventionally sediment yield is held to decrease as basin area increases, as the river network becomes more remote from the headwater sediment sources (an inverse relationship). However, recent studies have reported the opposite variation, depending on the river basin characteristics. The simulation results are consistent with these studies. If the sediment is supplied solely from hillslope erosion (no channel bank erosion) then, with uniform land use, sediment yield either decreases or is constant as area increases. The downstream decrease is accentuated if rainfall (and thence erosion) is higher in the headwaters than at lower elevations. Introducing a non‐uniform land use (e.g. forest at higher elevations, wheat at lower elevations) can reverse the trend, so that sediment yield increases downstream. If the sediment is supplied solely from bank erosion (no hillslope erosion), the sediment yield increases downstream for all conditions. The sediment yield/basin area relationship can thus be inverse or direct, depending on basin characteristics. There still remains, therefore, considerable scope for defining a universal scaling law for sediment yield. Copyright © 2006 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.     

Factors controlling sediment yield in China's Loess Plateau

The Loess Plateau in China, an area with some of the highest sediment yield in the world, contributes predominant proportion of the sediments found in the Yellow River. We examined sediment yield and its control variables in the plateau based on a multi‐year dataset from 180 gauging stations in areas varying in size from 10² to 10⁴ km². Various morphometric, hydrologic, climatic and land cover variables were estimated in order to understand and predict the variations in sediment yield. The results show a spatial pattern of sediment yield exhibiting an obvious zonal distribution and a coupling between precipitation and vegetation cover that fits the Langbein–Schumm law. A critical threshold of precipitation and vegetation cover was observed among the relationships of sediment yield and precipitation/vegetation cover. A multiple regression equation with three control variables, i.e. vegetation cover, percentage of cultivated loess and annual runoff, explains 65% of the total variation in sediment yield. For the loess dominated basins, where the cultivated loess accounts for more than 60% of the total area, annual runoff was the dominant variable, explaining 76% of the observed variation in sediment yield. The established equation could be a valuable tool for predicting total sediment yield in the Loess Plateau. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A methodological approach for estimating turbidity in a river

During the operations of purging and disposal of sediments of a reservoir it is necessary to know the values of turbidity in the river downstream in natural condition,in the absence of dams or river training works.The paper shows that under these conditions the ratio of the average values of sediment discharge to the annual maximum value of water discharge is a function of the average annual turbidity.Turbidity can be considered as representative synthetic index of the climatic conditions,the lithological features and the land cover of the basin,and the geometric characteristics of the river network.The proposed relationship of sediment discharge as a function of water discharge were validated on the basis of data collected from different Italian regions that have very different morphological,geo-lithological and rainfall features and that are characterised by a basin area changing between a few dozen and thousands of square kilometres.The results can be considered satisfying.     

Small river basin and estuarine sediment fluxes: The magnitude necessary for coastal dispersion and siltation effects on a coral reef

Increasing continental suspended sediment influx to coral reefs is an example of land-sea coupling that requires the identification of sources, magnitude of transport, and controlling processes. In Brazil, a small coastal basin (Macaé River) was identified as a source of suspended sediment to a coral reef on the coast of Cape Armação dos Búzios. Biannual suspended sediment loads were measured at the basin as were fluxes within the estuary and towards the coast during eight tidal cycles. Particle load and yield from this basin were typical of small coastal basins, showing high to moderate slopes and transitional land management. However, the magnitude of the river loads was lower than the sediment transport within the estuary, indicating that the estuary amplifies river fluxes and sustains the transference of suspended sediment alongshore to the coral reef. Nonetheless, the estuary displays both suspended particle retention and export capacity and, therefore, fluxes to the coast and the coral reef occur as episodic events.     

A physically based distributed subsurface–surface flow dynamics model for forested mountainous catchments

This study was designed to develop a physically based hydrological model to describe the hydrological processes within forested mountainous river basins. The model describes the relationships between hydrological fluxes and catchment characteristics that are influenced by topography and land cover. Hydrological processes representative of temperate basins in steep terrain that are incorporated in the model include intercepted rainfall, evaporation, transpiration, infiltration into macropores, partitioning between preferential flow and soil matrix flow, percolation, capillary rise, surface flow (saturation‐excess and return flow), subsurface flow (preferential subsurface flow and baseflow) and spatial water‐table dynamics. The soil–vegetation–atmosphere transfer scheme used was the single‐layer Penman–Monteith model, although a two‐layer model was also provided. The catchment characteristics include topography (elevation, topographic indices), slope and contributing area, where a digital elevation model provided flow direction on the steepest gradient flow path. The hydrological fluxes and catchment characteristics are modelled based on the variable source‐area concept, which defines the dynamics of the watershed response. Flow generated on land for each sub‐basin is routed to the river channel by a kinematic wave model. In the river channel, the combined flows from sub‐basins are routed by the Muskingum–Cunge model to the river outlet; these comprise inputs to the river downstream. The model was applied to the Hikimi river basin in Japan. Spatial decadal values of the normalized difference vegetation index and leaf area index were used for the yearly simulations. Results were satisfactory, as indicated by model efficiency criteria, and analysis showed that the rainfall input is not representative of the orographic lifting induced rainfall in the mountainous Hikimi river basin. Also, a simple representation of the effects of preferential flow within the soil matrix flow has a slight significance for soil moisture status, but is insignificant for river flow estimations. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Sedimentary Basins: Tectonic Recorders of Sediment Discharge from Drainage Catchments

The sedimentary basin is to geology what the drainage system is to geomorphology, with sediment flux being a unifying link between the two features and disciplines. The global sediment discharge from contents to oceans contributes to major mass recycling associated with plate subduction. Major plate reorganization is accompanied by small fluctuations in continental volumes due to recycling of sediment stored along the sink-like passive margins. In continental sedimentary basins the SEdiment Preservation RAtio (SEPRA) depends upon the tectonic ‘drawdown’ of sediment flux preserved in the subsurface until basin inversion. Major unsteadiness in sediment discharge arises from teconic or climatic causes, the latter prominent in the Quaternary to Holocene record. Contrasting trends in sediment discharge reflect both the nature of climate and vegetation change and source rock lithology. © 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Conditions for generation of fire‐related debris flows,Capulin Canyon,New Mexico

Comparison of the responses of three drainage basins burned by the Dome fire of 1996 in New Mexico is used to identify the hillslope, channel and fire characteristics that indicate a susceptibility specifically to wildfire‐related debris flow. Summer thunderstorms generated three distinct erosive responses from each of three basins. The Capulin Canyon basin showed widespread erosive sheetwash and rilling from hillslopes, and severe flooding occurred in the channel; the North Tributary basin exhibited extensive erosion of the mineral soil to a depth of 5 cm and downslope movement of up to boulder‐sized material, and at least one debris flow occurred in the channel; negligible surface runoff was observed in the South Tributary basin. The negligible surface runoff observed in the South Tributary basin is attributed to the limited extent and severity of the fire in that basin. The factors that best distinguish between debris‐flow producing and flood‐producing drainages are drainage basin morphology and lithology. A rugged drainage basin morphology, an average 12 per cent channel gradient, and steep, rough hillslopes coupled with colluvium and soil weathered from volcaniclastic and volcanic rocks promoted the generation of debris flows. A less rugged basin morphology, an average gradient of 5 per cent, and long, smooth slopes mantled with pumice promoted flooding. Flood and debris‐flow responses were produced without the presence of water‐repellent soils. The continuity and severity of the burn mosaic, the condition of the riparian vegetation, the condition of the fibrous root mat, accumulations of dry ravel and colluvial material in the channel and on hillslopes, and past debris‐flow activity, appeared to have little bearing on the distinctive responses of the basins. Published in 2000 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Assessing the impacts of land cover and climate on runoff and sediment yield of a river basin

ABSTRACT

This study investigated the impacts of changes in land cover and climate on runoff and sediment yield in a river basin in India. Land Change Modeler was used to derive the future land cover and its changes using the Sankey diagram approach. The future climatic parameters were derived from five general circulation models for two emission scenarios with representative concentration pathways (RCPs) 4.5 and 8.5. The land cover and climate change impacts on runoff and sediment yield were estimated using SWAT model. The results show important changes in land cover and indicate that urban and agricultural areas strongly influence the runoff and sediment yield. Among the land cover and climate change impacts, climate has more predominant (70%–95%) impact. Runoff and sediment yield are likely to decrease in both RCP scenarios in the future period. The impacts of land cover changes are more prominent on sediment yield than runoff.     

基于连通性指数(IC)的近30年鄱阳湖流域水系结构与水文连通演变评估

由于气候变化和人类活动等多重影响,流域河湖水系格局与连通程度发生了显著变化,进而引发洪涝灾害等一系列水资源问题。本文以鄱阳湖流域为研究区,基于Google Earth Engine(GEE)提取1989—2020年5期水系数据,采用图论方法构建水系评价体系,定量分析该地区近30年来水系格局和结构连通性的时空演变特征,并结合该时期地形、土地利用和归一化植被指数(NDVI)等数据,利用连通性指数(index of connectivity,IC)评估功能连通性的动态变化,进而探讨水文连通与径流量和输沙量的联系。结果表明,近30年来鄱阳湖流域水系结构趋于复杂化,主要体现在流域北部。除干流外,其他等级河流的数量和长度均有所增加,其中Ⅲ级河流最为明显。河网密度、水面率、河网复杂度和发育系数均呈增加趋势,2000年后的变化率约为2000年前的两倍。水系连通环度、节点连接率和水系连通度总体增加,结构连通性呈好转趋势且变化幅度较小。功能连通分析表明,近30年来大部分流域IC减少,流域下游靠近主河道的平坦地区IC较高,上游远离河道的植被密集区域IC较低。此外,IC与年径流量和输沙量表现为显著的正相关性(...     

应用MODIS数据监测千岛湖流域植被覆盖动态(2001-2013年)

流域植被覆盖状况对于水源地生态环境保护具有重要的指示作用.当前的水质目标管理不仅要着眼于湖库水质参数控制,更应该从整个流域的角度维系生态平衡.在此背景下,依托长时间序列MODIS遥感数据对千岛湖流域2001-2013年植被覆盖状况进行监测,采用最小二乘法趋势分析和Mann-Kendall显著性检验方法分析了千岛湖流域植被的空间分布特征、时间变化特征与长期变化趋势.研究表明该方法能够有效地监测流域植被覆盖的时空动态变化:1)从空间分布上来看,千岛湖流域植被覆盖状况整体较好,但同时也发现受人为干扰较大的地域如河、湖附近的城镇建设用地、农业用地以及园地,其NDVI值明显低于自然林地;2)从时间变化特征上看,2001-2013年千岛湖流域植被年际NDVI在0.69~0.73之间波动,且近年来有增长趋势,年内季节性NDVI动态分析表明高时间分辨率的MODIS数据能够用来区分常绿植被与落叶植被的物候特征,以分析不同植被类型对流域氮、磷流失的风险差异;3)从变化趋势上看,2001-2013年植被覆盖状况改善的区域远大于退化的区域,其中改善区域约占流域面积的55.90%,呈现出一定退化状态的区域约占29.60%(严重退化区域仅占3.97%),而相对稳定不变区域约占14.51%.经与气温与降水等气候因子进行相关性分析表明,植被NDVI与气温呈显著正相关,而降水则不敏感,说明气温是研究区植被生长的主导气候因子.同时发现,人类活动对局部植被变化影响较大.研究结果可为流域水资源与生态环境保护提供空间数据支撑.     

Long-Term Variations of Water Runoff and Suspended Sediment Yield in the Parana and Uruguay Rivers

The hydroclimatic conditions of water runoff formation and the hydrography of Parana and Uruguay river basins in the South America are considered. A survey of the recent studies of the hydrological regime of these rivers is given. Observation data are used to evaluate the long-term average values of water runoff and suspended sediment yield in the Parana and Uruguay and their variations along the rivers. Characteristics of many-year runoff variations in the rivers were evaluated. A climate-induced increase was identified in the Parana and Uruguay water runoff, and the corresponding present-day trends in river runoff variations in both rivers were evaluated. The total water runoff and suspended sediment yield of the Parana and Uruguay into La Plata estuary were calculated. Water balance of the drainage basin of La Plata estuary was characterized.