Effects of moss-dominated biocrusts on soil detachment by overland flow in the Three Gorges Reservoir Area of China

Biological soil crusts(biocrusts) are important landscape components that exist in various climates and habitats. The roles of biocrusts in numerous soil processes have been predominantly recognized in many dryland regions worldwide. However, little is known about their effects on soil detachment process by overland flow, especially in humid climates. This study quantified the effects of moss-dominated biocrusts on soil detachment capacity(Dc) and soil erosion resistance to flowing water in the Three Gorges Reservoir Area which holds a subtropical humid climate. Potential factors driving soil detachment variation and their influencing mechanism were analyzed and elucidated. We designed five levels of coverage treatments(1%–20%, 20%–40%, 40%–60%, 60%–80%, and 80%–100%) and a nearby bare land as control in a mossdominated site. Undisturbed soil samples were taken and subjected to water flow scouring in a hydraulic flume under six shear stresses ranging from 4.89 to 17.99 Pa. The results indicated that mean Dc of mosscovered soil varied from 0.008 to 0.081 kg m~(-2) s~(-1), which was 1.9 to 21.0 times lower than that of bare soil(0.160 kg m~(-2) s~(-1)). Rill erodibility(Kr) of mosscovered soil ranged from 0.0095 to 0.0009 s m~(-1), which was 2 to 20 times lower than that of bare soil(0.0187 s m~(-1)). Both relative soil detachment rate and Kr showed an exponential decay with increasing moss coverage, whereas the critical shear stress(τc) for different moss coverage levels did not differ significantly. Moss coverage, soil cohesion, and sand content were key factors affecting Dc, while moss coverage and soil bulk density were key factors affecting Kr. A power function of flow shear stress, soil cohesion, and moss coverage fitted well to estimate Dc(NSE=0.947). Our findings implied that biocrusts prevented soil detachment directly by their physical cover and indirectly by soil properties modification. Biocrusts could be rehabilitated as a promising soil conservation measure during ecological recovery to enhance soil erosion resistance in the Three Gorges Reservoir Area.     

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

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

Spatial-temporal distribution of debris flow impact pressure on rigid barrier

Grain composition plays a vital role in impact pressure of debris flow. Current approaches treat debris flow as uniform fluid and almost ignore its granular effects. A series of flume experiments have been carried out to explore the granular influence on the impact process of debris flow by using a contact surface pressure gauge sensor(Tactilus~?, produced by Sensor Products LLC). It is found that the maximum impact pressure for debris flow of low density fluctuates drastically with a long duration time while the fluctuation for flow of high density is short in time, respectively presenting logarithmic and linear form in longitudinal attenuation. This can be ascribed to the turbulence effect in the former and grain collisions and grainfluid interaction in the latter. The horizontal distribution of the impact pressure can be considered as the equivalent distribution. For engineering purposes, the longitudinal distribution of the pressure can be generalized to a triangular distribution, from which a new impact method considering granular effects is proposed.     

Apportioning above-and below-ground effects of moss biocrusts on soil detachment by overland flow in a subtropical climate

Biocrusts affect soil detachment through above-ground(top crust's surface covering) and below-ground(sub-crust's binding and bonding, BB) effects, which might vary with biocrust development or coverage. However, these effects in humid climates are still unclear. This study was conducted to apportion and quantify the surface covering and BB effects of moss biocrusts with five coverage levels(1%–20%, 20%–40%, 40%–60%, 60%–80%, and 80%–100%) on soil detachment by overland flow in a subtropical humid climate. Two treatments with one being intact moss crusts and one removing the aboveground moss tissues were designed for each coverage level, and bare soil was used as the baseline. The results indicated that soil detachment capacity(Dc) and rill erodibility(Kr) decreased with biocrust coverage. After removing the above-ground moss tissues, the impeding effect of biocrusts on soil detachment weakened, but still increasing soil erosion resistance relative to bare soil. For intact crust, Dc was reduced by 50%–95% compared with bare soil, wherein 36%–55% and 14%–40% were attributed to the surface covering and BB, respectively. The top crust contributed more than sub-crust to the soil detachment reduction, which were related to but not linear with biocrust coverage. When biocrust coverage reached mid-to-higher level(40%–100%), both top crust and sub-crust steadily contributed to soil detachment reduction with 60% and 40%, respectively. The findings advance a better understanding of the influencing mechanism of biocrusts on soil erosion in humid climates and highlight the importance of saving biocrusts as ecosystem functions.     

Impacts of native vegetation on the hydraulic properties of the concentrated flows in bank gullies

To quantify the impacts of native vegetation on the spatial and temporal variations in hydraulic properties of bank gully concentrated flows, a series of in situ flume experiments in the bank gully were performed at the Yuanmou Gully Erosion and Collapse Experimental Station in the dry-hot valley region of the Jinsha River, Southwest China. This experiment involved upstream catchment areas withone-and two-year native grass(Heteropogon contortus) and bare land drained to bare gully headcuts, i.e., Gullies 1, 2 and 3. In Gully 4, Heteropogon contortus and Agave sisalana were planted in the upstream catchment area and gully bed, respectively. Among these experiments, the sediment concentration in runoff in Gully 3 was the highest and that in Gully 2 was the lowest, clearly indicating that the sediment concentration in runoff obviously decreased and the deposition of sediment obviously increased as the vegetation cover increased. The concentrated flows were turbulent in response to the flow discharge. The concentrated flows in the gully zones with native grass and bare land were sub-and supercritical, respectively. The flow rate and shear stress in Gully 3 upstream catchment area were highest among the four upstream catchment areas, while the flow rate and shear stress in the gully bed of Gully 4 were lowest among the four gully beds, indicating that native grass notably decreased the bank gully flow rate and shear stress. The Darcy–Weisbach friction factor(resistance f) and flow energy consumption in the gully bed of Gully 4 were notably higher than those in the other three gully beds, clearly indicating that native grass increased the bank gully surface resistance and flow energy consumption. The Reynolds number(Re), flow rate, shear stress, resistance f, and flow energy consumption in the gully beds and upstream areas increased over time, while the sediment concentration in runoff and Froude number(Fr) decreased. Overall, increasing vegetation cover in upstream catchment areas and downstream gully beds of the bank gully is essential for gully erosion mitigation.     

Analytical analysis of pullout resistance of the hydraulic expansion rockbolts on a frictionally coupled model

This paper proposes an empirical formula to estimate the shear strength of hydraulic expansion rockbolts. The field experimental results were obtained from eleven pullout tests to evaluate the results computed by the proposed formula. It was found that shear resistance of hydraulic expansion rockbolts significantly depends on the uniaxial compressive strength and elastic modulus of rock, with high correlation coefficients of 0.7651 and 0.8587, respectively. The developed formula enables estimation of the maximum pullout load in an analytical process without pullout tests in the field. Conversely, due to the poor interlocking at the initial pullout load, the measured displacements were higher than the estimated ones. To reduce the interlocking effects between bolt and rock, we recommend preloading of 29.4 kN. Preload allows reducing the distance between the measured and estimated displacement and making two load-displacement curves practically identical with marginal differences of 1.1 to 1.5 mm at the maximum pullout load.     

Effects of shrub on runoff and soil loss at loess slopes under simulated rainfall

Improved understanding of the effect of shrub cover on soil erosion process will provide valuable information for soil and water conservation programs.Laboratory rainfall simulations were conducted to determine the effects of shrubs on runoff and soil erosion and to ascertain the relationship between the rate of soil loss and the runoff hydrodynamic characteristics.In these simulations a 20° slope was subjected to rainfall intensities of 45,87,and 127 mm/h.The average runoff rates ranged from 0.51 to 1.26 mm/min for bare soil plots and 0.15 to 0.96 mm/min for shrub plots.Average soil loss rates varied from 44.19 to 114.61 g/(min·m~2) for bare soil plots and from 5.61 to 84.58 g/(min·m~2) for shrub plots.There was a positive correlation between runoff and soil loss for the bare soil plots,and soil loss increased with increased runoff for shrub plots only when rainfall intensity is 127 mm/h.Runoff and soil erosion processes were strongly influenced by soil surface conditions because of the formation of erosion pits and rills.The unit stream power was the optimal hydrodynamic parameter to characterize the soil erosion mechanisms.The soil loss rate increased linearly with the unit stream power on both shrub and bare soil plots.Critical unit stream power values were 0.004 m/s for bare soil plots and 0.017 m/s for shrub plots.     

Effects of vegetation restoration on soil organic carbon in China: A meta-analysis

Vegetation restoration has been proposed as an effective method for increasing both plant biomass and soil carbon(C) stocks. In this study, 204 publications(733 observations) were analyzed, focusing on the effects of vegetation restoration on soil organic carbon(SOC) in China. The results showed that SOC was increased by 45.33%, 24.43%, 30.29% and 27.98% at soil depths of 0–20 cm, 20–40 cm, 40–60 cm and 60 cm after vegetation restoration, respectively. Restoration from both cropland and non-cropland increased the SOC content. The conversion of non-cropland was more efficient in SOC accumulation than the conversion of cropland did, especially in 40 cm layers. In addition, the conversion to planted forest led to greater SOC accumulation than that to other land use did. Conversion period and initial SOC content extended more influence on soil C accumulation as the main factors after vegetation restoration than temperature and precipitation did. The SOC content significantly increased with restoration period after long-term vegetation restoration( 40 yr), indicating a large potential for further accumulation of carbon in the soil, which could mitigate climate change in the near future.     

Effects of hydrological connection and human disturbance on genetic variation of submerged Vallisneria natans populations in four lakes in China

With the increase in the need for flood prevention and lake resource used by humans,the construction of floodgates and sluices has changed the hydrological connection between rivers and lakes,and between adj acent lake s.In river-disconnected lake s,exploitation and use of lake re sources have resulted in water quality decline and mechanical disturbance intensification to a different degree.Of the large number of river-disconnected lakes in the middle-lower reaches of the Changjiang(Yangtze) River,the Futou Lake,and the Xiliang Lake lie close together and are,historically,directly connected,and so do Liangzi Lake and Baoan Lake.The extent of human disturbance is severe in the Futou Lake and the Baoan Lake,but relatively mild in the Xiliang Lake and Liangzi Lake.The freshwater rosette-forming submerged plant Vallisneria natans is one of the dominant species in the four lakes.Using microsatellite markers,we studied the genetic variation of V.natans subpopulations in lakes with different intensities of human disturbance and historical direct hydrological connections.Our results showed that human disturbance decreased plant density and clonal growth in V.natans,but might increase genetic and clonal diversity at a subpopulation level and enhance gene flow among subpopulations by sexual propagule movement.Under similar climatic conditions,different intensities of disturbance seem to have such a high selective potential to differentiate genetically adjacent lake populations that they outperform the forces of gene flow through historical direct hydrological interconnection,which tends to produce genetic homogeneity.Our findings imply that human disturbance has a profound effect on the evolutionary process of natural populations of submerged plants.Moreover,increased subpopulation genetic diversity can enhance resistance and resilience to environmental disturbances.To a certain degree,we could expect that disturbed populations have the possibility of re storing spontaneously if humans cease to perturb natural ecosystems in the future.     

Effects of ecological projects on vegetation in the Three Gorges Area of Chongqing,China

The construction of the Three Gorges Reservoir and the resettlement project have caused increasing contradictions between human and land,and led to the deterior...     

Effects of disturbance intensities on vegetation patterns in oak forests of Kumaun, west Himalaya

In order to realize the significance of oak forests for ecology and economy of the Himalayan region,the present study attempts to objectively characterize disturbance intensities and their impacts on compositional features of identified Oak forests, i.e.Banj-oak(Quercus leucotrichophora A.Camus), Tilonj-oak(Q.floribunda Lindley)and Kharsu-oak(Q. semecarpifolia J.E.Smith)in west Himalaya. Amongst studied forests,Q.leucotrichophora and Q. semecarpifolia forests exhibited high sensitivity towards disturbance intensities.In both forests, increasing level of disturbance significantly lowered tree density,dominance and natural recruitment (seedling and sapling density).Q.floribunda forests, however,appeared relatively more resilient to anthropogenic disturbances.Amongst studied oak forests,Q.semecarpifolia forests with overall poor natural regeneration are in a most critically endangered demographic state.However,a slightly improved regeneration(i.e.,seedling density)in moderately disturbed plots is indicative that such plots may be utilized most suitably for in situ revival of these forests.Effect of disturbance intensities on tree population is an important subject for forest ecology and management and the present study highlights a need for adopting different management strategies across disturbance intensities in diverse oak forests of west Himalaya.     

Effects of nitrogen deposition on tundra vegetation undergoing invasion by Deyeuxia angustifolia in Changbai Mountains

In recent years, herbaceous species such as Deyeuxia angustifolia(Kom.) Y. L. Chang has invaded alpine tundra regions of the western slope of the Changbai Mountains. Because atmospheric nitrogen deposition is predicted to increase under a warming climate and D. angustifolia is sensitive to nitrogen addition, field experiments were conducted from 2010 to 2013 to determine the effect of increased nitrogen deposition on the mechanisms of D. angustifolia invasion. The goal of this study is to evaluate the impact of increased nitrogen deposition on the changes in alpine tundra vegetation(consisting mostly of Rhododendron chrysanthum Pall. and Vaccinium uliginosum Linn.). The results showed that: 1) simulated nitrogen deposition affected overall characteristics and structure of R. chrysanthum and V. uliginosum communities and had a positive impact on the growth of tundra vegetation invaded by D. angustifolia; 2) R. chrysanthum was more resistant to invasion by D. angustifolia than V. uliginosum; 3) simulated nitrogen deposition could improve the growth and enhance the competitiveness of D. angustifolia, which was gradually replacing R. chrysanthum and V. uliginosum and might become the dominant species in the system in future, transforming alpine tundra into alpine meadow in the Changbai Mountains.     

Effects of vegetation coverage and seasonal change on soil microbial biomass and community structure in the dry-hot valley region

Soil microorganisms are sensitive indicator of soil health and quality. Understanding the effects of vegetation biomass and seasonal change on soil microorganisms is vital to evaluate the soil quality and implement vegetation restoration. This study analyzed the soil phospholipid fatty acids (PLFAs) in fresh and withered Kudzu (Pueraria montana var. lobata) vegetation conditions in different seasons. The results showed that vegetation biomass and seasonal change significantly affected microbial biomass and its community structure. Both fresh and withered Kudzu cover significantly increased soil microbial biomass, and the growth effect of microbes in the soil with fresh Kudzu cover was more obvious than that with withered Kudzu cover. Compared with the dry season, the rainy season significantly increased the microbial biomass and the B/F (the ratio of bacterial to fungal PLFAs) ratio but dramatically reduced the G+/G- (the ratio of gram-positive to gram-negative bacteria PLFAs). Kudzu cover and seasonal change had a significant effect on microbial structure in soil covered by higher vegetation biomass. Furthermore, soil temperature and moisture had different correlations with specific microbial biomass in the two seasons. Our findings highlight the effect of Kudzu vine cover on the soil microenvironment and soil microhabitat, enhancing the soil quality in the Dry-hot Valley of Jinsha River, Southwest China.     

Effects of river width changes on flow characteristics based on flume experiment

The rapid changes in flow pattern due to varying channel widths will make significantly impact on the hydraulic structures and evolutions of open channel. To better understand the impact of varying width, a flume experiment with adjustable width and a depth-averaged two-dimension numerical model were used to analyze the variations of flow parameters. Our experimental results showed that flow velocity gradually increased with decreasing water depth in converging region, and decreased with increasing water depth in diverging zones. It was also found that the turbulence intensity laws in three directions were not agreed with the theoretical relationships proposed by Nezu and Nakagawa in 1993 in straight open channel flows. The flow in the channel with varying width may change from the supercritical flow to the subcritical flow as a function of Froude number. Our numerical simulations with different flow rates showed that most of the hydraulic jumps in diverging region were submerged jump and the degree of submergence increased with increasing flow rate in gradual channel transition. When the flow rate increased, the range of supercritical flow rapidly decreased and the flow changed from the supercritical condition to the subcritical condition in diverging sections.     

Reanalysis of principal component analysis to resume past vegetation and environment

In the paper 11 pollen types were selected from the original pollen and spore records of 54 samples in Fenzhuang profile of Beijing region, then 54 × 11 matrix was set up. Based on the pollen data of Fenzhuang profile from the Late Pleistocene to the Early Holocene, the paper gives a further analysis to subdivide zone of the pollen assemblages and changes of paleovegetation and paleoenvironment in this area using principal component analysis (PCA). PCA can play an complementary role for subdividing zone, at the same time, it can eliminate the difference to subdivide zone of the pollen assemblages caused by artificial factors. Finally to the biodiversity in plant communities and complex geographical environment in Beijing region, using great dispersal of accumulative percent of total in PCA (for cumulative rate only 57% from the first three factors of PCA), may sufficiently correspond to the environmental characteristic, so as to recover past climate condition much better. Supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 49571066, 39470132).     

Effects of river flow velocity on the formation of landslide dams

Natural dams are formed when landslides are triggered by heavy rainfall during extreme weather events in the mountainous areas of Taiwan.During landslide debris movement, two processes occur simultaneously: the movement of landslide debris from a slope onto the riverbed and the erosion of the debris under the action of high-velocity river flow. When the rate of landslide deposition in a river channel is higher than the rate of landslide debris erosion by the river flow, the landslide forms a natural dam by blocking the river channel. In this study, the effects of the rates of river flow erosion and landslide deposition(termed the erosive capacity and depositional capacity, respectively) on the formation of natural dams are quantified using a physics-based approach and are tested using a scaled physical model.We define a dimensionless velocity index vde as the ratio between the depositional capacity of landslide debris(vd) and the erosive capacity of water flow(ve).The experimental test results show that a landslidedam forms when landslide debris moves at high velocity into a river channel where the river-flow velocity is low, that is, the dimensionless velocity index vde 54. Landslide debris will not have sufficient depositional capacity to block stream flow when the dimensionless velocity index vde 47. The depositional capacity of a landslide can be determined from the slope angle and the friction of the sliding surface, while the erosive capacity of a dam can be determined using river flow velocity and rainfall conditions. The methodology described in this paper was applied to seven landslide dams that formed in Taiwan on 8 August 2009 during Typhoon Morakot,the Tangjiashan landslide dam case, and the YingxiuWolong highway K24 landslide case. The dimensionless velocity index presented in this paper can be used before a rainstorm event occurs to determine if the formation of a landslide dam is possible.     

Reanalysis of principal component analysis to resume past vegetation and environment

In the paper 11 pollen types were selected from the original pollen and spore records of 54 samples in Fenzhuang profile of Beijing region, then 54 × 11 matrix was set up. Based on the pollen data of Fenzhuang profile from the Late Pleistocene to the Early Holocene, the paper gives a further analysis to subdivide zone of the pollen assemblages and changes of paleovegetation and paleoenvironment in this area using principal component analysis (PCA). PCA can play an complementary role for subdividing zone, at the same time, it can eliminate the difference to subdivide zone of the pollen assemblages caused by artificial factors. Finally to the biodiversity in plant communities and complex geographical environment in Beijing region, using great dispersal of accumulative percent of total in PCA (for cumulative rate only 57% from the first three factors of PCA), may sufficiently correspond to the environmental characteristic, so as to recover past climate condition much better.     

Responses of soil moisture to vegetation restoration type and slope length on the loess hillslope

Soil moisture, a critical variable in the hydrologic cycle, is highly influenced by vegetation restoration type. However, the relationship between spatial variation of soil moisture, vegetation restoration type and slope length is controversial. Therefore, soil moisture across soil layers (0-400 cm depth) was measured before and after the rainy season in severe drought (2015) and normal hydrological year (2016) in three vegetation restoration areas (artificial forestland, natural forestland and grassland), on the hillslopes of the Caijiachuan Catchment in the Loess area, China. The results showed that artificial forestland had the lowest soil moisture and most severe water deficit in 100-200 cm soil layers. Water depletion was higher in artificial and natural forestlands than in natural grassland. Moreover, soil moisture in the shallow soil layers (0-100 cm) under the three vegetation restoration types did not significantly vary with slope length, but a significant increase with slope length was observed in deep soil layers (below 100 cm). In 2015, a severe drought hydrological year, higher water depletion was observed at lower slope positions under three vegetation restoration types due to higher transpiration and evapotranspiration and unlikely recharge from upslope runoff. However, in 2016, a normal hydrological year, there was lower water depletion, even infiltration recharge at lower slope positions, indicating receiving a large amount of water from upslope. Vegetation restoration type, precipitation, slope length and soil depth during a rainy season, in descending order of influence, had significant effects on soil moisture. Generally, natural grassland is more beneficial for vegetation restoration than natural and artificial forestlands, and the results can provide useful information for understanding hydrological processes and improving vegetation restoration practices on the Loess Plateau     

Effects of spillway types on debris flow trajectory and scour behind a sabo dam

Debris flows are one of the common natural hazards in mountainous areas. They often cause devastating damage to the lives and property of local people. The sabo dam construction along a debris flow valley is considered to be a useful method for hazard mitigation. Previous work has concentrated on the different types of sabo dams such as close-type sabo dam, open-type sabo dam. However, little attention has been paid to the spillway structure of sabo dam. In the paper, a new type of spillway structure with lateral contraction was proposed. Debris flow patterns under four different spillway structures were investigated. The projection theory was employed to predict trajectory of debris flow out from the spillway and to estimate the incident angle and terminal velocity before it plunged into the scour hole behind the sabo dam. The results indicated that the estimated data were in good agreement with the experimental ones. The discrepancy between the estimated and experimental values of main parameters remained below 21.82% (relative error). Additionally, the effects of debris flow scales under different spillway structures were considered to study the scour law. Although the debris flow pattern and scour law behind the sabo dam under different operating conditions was analyzed in this paper, further study on the scour mechanism and the maximum scour depth estimation based on scour theory is still required in the future.     

Effects of vegetation type on surface elevation change in Liaohe River Delta wetlands facing accelerated sea level rise

Rising sea levels threaten the sustainability of coastal wetlands around the globe. The ability of coastal marshes to maintain their position in the intertidal zone depends on the accumulation of both organic and inorganic materials, and vegetation is important in these processes. To study the effects of vegetation type on surface elevation change, we measured surface accretion and elevation change from 2011 to 2016 using rod surface elevation table and feldspar marker horizon method(RSET-MH) in two Phragmites and two Suaeda marshes in the Liaohe River Delta. The Phragmites marshes exhibited higher rates of surface accretion and elevation change than the Suaeda marshes. The two Phragmites marsh sites had average surface elevation change rates at 8.78 mm/yr and 9.26 mm/yr and surface accretion rates at 17.56 mm/yr and 17.88 mm/yr, respectively. At the same time, the two Suaeda marsh sites had average surface elevation change rates at 5.77 mm/yr and 5.91 mm/yr and surface accretion rates at 13.42 mm/yr and 14.38 mm/yr, respectively. The elevation change rates in both the Phragmites marshes and the Suaeda marshes in the Liaohe River Delta could keep pace and even continue to gain elevation relative to averaged sea level rise in the Bohai Sea reported by the 2016 State Oceanic Administration, People's Republic of China projection(2.4–5.5 mm/yr) in current situations. Our data suggest that vegetation is important in the accretionary processes and vegetation type could regulate the wetland surface elevation. However, the vulnerability of coastal wetlands in the Liaohe River Delta need further assessment considering the accelerated sea level rise, the high rate of subsidence, and the declining sediment delivery, especially for the Suaeda marshes.