Sensitivity of runoff and soil erosion to climate change in two Mediterranean watersheds. Part II: assessing impacts from changes in storm rainfall,soil moisture and vegetation cover

The impacts of climate change on storm runoff and erosion in Mediterranean watersheds are difficult to assess due to the expected increase in storm frequency coupled with a decrease in total rainfall and soil moisture, added to positive or negative changes to different types of vegetation cover. This report, the second part of a two‐part article, addresses this issue by analysing the sensitivity of runoff and erosion to incremental degrees of change (from ? 20 to + 20%) to storm rainfall, pre‐storm soil moisture, and vegetation cover, in two Mediterranean watersheds, using the MEFIDIS model. The main results point to the high sensitivity of storm runoff and peak runoff rates to changes in storm rainfall (2·2% per 1% change) and, to a lesser degree, to soil water content (?1·2% per 1% change). Catchment sediment yield shows a greater sensitivity than within‐watershed erosion rates to both parameters: 7·8 versus 4·0% per 1% change for storm rainfall, and ? 4·9 versus ? 2·3% per 1% change for soil water content, indicating an increase in sensitivity with spatial scale due to changes to sediment connectivity within the catchment. Runoff and erosion showed a relatively low sensitivity to changes in vegetation cover. Finally, the shallow soils in one of the catchments led to a greater sensitivity to changes in storm rainfall and soil moisture. Overall, the results indicate that decreasing soil moisture levels caused by climate change could be sufficient to offset the impact of greater storm intensity in Mediterranean watersheds. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Direct and indirect effects of rainfall and vegetation coverage on runoff,soil loss,and nutrient loss in a semi-humid climate

Soil and nutrient loss play a vital role in eutrophication of water bodies. Several simulated rainfall experiments have been conducted to investigate the effects of a single controlling factor on soil and nutrient loss. However, the role of precipitation and vegetation coverage in quantifying soil and nutrient loss is still unclear. We monitored runoff, soil loss, and soil nutrient loss under natural rainfall conditions from 2004 to 2015 for 50–100 m² runoff plots around Beijing. Results showed that soil erosion was significantly reduced when vegetation coverage reached 20% and 60%. At levels below 30%, nutrient loss did not differ among different vegetation cover levels. Minimum soil N and P losses were observed at cover levels above 60%. Irrespective of the management measure, soil nutrient losses were higher at high-intensity rainfall (Imax30>15 mm/h) events compared to low-intensity events (p < 0.05). We applied structural equation modelling (SEM) to systematically analyze the relative effects of rainfall characteristics and environmental factors on runoff, soil loss, and soil nutrient loss. At high-intensity rainfall events, neither vegetation cover nor antecedent soil moisture content (ASMC) affected runoff and soil loss. After log-transformation, soil nutrient loss was significantly linearly correlated with runoff and soil loss (p < 0.01). In addition, we identified the direct and indirect relationships among the influencing factors of soil nutrient loss on runoff plots and constructed a structural diagram of these relationships. The factors positively impacting soil nutrient loss were runoff (44%–48%), maximum rainfall intensity over a 30-min period (18%–29%), rainfall depth (20%–27%), and soil loss (10%–14%). Studying the effects of rainfall and vegetation coverage factors on runoff, soil loss, and nutrient loss can improve our understanding of the underlying mechanism of slope non-point source pollution.     

Prescribed‐fire effects on rill and interrill runoff and erosion in a mountainous sagebrush landscape

Changing fire regimes and prescribed‐fire use in invasive species management on rangelands require improved understanding of fire effects on runoff and erosion from steeply sloping sagebrush‐steppe. Small (0·5 m²) and large (32·5 m²) plot rainfall simulations (85 mm h^–1, 1 h) and concentrated flow methodologies were employed immediately following burning and 1 and 2 years post‐fire to investigate infiltration, runoff and erosion from interrill (rainsplash, sheetwash) and rill (concentrated flow) processes on unburned and burned areas of a steeply sloped sagebrush site on coarse‐textured soils. Soil water repellency and vegetation were assessed to infer relationships in soil and vegetation factors that influence runoff and erosion. Runoff and erosion from rainfall simulations and concentrated flow experiments increased immediately following burning. Runoff returned to near pre‐burn levels and sediment yield was greatly reduced with ground cover recovery to 40 per cent 1 year post‐fire. Erosion remained above pre‐burn levels on large rainfall simulation and concentrated flow plots until ground cover reached 60 per cent two growing seasons post‐fire. The greatest impact of the fire was the threefold reduction of ground cover. Removal of vegetation and ground cover and the influence of pre‐existing strong soil‐water repellency increased the spatial continuity of overland flow, reduced runoff and sediment filtering effects of vegetation and ground cover, and facilitated increased velocity and transport capacity of overland flow. Small plot rainfall simulations suggest ground cover recovery to 40 per cent probably protected the site from low‐return‐interval storms, large plot rainfall and concentrated flow experiments indicate the site remained susceptible to elevated erosion rates during high‐intensity or long duration events until ground cover levels reached 60 per cent. The data demonstrate that the persistence of fire effects on steeply‐sloped, sandy sagebrush sites depends on the time period required for ground cover to recover to near 60 per cent and on the strength and persistence of ‘background’ or fire‐induced soil water repellency. Published in 2009 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Variation in curve numbers derived from plot runoff data for New South Wales (Australia)

The curve number method is a simple one parameter (the curve number) rainfall runoff model. While its theoretical underpinning has been questioned it remains a powerful hydrological tool in the absence of detailed data and is therefore used extensively in hydrological models. This study aims to characterize the variation in maximum retention values (S), which underlie curve numbers, for a range of agricultural treatments across a large spatial area in New South Wales (NSW), Australia. The data used for the analysis spans several decades of rainfall runoff observations. A range of different derivation methods result in variation in mean and variance of S. In particular, methods that emphasize the larger storms result in greater S and thus lower runoff. For larger spatial scales, emphasis on larger storms gives more reliable estimates of S. Systematic variation in S arises from variations in treatment, pre‐runoff soil moisture, rainfall depth, and variations in cover. On the basis of the analysis, a table of curve number values for different land uses found in NSW is presented. The resulting distributions of S and curve numbers provide guidance for rainfall runoff modelling studies in the agricultural important areas of NSW. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Thresholds of land cover to control runoff and soil loss

This research focused on the determination of land cover thresholds that have a significant impact on runoff generation and soil loss at the pedon scale. For this purpose, six erosion micro-plots were set up on grassland and shrubland types of rangeland in the northeast of Iran, and the amounts of vegetation cover, litter, runoff and soil loss on them were measured. A factorial statistical analysis was carried out on the completely randomized design using land cover and rainfall factors. The results show that the effect of rainfall on soil loss and runoff was greater than that of land cover. Also, the effect of land cover on soil loss was greater than that on runoff generation. Furthermore, two specific thresholds were identified: the first was from 10 to 30% of landcover and the second from 50 to 70%.     

Rainfall runoff and erosion in Napa Valley vineyards: effects of slope,cover and surface roughness

The effects of slope, cover and surface roughness on rainfall runoff, infiltration and erosion were determined at two sites on a hillside vineyard in Napa County, California, using a portable rainfall simulator. Rainfall simulation experiments were carried out at two sites, with five replications of three slope treatments (5%, 10% and 15%) in a randomized block design at each site (0%bsol;64 m² plots). Prior to initiation of the rainfall simulations, detailed assessments, not considered in previous vineyard studies, of soil slope, cover and surface roughness were conducted. Significant correlations (at the 95% confidence level) between the physical characteristics of slope, cover and surface roughness, with total infiltration, runoff, sediment discharge and average sediment concentration were obtained. The extent of soil cracking, a physical characteristic not directly measured, also affected analysis of the rainfall–runoff–erosion process. Average cumulative runoff and cumulative sediment discharge from site A was 87% and 242% greater, respectively, than at site B. This difference was linked to the greater cover, extent of soil cracking and bulk density at site B than at site A. The extent of soil cover was the dominant factor limiting soil loss when soil cracking was not present. Field slopes within the range of 4–16%, although a statistically significant factor affecting soil losses, had only a minor impact on the amount of soil loss. The Horton infiltration equation fit field data better than the modified Philip's equation. Owing to the variability in the ‘treatment’ parameters affecting the rainfall–runoff–erosion process, use of ANOVA methods were found to be inappropriate; multiple‐factor regression analysis was more useful for identifying significant parameters. Overall, we obtained similar values for soil erosion parameters as those obtained from vineyard erosion studies in Europe. In addition, it appears that results from the small plot studies may be adequately scaled up one to two orders of magnitude in terms of land areas considered. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Runoff and sediment loss responses to rainfall and land use in two agricultural catchments on the Loess Plateau of China

Soil erosion is a severe problem hindering sustainable agriculture on the Loess Plateau of China. Plot experiments were conducted under the natural rainfall condition during 1995–1997 at Wangdongguo and Aobao catchments in this region to evaluate the effects of various land use, cropping systems, land slopes and rainfall on runoff and sediment losses, as well as the differences in catchment responses. The experiments included various surface conditions ranging from bare soil to vegetated surfaces (maize, wheat residue, Robinia pseudoacacia L., Amorpha fruticosa L., Stipa capillata L., buckwheat and Astragarus adsurgens L.). The measurements were carried out on hill slopes with different gradients (i.e. 0 ° to 36 °). These plots varied from 20 to 60 m in length. Results indicated that runoff and erosion in this region occurred mainly during summer storms. Summer runoff and sediment losses under cropping and other vegetation were significantly less than those from ploughed bare soil (i.e. without crop/plant or crop residue). There were fewer runoff and sediment losses with increasing canopy cover. Land slope had a major effect on runoff and sediment losses and this effect was markedly larger in the tillage plots than that in the natural grass and forest plots, although this effect was very small when the maximum rainfall intensity was larger than 58·8 mm/h or smaller than 2·4 mm/h. Sediment losses per unit area rose with increasing slope length for the same land slope and same land use. The effect of slope length on sediment losses was stronger on a bare soil plot than on a crop/plant plot. The runoff volume and sediment losses were both closely related to rainfall volume and maximum intensity, while runoff coefficient was mainly controlled by maximum rainfall intensity. Hortonian overland flow is the dominant runoff process in the region. The differences in runoff volume, runoff coefficient and sediment losses between the catchments are mainly controlled by the maximum rainfall intensity and infiltration characteristics. The Aobao catchment yielded much larger runoff volume, runoff coefficient and sediment than the Wangdongguo catchment. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Incorporating rainfall intensity into daily rainfall records for simulating runoff and infiltration into soil profiles

Hydrological modelling often implies the use of rainfall data. Its quality and resolution directly affect the accuracy of the simulation results. This study illustrates that a simple approach of incorporating rainfall intensity information in daily rainfall records significantly improves the simulation of surface runoff and rainfall infiltration into soil profiles. The procedure is developed using a frequency analysis on rainfall data of the Royal Meteorological Institute of Belgium, collected with a resolution of 10 min and for a consecutive period of 61 years. The frequency analysis of the data allowed the incorporation of rainfall intensity information into daily rainfall records. To test the effect of this approach the surface runoff and water flow into three different soil types was simulated using the HYDRUS‐1D model for a typical dry, normal and wet year. The simulation results whereby the observed 10‐min rainfall data was used as input were considered as the reference. Comparative analysis revealed that the simulations using the 10 min rainfall data deducted from the incorporation of rainfall intensity into daily rainfall records, deviate a maximum 1·2% from the reference and produce much better results than the Soil Conservation Service (SCS) runoff curve‐number method because rainfall intensity is considered in the procedure presented. The SCS curve‐number method typical overestimates surface runoff during periods of low rainfall intensity (winter) and underestimate runoff during periods of high rainfall intensities (summer). Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Linking vegetation cover patterns to hydrological responses using two process-based pattern indices at the plot scale

Vegetation cover pattern is one of the factors controlling hydrological processes. Spatially distributed models are the primary tools previously applied to document the effect of vegetation cover patterns on runoff and soil erosion. Models provide precise estimations of runoff and sediment yields for a given vegetation cover pattern. However, difficulties in parameterization and the problematic explanation of the causes of runoff and sedimentation rates variation weaken prediction capability of these models. Landscape pattern analysis employing pattern indices based on runoff and soil erosion mechanism provides new tools for finding a solution. In this study, the vegetation cover pattern was linked with runoff and soil erosion by two previously developed pattern indices, which were modified in this study, the Directional Leakiness Index (DLI) and Flowlength. Although they use different formats, both indices involve connectivity of sources areas (interpatch bare areas). The indices were revised by bringing in the functional heterogeneity of the plant cover types and the landscape position. Using both artificial and field verified vegetation cover maps, observed runoff and sediment production on experiment plots, we tested the indices’ efficiency and compared the indices with their antecedents. The results illustrate that the modified indices are more effective in indicating runoff at the plot/hillslope scale than their antecedents. However, sediment export levels are not provided by the modified indices. This can be attributed to multi-factor interaction on the hydrological process, the feedback mechanism between the hydrological function of cover patterns and threshold phenomena in hydrological processes.     

Orders of magnitude increase in soil erosion associated with land use change from native to cultivated vegetation in a Brazilian savannah environment

The Brazilian savanna (cerrado) is a large and important economic and environmental region that is experiencing significant loss of its natural landscapes due to pressures of food and energy production, which in turn has caused large increases in soil erosion. However the magnitude of the soil erosion increases in this region is not well understood, in part because scientific studies of surface runoff and soil erosion are scarce or nonexistent in the cerrado as well as in other savannahs of the world. To understand the effects of deforestation we assessed natural rainfall‐driven rates of runoff and soil erosion on an undisturbed tropical woodland classified as ‘cerrado sensu stricto denso’ and bare soil. Results were evaluated and quantified in the context of the cover and management factor (C‐factor) of the Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE). Replicated data on precipitation, runoff, and soil loss on plots (5 × 20 m) under undisturbed cerrado and bare soil were collected for 77 erosive storms that occurred over 3 years (2012 through 2014). C‐factor was computed annually using values of rainfall erosivity and soil loss rate. We found an average runoff coefficient of ~20% for the plots under bare soil and less than 1% under undisturbed cerrado. The mean annual soil losses in the plots under bare soil and cerrado were 12.4 t ha^‐1 yr^‐1 and 0.1 t ha^‐1 yr^‐1, respectively. The erosivity‐weighted C‐factor for the undisturbed cerrado was 0.013. Surface runoff, soil loss and C‐factor were greatest in the summer and fall. Our results suggest that shifts in land use from the native to cultivated vegetation result in orders of magnitude increases in soil loss rates. These results provide benchmark values that will be useful to evaluate past and future land use changes using soil erosion models and have significance for undisturbed savanna regions worldwide. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Effect of combining biogeotextile and vegetation cover on the protection of steep slope of highway in northern China: A runoff plot experiment

Biogeotextiles can be used to facilitate the formation of vegetation cover and to reduce soil erosion.Studies have demonstrated that only biogeotextile or vegetation cover can greatly reduce soil erosion.However, information about the effects of the combination of biogeotextile and vegetation cover on soil erosion is still limited, despite that the combination is the commonly practical form for bare road slope protection. Experimental plots, consisting of a relatively loose surface layer and a c...     

Surface runoff as influenced by slope position and land use in the Koupendri catchment of northwest Benin: field observation and model validation

ABSTRACT

The objective of this study was to evaluate: (i) the influence of slope position and land use on plot-scale runoff, and (ii) the ability of the curve number (CN) approach to estimate the measured runoff using microplots (1 m × 1 m) spaced 0.5 m apart. The study considered two slope positions: upslope (5.8%), and downslope (2.3%), and two land-use types: tilled maize-beans (TMB) intercrop and fallow shrub-grassland (FSG). Runoff was measured from September to November 2014 and from July to October 2015. The rainfall–runoff events in 2014 and 2015 were subjected to statistical analysis. The CN was computed with rainfall–runoff data. The results showed a significant (p < 0.05) effect of land use on surface runoff in 2015. Neither the slope position nor its interaction with land use had a significant (p < 0.05) effect on surface runoff. The runoff estimation captured the dynamics of runoff with better estimation observed under the TMB plot compared to the FSG.     

Changes in flood regime by use of the modified curve number method

Abstract

This paper describes the use of a simple two stage rainfall-runoff model in which a curve number (CN) principle is used to calculate the soil water content and, subsequently, the rainfall contribution to direct runoff and groundwater flow. The maximum soil water retention, S, is used to express various characteristics of a catchment (infiltration rate, soil cover and land use, as in the CN method) relevant to flood formation. Using historical flood events, the model is calibrated, and the statistical distribution parameters of peak flows determined. With the same historical input data scenarios (rainfall), sets of flood hydrographs are simulated for various values of the parameter S, and corresponding distribution parameters of peak flows are determined. This procedure is used to demonstrate possible changes in flood regime to be expected due to changes of the catchment soil properties and its vegetation cover. A case study is presented for the River Hron catchment, area 582 km², in the mountainous region of central Slovakia.     

Bootstrap based artificial neural network (BANN) analysis for hierarchical prediction of monthly runoff in Upper Damodar Valley Catchment

Estimation of runoff is a prerequisite for many applications involving conservation and management of water resources. This study is undertaken in the Upper Damodar Valley Catchment (UDVC) having a drainage area of 17513.08 km² for prediction of monthly runoff. Thirty one microwatersheds and 15 sub-watersheds were selected from a total of 716 microwatersheds in the catchment area for this study. The feasibility of using different soil attributes (particle size distribution, organic matter content and apparent density), topographic attributes (primary, secondary and compound), geomorphologic attributes (basin, relief and network indices) and vegetation attribute as Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), on prediction of monthly runoff were explored in this study. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was applied to minimize the data redundancy of the input variables. Ten significant input variables namely; watershed length (km), elongation ratio, bifurcation ratio, area ratio, coarse sand (%), fine sand (%), elevation (m), slope (°), profile curvature (rad/m) and NDVI were selected. The selected input variables were added in hierarchy with monthly rainfall (mm) as inputs for prediction of monthly runoff (mm) using Bootstrap based artificial neural networks (BANN). The performance of the models was tested using Spearman’s correlation coefficient (r), coefficient of efficiency (COE), Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) and Mean Absolute Error (MAE). Best performance was observed for model with monthly rainfall, slope, coarse sand, bifurcation ratio and Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) as inputs (r = 0.925 and COE = 0.839). Increase in number of input variables did not necessarily yield better performances of the BANN models. Selection of relevant inputs and their combinations were found to be key elements in determining the performance of BANN models. Annual runoff map was generated for all the microwatersheds utilizing the weights of the best performing BANN model. This study reveals that the specific combinations of soil, topography, geomorphology and vegetation inputs can be utilized for better prediction of monthly runoff.     

Soil hydrological response under simulated rainfall in the Dehesa land system (Extremadura,SW Spain) under drought conditions

Soil hydrology was investigated in the Guadelperalón experimental watershed in order to determine the influence of land use and vegetation cover on runoff and infiltration within the Dehesa land system. Five soil–vegetation units were selected: (1) tree cover, (2) sheep trials, (3) shrub cover, (4) hillslope grass and (5) bottom grass. The results of the simulated rainfall experiments performed at an intensity of 56·6 mm h⁻¹ during one hour on plots of 0·25 m², and the water drop penetration time test indicate the importance of water repellency in the Dehesa land system under drought conditions. Low infiltration rates (c. 9–44 mm h⁻¹) were found everywhere except at shrub sites and in areas with low grazing pressure. Soil water repellency greatly reduced infiltration, especially beneath Quercus ilex canopies, where fast ponding and greater runoff rates were observed. The low vegetation cover as a consequence of a prolonged drought and grazing pressure, in conjunction with the soil water repellency, induces high runoff rates (15–70 per cent). In spite of this, macropore fluxes were found in different locations, beneath trees, on shrub-covered surfaces, as well as at sites with a dominance of herbaceous cover. Discontinuity of the runoff fluxes due to variations in hydrophobicity causes preferential flows and as a consequence deeper infiltration, especially where macropores are developed. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Evaluation of the PESERA model in two contrasting environments

The performance of the Pan‐European Soil Erosion Risk Assessment (PESERA) model was evaluated by comparison with existing soil erosion data collected in plots under different land uses and climate conditions in Europe. In order to identify the most important sources of error, the PESERA model was evaluated by comparing model output with measured values as well as by assessing the effect of the various model components on prediction accuracy through a multistep approach. First, the performance of the hydrological and erosion components of PESERA was evaluated separately by comparing both runoff and soil loss predictions with measured values. In order to assess the performance of the vegetation growth component of PESERA, the predictions of the model based on observed values of vegetation ground cover were also compared with predictions based on the simulated vegetation cover values. Finally, in order to evaluate the sediment transport model, predicted monthly erosion rates were also calculated using observed values of runoff and vegetation cover instead of simulated values. Moreover, in order to investigate the capability of PESERA to reproduce seasonal trends, the observed and simulated monthly runoff and erosion values were aggregated at different temporal scale and we investigated at what extend the model prediction error could be reduced by output aggregation. PESERA showed promise to predict annual average spatial variability quite well. In its present form, short‐term temporal variations are not well captured probably due to various reasons. The multistep approach showed that this is not only due to unrealistic simulation of cover and runoff, being erosion prediction also an important source of error. Although variability between the investigated land uses and climate conditions is well captured, absolute rates are strongly underestimated. A calibration procedure, focused on a soil erodibility factor, is proposed to reduce the significant underestimation of soil erosion rates. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The effects of typical grass cover combined with biocrusts on slope hydrology and soil erosion during rainstorms on the Loess Plateau of China: An experimental study

Biological soil crust (BSC), as a groundcover, is widely intergrown with grass. The effects of grass combined with BSCs on slope hydrology and soil erosion during rainfall are still unclear. In this study, simulated rainfall experiments were applied to a soil flume with four different slope cover treatments, namely, bare soil (CK), grass cover (GC), BSC, and GC + BSC, to observe the processes of runoff and sediment yield. Additionally, the soil moisture at different depths during infiltration was observed. The results showed that the runoff generated by rainfall for all treatments was in the following order: BSC > GC + BSC > CK > GC. Compared with CK, GC promoted infiltration, and BSC inhibited infiltration. The BSCs obviously inhibited infiltration at a depth of 8 cm. When the rainfall continued to infiltrate down to 16 and 24 cm, the effects of grass on promoting infiltration were stronger than those of BSCs on inhibiting infiltration. Compared with CK, the flow velocity of the BSC, GC and GC + BSC treatments was reduced by 62.8%, 32.3% and 68.3%, respectively. The BSCs and grass increased the critical shear stress by increasing the resistance. Additionally, the average sediment yield of GC and both treatments with BSCs was reduced by 80.8% and >99%, respectively, compared with CK. The soil erosion process was dominated by the soil detachment capacity in the CK, BSC and GC + BSC treatments, while the GC treatment showed a transport-limited process. This study provides a scientific basis for the reasonable spatial allocation of vegetation in arid and semiarid areas and the correction of vegetation cover factors in soil erosion prediction models.     

Changes in ecosystem structure,function and hydrological connectivity control water,soil and carbon losses in semi‐arid grass to woody vegetation transitions

Connectivity has recently emerged as a key concept for understanding hydrological response to vegetation change in semi‐arid environments, providing an explanatory link between abiotic and biotic, structure and function. Reduced vegetation cover following woody encroachment, generally promotes longer, more connected overland flow pathways, which has the potential to result in an accentuated rainfall‐runoff response and fluxes of both soil erosion and carbon. This paper investigates changing hydrological connectivity as an emergent property of changing ecosystem structure over two contrasting semi‐arid grass to woody vegetation transitions in New Mexico, USA. Vegetation structure is quantified to evaluate if it can be used to explain observed variations in water, sediment and carbon fluxes. Hydrological connectivity is quantified using a flow length metric, combining topographic and vegetation cover data. Results demonstrate that the two woody‐dominated sites have significantly longer mean flowpath lengths (4 · 3 m), than the grass‐dominated sites (2 · 4 m). Mean flowpath lengths illustrate a significant positive relationship with the functional response. The woody‐dominated sites lost more water, soil and carbon than their grassland counterparts. Woody sites erode more, with mean event‐based sediment yields of 1203 g, compared to 295 g from grasslands. In addition, the woody sites lost more organic carbon, with mean event yields of 39 g compared to 5 g from grassland sites. Finally, hydrological connectivity (expressed as mean flowpath length) is discussed as a meaningful measure of the interaction between structure and function and how this manifests under the extreme rainfall that occurs in semi‐arid deserts. In combination with rainfall characteristics, connectivity emerges as a useful tool to explain the impact of vegetation change on water, soil and carbon losses across semi‐arid environments. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Effect of shrub-grass vegetation coverage and slope gradient on runoff and sediment yield under simulated rainfall

Evaluating the benefits of sediment and runoff reduction in different vegetation types is essential for studying the mechanisms of soil and water conservation on the Loess Plateau.The experiment was conducted in shrub-grass plots with nine levels of mixed vegetation coverage from 0%to 70%,three slopes(10
,15
,and 20
)and two rainfall intensities(1.0 and 2.5 mm/min).The results showed that the vegetation coverage and slope gradient significantly affect runoff and sediment yield.Shrub-grass vegetation coverage had a significant effect on the runoff start-time,runoff flow velocity,runoff rate,and soil erosion rate on hillslopes.Mixed vegetation coverage could effectively delay the runoff starttime and decrease the runoff flow velocity.However,the effects of the slope gradient on runoff and sediment yield are opposite to those of vegetation coverage.Shrub-grass vegetation coverage could effectively increase runoff and sediment yield reduction benefits,while their benefits were affected by the rainfall intensity.At the 1.0 mm/min rainfall intensity,the reduction in the sediment production rate was greater than that under the 2.5 mm/min intensity.However,when the shrub-grass vegetation coverage exceeded 42%,the runoff reduction benefit was more obvious at higher rainfall intensities.The cumulative sediment yield increased with increasing cumulative runoff,and the rate of increase in the cumulative runoff was greater than that of the cumulative sediment yield with increasing of shrub-grass vegetation coverage.Moreover,there was a power function relationship between cumulative sediment yield and cumulative runoff yield(P<0.05).Our paper is expected to provide a good reference on the ecological environment and vegetation construction on the Loess Plateau.     

Simulated watershed responses to land cover changes using the Regional Hydro‐Ecological Simulation System

In this work, we used the Regional Hydro‐Ecological Simulation System (RHESSys) model to examine runoff sensitivity to land cover changes in a mountain environment. Two independent experiments were evaluated where we conducted simulations with multiple vegetation cover changes that include conversion to grass, no vegetation cover and deciduous/coniferous cover scenarios. The model experiments were performed at two hillslopes within the Weber River near Oakley, Utah watershed (USGS gauge # 10128500). Daily precipitation, air temperature and wind speed data as well as spatial data that include a digital elevation model with 30 m grid resolution, soil texture map and vegetation and land use maps were processed to drive RHESSys simulations. Observed runoff data at the watershed outlet were used for calibration and verification. Our runoff sensitivity results suggest that during winter, reduced leaf area index (LAI) decreases canopy interception resulting in increased snow accumulations and hence snow available for runoff during the early spring melt season. Increased LAI during the spring melt season tends to delay the snow melting process. This delay in snow melting process is due to reduced radiation beneath high LAI surfaces relative to low LAI surfaces. The model results suggest that annual runoff yield after removing deciduous vegetation is on average about 7% higher than with deciduous vegetation cover, while annual runoff yield after removing coniferous vegetation is on average as about 2% higher than that produced with coniferous vegetation cover. These simulations thus help quantify the sensitivity of water yield to vegetation change. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.