Runoff and sediment yield modeling by means of WEPP in the Bautzen dam catchment,Germany

Soil erosion by water is one of the most widespread forms of soil degradation in Europe. There are many undesirable consequences of soil erosion due to water such as loss of water storage capacity in reservoirs and transfer of pollutants from farmland to water bodies. The objectives of this study were to calibrate and validate the Water Erosion Prediction Project watershed model (WEPP 2012.8) in the Bautzen dam catchment area with monthly and daily single events for runoff and sediment yield. This is to our knowledge the first study using WEPP in Germany. The catchment (310 km²) was subdivided into small sub-catchments with an area of <260 ha as recommended in WEPP. A sensitivity analysis revealed that the runoff is highly sensitive to the effective hydraulic conductivity in Bautzen, whereas the sediment yield is highly sensitive to rill erodibility, critical shear stress, and to the effective hydraulic conductivity as well. All these parameters were initially calculated using WEPP’s built-in equations and parameters, which, however, produced very poor results for both runoff and sediment yield. Therefore, the model was calibrated for 2 years (2005–2007) and validated for another 2 years (2008–2009) against monthly measurements, in addition to 14 daily single events from the calibration period and 2010. The monthly results were compared with the monthly measurements on the basis of a continuous simulation. Results of calibration and validation periods show a satisfactory performance of WEPP with a determination coefficient R ² above 0.6 and Nash–Sutcliffe efficiency coefficients above 0.50 for runoff and sediment yield. Thus, the model could be used to simulate runoff and sediment yield, and used in scenario studies in the Bautzen dam catchment area.     

Multiple rainfall event pollution transport by sustainable drainage systems: the fate of fine sediment pollution

A key design criterion of sustainable urban drainage systems is to mitigate urban stormwater pollution. Current research defines sustainable urban drainage systems (SuDS) pollutant treatment efficiency through the detention of total suspended solids, urban nutrients and heavy metal pollutants within the system during a design flow event, with research focusing on sand (>2 mm) sediment movement. The impact of multiple rainfall–runoff events on the fine sediment (<2 mm) treatment efficiency of SuDS is not yet well defined, and the temporal movement of detained sediment has not been investigated in detail. The field research presented in this paper addresses this research gap, monitoring ongoing fine sediment transport through a best-practice-designed SuDS network over 12 months through the use of a novel rare earth oxide trace methodology. Through time-stepped monitoring of the fine sediment pollution across three SuDS treatment trains (networks), the following key conclusions have been drawn. (1) That fine sediment becomes re-suspended and re-deposited within SuDS assets and the network as a result of ongoing multiple rainfall–runoff events. (2) That this re-suspension continues for over 52 weeks. (3) That by area, linear wetlands (within the monitored networks) outperform wetland and swale assets in multiple event fine sediment detention. And (4) that multiple event monitoring and analysis of fine sediment within a SuDS network highlights the under-performance of SuDS assets against current design event expectations.     

Nutrient dynamics in pore water of tidal marshes near the Yangtze Estuary and Hangzhou Bay, China

Tidal marshes act as a buffer system for nutrients in the pore water and play important roles in controlling the budget of nutrients and pollutants that reach the sea. Spatial and seasonal dynamics of pore water nutrients were surveyed in three tidal marshes (Chongming Island, Hengsha Island, and Fengxian tidal flat) near the Yangtze Estuary and Hangzhou Bay from August 2007 to May 2008. Nutrient variations in pore water closely followed seawater quality in the estuaries, while the average concentration of NH₄ ⁺–N, the main form of inorganic nitrogen in pore water, was over two orders of magnitude higher than that in seawater which was dominated by nitrate. NH₄ ⁺–N export (13.81 μmol m^?2 h^?1) was lower than the import of (NO₃ ^?+NO₂ ^?)–N (?24.17 μmol m^?2 h^?1) into sediment over the 1-year period, hence reducing N-eutrophication in coastal waters. The export of SiO₃ ^2?–Si and PO₄ ^3?–P from tidal marshes regulated nutrient level and composition and lifted the ratio beyond potentidal element limitation in the coastal system. Moreover, macrophyte plants (Spartina alterniflora and Phragmites australis) played significant roles in controlling nutrient concentration in pore water and its exchange between marshes and estuaries. Fengxian marsh was characterized by higher nutrient concentrations and fluxes than other marshes in response to the more serious eutrophication in Hangzhou Bay than in the Yangtze Estuary.     

Evaluating the impact of management scenarios and land use changes on annual surface runoff and sediment yield using the GeoWEPP: a case study from the Lighvanchai watershed,Iran

This study was undertaken to evaluate land use change impact and management scenarios on annual average surface runoff (SR) and sediment yield (SY) using the GeoWEPP tool in the Lighvanchai watershed (located in northwestern Iran). Following a sensitivity analysis, the WEPP model was calibrated (2005–2007) and validated (2008–2010) against monthly observed SY and SR. The coefficient of determination (R ²), Nash–Sutcliffe efficiency (NSE), mean bias error (MBE), and root-mean-square error (RMSE) were applied to quantitatively evaluate the WEPP model. The results indicate a satisfactory model performance with R ² > 0.80 and NSE > 0.60. Therefore, the model for current land use (scenario 1) was run for a 30-year time period (1982–2011). The annual average of SR and sediment load were predicted as 93,584 m³/year and 4340 ton/year, respectively. To reduce the annual average surface runoff and sediment yield at the watershed scale, the second scenario (alfalfa cultivation with suitable tillage) and the third scenario (grassland development) as two management scenarios of land use changes were defined by identifying the critical hillslopes. The rate of SR and sediment load in the second scenario were 42,096 m³/year and 429 ton/year, respectively. For the third scenario, the model predictions were 30,239 m³/year and 226 ton/year, respectively. Compared to the first scenario, the reduction rates in annual average of sediment load were about 90 and 94%, respectively. Moreover, for the second and third management scenarios, the reduction rates in annual average of SR were about 55 and 67%, respectively.     

植被作用下土壤抗剪强度和径流侵蚀力的耦合效应

利用野外径流小区动态监测和人工模拟降雨试验,阐明了草被和灌木的减流减沙效应,从力学层面揭示了坡面侵蚀产沙的过程机理。结果表明,与裸地相比,野外坡面草地和灌木地径流量分别减少28.1%~56.5%和85.7%~100%、产沙量分别减少84.9%~90.7%和98.5%~100%;在人工模拟降雨强度下,草地和灌木地径流量分别减少51.9%~90.9%和61.7%~80.6%、产沙量分别减少93.6%~99.2%和95.5%~99.2%;植被具有明显的增强土壤抗剪强度的作用,不同植被坡面抗剪强度与剪切面上的法向压力成正比,且符合库仑定律;不同下垫面条件下土壤黏聚力与坡面径流量和侵蚀产沙量呈显著的负相关关系,随着黏聚力的增大,径流量和侵蚀产沙量呈下降趋势;草地和灌木地坡面侵蚀临界径流切应力分别为裸地的2.64~3.16倍和2.44~3.18倍,建立了不同被覆坡面临界径流切应力与土壤抗剪强度和黏聚力的关系。研究结果对定量评价植被减蚀作用和深化土壤侵蚀力学过程有一定的参考意义。     

含沙量对草地坡面径流泥沙沉积和水力特性的影响

通过室内模拟试验,在坡度为3°和9°、流量为20和60L/min条件下研究了不同浓度(0～350kg/m3)含沙水流流经草地的泥沙沉积过程及其水力学特性。结果表明,坡面泥沙沉积量随含沙量的增加而增大,3°时泥沙沉积率与含沙量呈正相关,而9°时沉积率与含沙量呈反势。坡度对泥沙沉积影响显著,而在相同坡度条件下,两种流量试验的泥沙沉积量无明显差异。相同坡面坡上部位流速小于坡下部位,且含沙量对坡面流速影响较小。在相同坡度和流量条件下,水流雷诺数随含沙量的增大而减小。3°时水流阻力系数和曼宁糙率均随含沙量的增加而增大,而9°时含沙量对阻力影响不明显,因此在土壤侵蚀较严重地区进行坡面水文过程演算时需考虑含沙量对缓坡糙率的影响。     

Estimating suspended sediment yield, sedimentation controls and impacts in the Mellah Catchment of Northern Algeria

This paper is an assessment of the suspended sediment yield in the Mellah Catchment of northern Algeria. We use discharge–sediment load relationships to explore the variability of water discharge and sediment load, and to investigate the impact of geomorphic factors disturbance on erosion and sedimentation. Suspended sediment load was analyzed in the Mellah Catchment (550 km²) which was controlled by a gauging station to measure discharge and sediment transport. The relations between daily mean sediment concentration and daily mean water discharge were analyzed to develop sediment rating curves. For storms with no water samples, a sediment rating curve was developed. The technique involves stratification of data into discharge-based classes, the mean of which are used to fit a rating curve according to single flow data and season to provide various rating relationships. The mean annual sediment yield during the 24 years of the study period was 562 T km^?2 in the Mellah Catchment. This drainage basin had high rainfall and runoff, the erosion was high. The high sediment yield in the Mellah basin could be explained by a high percentage of sparse grassland and cultivation developed on shallow marly silty-clayey soils with steep slopes often exceeding 12%. Almost all suspended sediment loads are transported during storm events that mainly occur in the winter and spring heavy and medium downpours. The scarceness of these events leads to a very large interseasonal variability of the wadi sediment fluxes. The negative impacts of this enhanced sediment mobility are directly felt in the western part of the basin which shows many mass movements, bank and gully erosion because cultivated areas are often bared during autumnal brief flash floods and furrowed downslope during the winter season.     

Effects of sheet flow rate and slope gradient on sediment load

Sheet erosion is known as one of the most important forms of erosion, particularly in agricultural land. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of flow rate and slope gradient on runoff and sediment discharges in two different soils. Experiments were conducted using a tilting flume facility with the test area of 0.2?×?1.0 m. Overall, 24 experiments on two soils (clay loam and sandy clay loam textures) including six flow rates (75, 100, 125, 150, 175, and 200 ml/s) and two slope gradients (1.5 and 2 %) were performed. The selected flow rates and flume slopes were generated to simulate sheet erosion. The results showed that for both soils and slopes, unit flow discharge (q) and sediment concentration increased with increasing flow rate; however, the effect of slope gradient on flow discharge depends on soil type. In addition, sandy clay loam exhibited higher values of q and sediment concentration and consequently, it showed greater amounts of sediment load. At the start of event, sediment concentration was high but it decreased to approach a steady state. In addition, the time needed to reach a steady state condition was shorter for sandy clay loam than that for clay loam soil and in lower flow rates than higher flow rates. For each soil and slope, there was a direct relationship between sediment load and flow rate. The result implied that the effect of slope gradient on sediment load was almost greater in sandy clay loam soil than clay loam soil. Moreover, the differences between sediment loads of two soils are enlarged at slope 2 %.     

滨岸缓冲带对面源污染物的净化效果研究

选择百慕大、白花三叶草、高羊茅三种土著植被和2%、3%、4%、5%4个不同坡度构建了缓冲带现场试验基地,开展面源污染防治试验。结果表明,滨岸缓冲带能有效截留径流水中的悬浮物质和降解渗流水中的氮、磷营养物质;植被和坡度的不同对缓冲带污染物净化效果影响显著,19 m长2%坡度缓冲带悬浮物截留率比5%坡度高14%,19 m长百慕大缓冲带悬浮物截留率比高羊茅高11%;进水浓度在10 mg/L以内时,2%坡度百慕大试验带渗流出水TN浓度低于《地表水环境质量标准》(GB3838-2002)Ⅴ类水标准;进水浓度在0.6 mg/L左右时,百慕大、白花三叶草、高羊茅和2%、3%、4%试验带渗流出水TP浓度均低于GB3838-2002Ⅲ类水标准;计算出缓冲带最佳宽度,2%坡度试验带比5%坡度试验带节约8.6 m,百慕大试验带比高羊茅试验带节约4.3 m。     

Impact of pit-toilet leachate on groundwater chemistry and role of vadose zone in removal of nitrate and E. coli pollutants in Kolar District, Karnataka, India

Assessment of chemistry of groundwater infiltrated by pit-toilet leachate and contaminant removal by vadose zone form the focus of this study. The study area is Mulbagal Town in Karnataka State, India. Groundwater level measurements and estimation of unsaturated permeability indicated that the leachate recharged the groundwater inside the town at the rate of 1 m/day. The average nitrate concentration of groundwater inside the town (148 mg/L) was three times larger than the permissible limit (45 mg/L), while the average nitrate concentration of groundwater outside the town (30 mg/L) was below the permissible limit. The groundwater inside the town exhibited E. coli contamination, while groundwater outside the town was free of pathogen contamination. Infiltration of alkalis (Na⁺, K⁺) and strong acids (Cl^?, SO₄ ^2?) caused the mixed Ca–Mg–Cl type (60 %) and Na–Cl type (28 %) facies to predominate groundwater inside the town, while, Ca–HCO₃ (35 %), mixed Ca–Mg–Cl type (35 %) and mixed Ca–Na–HCO₃ type (28 %) facies predominated groundwater outside/periphery of town. Reductions in E. coli and nitrate concentrations with vadose zone thickness indicated its participation in contaminant removal. A 4-m thickness of unsaturated sand + soft, disintegrated weathered rock deposit facilitates the removal of 1 log of E. coli pathogen. The anoxic conditions prevailing in the deeper layers of the vadose zone (>19 m thickness) favor denitrification resulting in lower nitrate concentrations (28–96 mg/L) in deeper water tables (located at depths of ?29 to ?39 m).     

Combined sewer overflows, sediment accumulation and element patterns of river bed sediments: a quantitative study based on mixing models of composite fingerprints

Stormwater runoff from urban areas and subsequent stormwater-induced effluents from sewer systems may deteriorate the quality of the receiving water sediments by emitting particulate matter and associated pollutants. However, the relevance of stormwater and combined sewer effluents for the pollution of bed sediments was not yet quantified. Therefore, we applied a multivariate mixing model of composite fingerprints to investigate how much stormwater effluent may contribute to the accumulation of fines and associated pollutants in the bed sediment of the Bode River, Germany. In our study, stormwater and combined sewer effluents contribute about 10 % of the fines accumulated in the bed sediment. As stormwater overflow fines are a major carrier of C, N, P, Cu and Zn, up to 40 % of these pollutants in the bed sediment originate from stormwater effluents. Especially N and Zn have to be seen critically because high nutrient concentrations trigger excessive macrophyte growth within the studied river stretch and Zn contents exceed German sediment quality standards (LAWA 1998) in the bed sediment.     

Study on Nitrogen Dynamics at the Sediment–Water Interface of Dongting Lake,China

Eutrophication of lakes and reservoirs has become a worldwide environmental problem, and nitrogen (N) has been recognized as one of the key factors responsible for eutrophication. Nitrogen adsorbed on sediments may be released via chemical and biological processes under changing environmental conditions. Spatial distributions of concentrations of ammonia nitrogen (NH₄ ⁺–N), nitrate nitrogen (NO₃ ^?–N) and total nitrogen (TN) were investigated in sediments and overlying water of Dongting Lake, the second largest freshwater lake in China. The concentration of TN in the sediments exhibited strong spatial variation with relatively high values in the eastern part and relatively low values in the southern part of the lake. The TN concentration in the water of different regions of Dongting Lake was affected by the internal load of sediment N. The vertical distribution of TN in sediment cores showed a decreasing trend with an increase in depth. Concentrations of NH₄ ⁺–N in the sediment cores decreased with the depth increase until 6–8 cm and then increased slowly. However, concentrations of NO₃ ^?–N in the sediment cores showed an opposite trend from those of NH₄ ⁺–N. A kinetic release experiment of NH₄ ⁺–N showed that the maximum release rate occurred in the first 5 min and the amount of NH₄ ⁺–N release reached 77.93–86.34 % of the total amount in 0–10 min. The release of NH₄ ⁺–N in the surface sediments of Dongting Lake fits a first-order kinetics function.     

Wood chips as soil conservation in field conditions

The soil conditioner in processes of soil conservation is important especially in heavily eroded areas. Because in this study done in Educational and Research Forest Watershed of Tarbiat Modares University, north of Iran, the experiments created four treatments of control and different wood chips with rates of 0.5, 1, and 1.5 kg m^?2, by rainfall simulation in rainfall intensity of 60 mm h^?1, and plot scale of 1 m² on changing ponding time, runoff coefficient, sediment concentration, and soil loss. The results showed that the average change ponding time in control treatment and wood chip treatments with rates of 0.5, 1, and 1.5 kg m^?2 were 4.25, 7.48, 11.63, and 12.45 min. Also, the average change runoff coefficient in control treatment and wood chip treatments with rates of 0.5, 1, and 1.5 kg m^?2 were 50.03, 26.27, 15.28, and 13.17 %. The results also indicated that the wood chips could decrease average soil loss with the rates of ?52.15, ?82.18, and ?89.35 % compared with control treatment for 0.5, 1, and 1.5 kg m^?2 of wood chips, respectively. The one-way ANOVA results showed that the runoff coefficient, sediment concentration, and soil loss decreased with increasing wood chip amount, and the effect of conservation treatment was significant on study variables (R ² = 0.99). But, the ponding time increased with increasing wood chip amount, and this effect was significant on study variables (R ² = 0.99).     

Impact of human activity and climate change on suspended sediment load: the upper Yellow River, China

Fluvial suspended sediment has multi-fold environmental implications and the study of the variation in suspended sediment load (SSL) of rivers is important both in environmental earth sciences and in river environmental management. Based on data collected for the upper Yellow River of China in the past 50–60 years, the purpose of this study is to elucidate the impact of human activity and climate change on SSL, thereby to provide some knowledge for the improvement of the drainage basin management. The results show that the SSL of the upper Yellow River exhibited a remarkable decreasing trend. A number of reservoirs trapped a considerable amount of sediment, resulting in a reduction in SSL at Toudaoguai station, the most downstream station of the upper Yellow River. The analyses based on Mann–Kendall’U and double-mass plot indicate some turning points, which were caused by the Liujiaxia and Longyangxia Reservoirs, two major reservoirs on the upper Yellow River. The implementation of soil and water conservation measures reduced the runoff coefficient, and therefore, the intensity of soil erosion. The climate change also played a role in reducing sediment yield. The increase in air temperature enhanced the evapo-transpiration and reduced the runoff, by which the SSL decreased. The decreased frequency of sand-dust storms reduced the amount of wind-blown, sand and dust to the river reaches located in desert, also reducing the SSL. Seven influencing variables are selected to describe the changing human activity and climate. As some of the influencing variables are strongly inter-correlated, the principle component regression was used to establish the relationship between SSL and the influencing variables. The squared multiple correlation coefficient is R ² = 0.823. Some further research is suggested with the minerals and pollutants related with the SSL.     

Assessing sediment regime alteration of the upper Yangtze River

Employing the histogram matching approach, the sediment regime alteration of the upper Yangtze River was assessed and its possible causes and environmental influences were discussed. Daily sediment load and flow data from 1950 to 2008 were collected from Yichang hydrometric station. The annual sediment load series was segmented by heuristic segmentation algorithm in 1986 and 2003, and the multi-year mean values of the three phases were 5.28 × 10⁸, 3.89 × 10⁸ and 0.57 × 10⁸ t, respectively. One change point was found by cross wavelet transform in 2003 when the cross wavelet power became insignificant, which indicates the interruption of the common annual cycle of the sediment load and flow series. The sediment regime from 1986 to 2002 was altered by a total of 41 % compared with the regime from 1950 to 1985. It may be mainly attributed to numerous dams constructed in the tributaries, the Gezhouba Dam constructed in the mainstream, and land use and land cover change, e.g., the increased grassland with a coverage density larger than 50 %. The sediment regime alteration after 2003, assessed to be a total of 83 %, may be mainly attributed to the Three Gorges Reservoir. It breaks the natural process of sediment transport, reduces sediment concentration and releases clear water to the downstream which may result in some environmental problems, e.g., limited nutrients availability, river bed erosion, benthic habitat destruction, etc. The assessment of sediment regime alteration may provide some references for the environmental management and conservation of the Yangtze River.     

Regulation of vegetation pattern on the hydrodynamic processes of erosion on hillslope in Loess Plateau,China

As vegetation are closely related to soil erosion, hydrodynamic parameter changes under various vegetation pattern conditions can be used as an important basis for the research of the soil erosion mechanism. Through upstream water inflow experiments conducted on a loess hillslope, how the vegetation pattern influences the hydrodynamic processes of sediment transport was analyzed. The results show that the placement of a grass strip on the lower upslope can effectively reduce runoff erosion by 69...     

Runoff and water budget of the Liudaogou Catchment at the wind–water erosion crisscross region on the Loess Plateau of China

The objectives of this study were to examine the runoff characteristics and to estimate water budget at the wind–water erosion crisscross region on the Loess Plateau of China. A small catchment known as Liudaogou that has representative meteorological and hydrological conditions of the wind–water erosion crisscross region was chosen as the study location. A numerical model for rainfall-runoff was developed and verified; rainfall-runoff calculation for 5 years (2005–2009) was performed. The observed data and numerical result of the surface runoff were used for evaluating runoff characteristics and estimating the annual water budget. Runoff rate was proportional to average intensity of rain. Even though rainfall duration was for few minutes, surface runoff was generated by intensity of more than 2.6 mm × 5 min^?1, when rainfall duration exceeded 10 h; surface runoff was generated by an intensity of 0.6 mm × 5 min^?1, while annual runoff rate was 10–15 %. The unit area of 1 km² was adopted as the index area for estimating annual water budget. Runoff, evapotranspiration, variation of water storage, and habitant water consumption accounted for 20.4, 75.6, 0, and 4 % of the total annual precipitation, respectively. Results of this study provide the basis for further research on hydrology, water resources, and sustainable water development and utilization at the wind–water erosion crisscross region on the northern Loess Plateau where annual water resources are relatively deficient.     

植被措施与路面汇水对三峡库区土质道路边坡侵蚀影响

研究土质道路边坡在自然恢复、草本、草灌结合及植生带等4种不同植被恢复模式下的降雨侵蚀特征,同时将模拟降雨试验和冲刷试验相结合,研究路面汇水的介入对路堤边坡侵蚀的影响。研究结果表明,在模拟降雨试验下,草灌结合控制路堑边坡侵蚀效果最佳,产流量和产沙量显著低于其他植被模式;草本和草灌结合在路堤边坡降雨和冲刷下,都有显著的截流拦沙能力,且两种措施防护效果相当;路面来水的介入对路堤边坡侵蚀有显著促进作用,加速产流,增加产流量和产沙量。山区道路侵蚀的治理,不但要因地制宜地选择适宜的防护措施,更应该对路面产流和路面汇流进行科学合理的规划,减少其对路面及路堤的冲刷侵蚀。     

Evaluation of sediment yield and soil loss by the MPSIAC model using GIS at Golestan watershed, northeast of Iran

Watershed degradation due to soil erosion and sedimentation is considered to be one of the major environmental problems in Iran. In order to address the critical conditions of watershed degradation in arid and semiarid regions, a study based on the Modified Pacific Southwest Inter-Agency Committee (MPSIAC) model was carried out at Golestan watershed, northeast of Iran. The model information layers comprising nine effective factors in erosion and sedimentation at the watershed site were obtained by digitalization and spatial interpolation of the basic information data in a GIS program. These factors are geology, soil, climate, runoff, topography, land cover, land use, channel, and upland erosion. The source data for the model were obtained from available records on rainfall and river discharge and sediment, topography, land use, geology, and soil maps as well as field surveys and laboratory analysis. The results of the MPSIAC model indicated that 60.75 % (194.4 km²) and 54.97 % (175.9 km²) of the total watershed area were classified in the heavy sedimentation and erosion classes, and the total basin sediment yield and erosion were calculated as 4,171.1 and 17,813.4 m³ km^?2 year^?1, respectively. In the sensitivity analysis, it was found that the most sensitive parameters of the model in order of importance were topography (slope), land cover and use, runoff, and channel erosion (R ²?=?0.92–0.94), while geology, climate (rainfall), soil, and upland erosion factors were found to have moderate effect to the model output (R ²?=?0.74–0.59).