Patterns and controls of gully growth along the shoreline of Lake Huron

An empirical approach was used to examine the morphology and behaviour of gullies along the eastern shoreline of Lake Huron, Canada. Gully and watershed dimensions and percentage vegetation cover of a sample of 44 gullies were measured from aerial photographs between 1930 and 1992. Gullies with larger watersheds had higher area growth rates. Larger gullies continue to expand over time while small gullies are more likely to become stable. Growth rates increased between 1955 and 1978 because of increased snowfall, extreme flow events, the extension of municipal drains, and the use of subsurface drainage. After 1970, efforts to rehabilitate gullies using drain pipes and check dams contributed to a decrease in gully growth rates. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

黄土陡坡裸露坡耕地浅沟发育过程研究

根据黄土陡坡地浅沟地形特征参数,在室内人工建筑浅沟发育初期的雏形模型,研究浅沟发育不同阶段沟头溯源侵蚀、沟壁扩张和沟槽下切变化规律,分析浅沟侵蚀对坡面侵蚀产沙的贡献。结果表明,浅沟发育不同阶段对应于不同的浅沟侵蚀过程。浅沟发育初期,沟头溯源侵蚀、沟壁扩展和沟床下切均相对活跃,且溯源侵蚀速率大于沟壁扩张速率和沟床下切速率;浅沟发育中期,以沟槽下切和沟壁扩张为主;浅沟发育后期,以沟壁扩张为主,但沟壁扩张速率明显小于浅沟发育的初期和中期阶段。浅沟发育初期和中期阶段,浅沟侵蚀量占总坡面侵蚀产沙的58%;浅沟发育后期,浅沟侵蚀量占总坡面侵蚀产沙的26%~59%。     

黄土丘陵沟壑区生态移民过程及其生态系统服务价值评价——以宁夏海原县为例

以海原县为研究对象,以2000、2005、2010和2015年遥感数据为基础数据,综合运用土地利用动态度、生态系统服务价值评价模型、地理探测器等模型对海原县2000—2015年的生态系统服务价值时空变化进行研究。结果显示：2000—2015年海原县土地利用类型发生明显变化,林地、建设用地、水域以及园地面积分别增加24 532.56hm2、13 233.71hm2、1 093.58hm2和812.16hm2,而耕地、草地和未利用地面积呈下降趋势,其中未利用面积下降幅度最大,共减少21 333.05hm2;研究期间海原县生态系统服务价值呈现出逐年增加的变化趋势,由2000年的37.25×108元增加至2015年的62.23×108元,变化率为67.07%,而林地、园地和水域面积的增加是海原县生态系统服务价值增加的关键;从态系统服务价值空间分布来看,海原县生态系统服务价值在空间呈现出由西南向东北递减的变化趋势;研究期间研究区生态系统单项服务价值均呈现出增加的变化趋势,其中废物处理和水源涵养增加量最大,其次是生物多样性和气候调节,而食物生产、原材料生产以及娱乐文化增加量最低,说明海原县的生态系统调节服务>支持服务>供给服务>文化服务;通过地理探测器诊断发现草地、园地、林地、气候调节、土壤形成与保护、生物多样性保护的决定力q值均＞0.8,说明这6项因子对研究区生态系统服务价值变化具有重要的影响作用。     

沙漠沟谷暴雨洪水侵蚀产沙特征

在半干旱区的季节性沙漠沟谷,暴雨引发的洪水过程侵蚀产沙强度大,水土流失严重,对区域及下游河道生态造成严重威胁。以毛布拉孔兑的支沟苏达尔沟为研究对象,以苏达尔沟2011—2015年6次暴雨洪水事件的观测数据为基础,分析洪水流量、泥沙浓度及地表沉积物粒度特征,给出暴雨洪水侵蚀产沙输沙特征。结果表明:观测期间暴雨洪水侵蚀产沙量平均每次约37.69×10~4t,产沙模数为0.57×10~4t·km^-2;其中最大的洪水事件130721号暴雨洪水过程侵蚀产沙量高达90.47×10~4t,产沙模数达1.36×10~4t·km^-2。流域总侵蚀产沙以0.25～0.063 mm泥沙为主,约占总侵蚀量74%。洪水总侵蚀产沙量随暴雨产流强度增强而增加,同时下游沙漠沙地段产沙贡献比重也随之增加,风沙贡献也相应增大。坡面侵蚀约占暴雨洪水总侵蚀的4.37%,且主要集中在上游砒砂岩坡面。     

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

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

Impacts of headcut height on flow energy,sediment yield and surface landform during bank gully erosion processes in the Yuanmou Dry‐hot Valley region,southwest China

To quantify the changes in flow energy, sediment yield and surface landform impacted by headcut height during bank gully erosion, five experimental platforms were constructed with different headcut heights ranging from 25 to 125 cm within an in situ active bank gully head. A series of scouring experiments were conducted under concentrated flow and the changes in flow energy, sediment yield and surface landform were observed. The results showed that great energy consumption occurred at gully head compared to the upstream area and gully bed. The flow energy consumption at gully heads and their contribution rates increased significantly with headcut height. Gully headcuts also contributed more sediment yield than the upstream area. The mean sediment concentrations at the outlet of plots were 2.3 to 7.3 times greater than those at the end of upstream area. Soil loss volume at gully heads and their contribution rates also increased with headcut height significantly. Furthermore, as headcut height increased, the retreat distance of gully heads increased, which was 1.7 to 8.9 times and 1.1 to 3.2 times greater than the incision depth of upstream area and gully beds. Positive correlations were found between energy consumption and soil loss, indicating that energy consumption could be used to estimate soil loss of headcut erosion. Headcut height had a significant impact on flow energy consumption, and thus influenced the changes in sediment yield and landform during the process of gully headcut erosion. Headcut height was one of the important factors for gully erosion control in this region. Further studies are needed to identify the role of headcut height under a wide condition. Copyright © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Application of a simple headcut advance model for gullies

Gully erosion begins in streambanks and uplands as a consequence of adjustments in driving forces on the landscape imposed by changes in land use or climate. The deleterious effects of gullies worldwide have led to many site‐specific studies of gully form and function. In the continental United States, gully erosion in agricultural land has destroyed valuable farmland yet, prediction of gully processes remains problematic on a national scale. This research has proposed a simple method to predict gully headcut advance. When combined with SWAT hydrologic flow routines, the model predicted gully headcut advance with reasonable accuracy on a daily time step for time periods exceeding two decades. The model was tested in two distinct land resource areas of the United States with differing climate, soils, cover and drainage. The inputs for the headcut model have been kept simple as the model will be applied over large areas. Model inputs consist of headcut height, headcut resistance (based on soil erodibility and a root‐cover factor), and daily flow. The model is compared with an annual time step model used in assessment of headcut advance and appears to offer a better way to assess gully headcut advance. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

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

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

Effects of aspect on weathering: anomalous behaviour of sandstone gravestones in southeast England

Rocks in the humid temperate zone tend to weather more severely on faces exposed to the prevailing winds than on their more sheltered leeward faces. In southeast England, however, gravestones composed of a non‐local, quartz‐rich sandstone exhibit a reverse weathering pattern. The east‐facing, lee sides exhibit a much greater depth and areal extent of weathering than the west sides which face the westerly wind and rain. Possible reasons for the asymmetric pattern of weathering are discussed. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Observations of C2 Molecules in the Coma of Comets at Mitaka

In order to monitor the various phenomena of comets, we continuously made the near-nucleus imaging observations of comets at National Astronomical Observatory, Mitaka. Here we report on the results of the observations of two spectacular comets. One is the analysis of photometry of C₂ emission images in the coma of comet Hyakutake (C/1996 B2). By comparing the production rates of C₂ radicals with C₂H₂ molecules, we conclude that the most C₂ radicals were originated from C₂H₂, while some of them might be produced from other parents. The second item is the analysis of the morphology of C₂ emission images in the coma of comet Hale-Bopp(C/1995 O1). By applying a ring masking technique, we detected asymmetrical distribution of the C₂ molecules. The results of these two comets might suggest that a portion of C₂ radicals were formed by the disintegration of the small organic dust grains, like the so-called CHON particles. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.