Analysis of the contributions of topographic,soil, and vegetation features on the spatial distributions of surface soil moisture in a steep natural forested headwater catchment

Surface soil moisture has been extensively studied for various land uses and landforms. Although many studies have reported potential factors that control surface soil moisture over space or time, the findings have not always been consistent, indicating a need for identification of the main factors. This study focused on the static controls of topographic, soil, and vegetation features on surface soil moisture in a steep natural forested headwater catchment consisting of three hillslope units of a gully area, side slope, and valley‐head slope. Using a simple correlation analysis to investigate the effects of the static factors on surface soil moisture at depths of 0–20 cm at 470 points in 13 surveys, we addressed the characteristics of surface soil moisture and its main controlling factors. The results indicated that the mean of surface soil moisture was in the decreasing order of gully area > valley‐head slope > side slope. The relationship between the mean and standard deviation of surface soil moisture showed a convex‐upward shape in the headwater catchment, a negative curvilinear shape in the gully area, and positive curvilinear shapes at the side and valley‐head slopes. At the headwater catchment and valley‐head slope, positive contributions of soil porosity and negative contributions of slope gradient and saturated hydraulic conductivity were the main controlling factors of surface soil moisture under wetter conditions, whereas positive contributions of topographic wetness index and negative contributions of vegetation density were the main controlling factors of surface soil moisture under drier conditions. At the side slope underlain by fractured bedrocks, only saturated hydraulic conductivity and vegetation density were observed to be the controlling factors. Surface soil moisture in the gully area was mainly affected by runoff rather than were static features. Thus, using hillslope units is effective for approximately estimating the hydrological behaviours of surface moisture on a larger scale, whereas dependency between the main static factors and moisture conditions is helpful for estimating the spatial distributions of surface moisture on a smaller scale.     

Impact of soil and water conservation measures on catchment hydrological response—a case in north Ethiopia

Impact studies of catchment management in the developing world rarely include detailed hydrological components. Here, changes in the hydrological response of a 200‐ha catchment in north Ethiopia are investigated. The management included various soil and water conservation measures such as the construction of dry masonry stone bunds and check dams, the abandonment of post‐harvest grazing, and the establishment of woody vegetation. Measurements at the catchment outlet indicated a runoff depth of 5 mm or a runoff coefficient (RC) of 1·6% in the rainy season of 2006. Combined with runoff measurements at plot scale, this allowed calculating the runoff curve number (CN) for various land uses and land management techniques. The pre‐implementation runoff depth was then predicted using the CN values and a ponding adjustment factor, representing the abstraction of runoff induced by the 242 check dams in gullies. Using the 2006 rainfall depths, the runoff depth for the 2000 land management situation was predicted to be 26·5 mm (RC = 8%), in line with current RCs of nearby catchments. Monitoring of the ground water level indicated a rise after catchment management. The yearly rise in water table after the onset of the rains (ΔT) relative to the water surplus (WS) over the same period increased between 2002–2003 (ΔT/WS = 3·4) and 2006 (ΔT/WS >11·1). Emerging wells and irrigation are other indicators for improved water supply in the managed catchment. Cropped fields in the gullies indicate that farmers are less frightened for the destructive effects of flash floods. Due to increased soil water content, the crop growing period is prolonged. It can be concluded that this catchment management has resulted in a higher infiltration rate and a reduction of direct runoff volume by 81% which has had a positive influence on the catchment water balance. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Simulating the effects of spatial configurations of agricultural ditch drainage networks on surface runoff from agricultural catchments

The study of runoff is a crucial issue because it is closely related to flooding, water quality and erosion. In cultivated catchments, agricultural ditch drainage networks are known to influence runoff. As anthropogenic elements, agricultural ditch drainage networks can therefore be altered to better manage surface runoff in cultivated catchments. However, the relationship between the spatial configuration, i.e. the density and the topology, of agricultural ditch drainage networks and surface runoff in cultivated catchments is not understood. We studied this relationship by using a random network simulator that was coupled to a distributed hydrological model. The simulations explored a large variety of spatial configurations corresponding to a thousand stochastic agricultural ditch drainage networks on a 6.4 km² Mediterranean cultivated catchment. Next, several distributed hydrological functions were used to compute water flow paths and runoff for each simulation. The results showed that (i) denser networks increased the drained volume and the peak discharge and decreased hillslopes runoff, (ii) greater network density did not affect the surface runoff any further above a given network density, (iii) the correlation between network density and runoff was weaker for small subcatchments (< 2 km²) where the variability in the drained area that resulted from changes in agricultural ditch drainage networks increased the variability of runoff and (iv) the actual agricultural ditch drainage network appeared to be well optimized for managing runoff as compared with the simulated networks. Finally, our results highlighted the role of agricultural ditch drainage networks in intercepting and decreasing overland flow on hillslopes and increasing runoff in drainage networks. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Manganese in runoff from upland catchments: temporal patterns and controls on mobilization / Teneur en manganèse de l'écoulement en bassins versants d'altitude: variations temporelles et contrôles de la mobilisation

Abstract

Knowledge of the hydrochemical dynamics of the trace metal manganese (Mn) in upland catchments is required for water quality management. Stream water Mn and other solutes and flow were monitored in two upland catchments in northern England with different soils: one dominated by peat (HS7), the other by mineral soils (HS4). Maximum Mn concentrations occurred at different times in the two catchments: in summer baseflow at HS4 and during late summer storm events at HS7. A two-component chemical mixing model was used to identify the hydrological processes controlling Mn concentrations in stream water. This approach was more successful for HS4 than HS7, probably because of different processes of Mn release in the two catchments and also difficulties in selecting conservative solutes. Factor analysis of the stream water chemistry data set for each catchment was more useful in identifying the controls on Mn release into runoff. The factors indicate that the main source of Mn at HS4 is the hydrological pathway supplying summer baseflow, whereas at HS7 Mn is released during the rewetting of dried peat soils. Manganese concentrations in stream water in upland catchments appear to depend on soil type and antecedent moisture conditions. This has implications for the design of sampling strategies in upland catchments and also for managing the quality of water supplies from such areas.     

Temporal and spatial rainfall analysis across a humid tropical catchment

Temporal and spatial rainfall patterns were analysed to describe the distribution of daily rainfall across a medium‐sized (379km²) tropical catchment. Investigations were carried out to assess whether a climatological variogram model was appropriate for mapping rainfall taking into consideration the changing rainfall characteristics through the wet season. Exploratory, frequency and moving average analyses of 30 years' daily precipitation data were used to describe the reliability and structure of the rainfall regime. Four phases in the wet season were distinguished, with the peak period (mid‐August to mid‐September) representing the wettest period. A low‐cost rain gauge network of 36 plastic gauges with overflow reservoirs was installed and monitored to obtain spatially distributed rainfall data. Geostatistical techniques were used to develop global and wet season phase climatological variograms. The unscaled climatological variograms were cross‐validated and compared using a range of rainfall events. Ordinary Kriging was used as the interpolation method. The global climatological variogram performed better, and was used to optimize the number and location of rain gauges in the network. The research showed that although distinct wet season phases could be established based on the temporal analysis of daily rainfall characteristics, the interpolation of daily rainfall across a medium‐sized catchment based on spatial analysis was better served by using the global rather than the wet season phase climatological variogram model. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

An assessment of land degradation in the Save catchment of Zimbabwe

The lack of reliable baseline information on land degradation is a hindrance towards its monitoring and mitigation. Of particular interest is the identification of areas susceptible to degradation. In this study, remote sensing and GIS technologies were applied to detect and map susceptibility to land degradation in Buhera district, in Save catchment, Zimbabwe. Data used included Landsat TM and ETM imagery for 1992 and 2002, agro-ecological zones, vegetation cover and population density. The study identified five preliminary categories of degradation susceptibility ranging from very high to low.     

Application of <Superscript>137</Superscript>Cs fingerprinting technique to interpreting sediment production records from reservoir deposits in a small catchment of the Hilly Loess Plateau,China

According to variations of 137Cs and clay contents, 44 flood couplets were identified in a profile of reservoir deposit with a vertical length of 28.12 m in the Yuntaishan Gully. Couplet 27 at the middle of the profile had the highest average 137Cs content of 12.65 Bq kg-1, which indicated the 1963s' deposits, then 137Cs content decreased both downward and upward in the profile. The second top and bottom couplets had average 137Cs contents of 2.15 Bq kg-1 and 0.92 Bq kg-1, respectively. By integrated analysis of reservoir construction and management history, variations of 137Cs contents over the profile, sediment yields of flood couplets and rainfall data during the period of 1958-1970, individual storms related to the flood couplets were identified. 44 floods with a total sediment yield of 2.36×104 m3 occurred and flood events in a year varied between 1 and 10 times during the period of 1960-1970. 7-10 flood events occurred during the wet period of 1961-1964 with very wet autumn, while only 1-2 events during the dry period of 1965-1969. Average annual specific sediment yield was 1.29×104 t km-2 a-1 for the Yuntaishan Gully during the period of 1960-1970, which was slightly higher than 1.11 ×104 t km-2 a-1 for the Upper Yanhe River Basin above the Ganguyi Hydrological Station and slightly lower than 1.40 ×104 t km-2 a-1 for the nearby Zhifang Gully during the same period. Annual specific sediment yields for the Yuntaishan Gully were correlated to the wet season's rainfalls well.     

未来10年我国不同生态区居民点建设占用耕地预测

通过以生态区为单位分析 ,预测 2 0 0 0～ 2 0 10年 10年间人口增长和居民点建设用地需求及其占用耕地面积。研究表明 :全国未来 10年人口净增加 12 6 96万 ,因人口增长造成的居民点建设用地需求 12 6 6 571hm2 ,其中占用耕地达 6 4 5545hm2 。耕地减少最多的是淮北平原、华北平原、长江下游平原、四川盆地丘陵、长江中游平原、闽粤丘陵平原、汾渭谷地等平原区。     

河北省未来耕地养育力研究

文章利用联合国粮农组织的农业生态区域法等方法，测算了河北省未来时期作物潜力总产，预测了人口数量，计算了温饱型，宽裕型，小康型营养水平下2005年和2020年的耕地人口养育量，用耕地养育力指数揭示了人口养育潜力，并在此基础上分析了各市的区域差异，提出了提高耕地养育力，实现耕地可持续利用的对策。     

Quantitative models for reconstructing catchment ice-extent using physical-chemical characteristics of lake sediments

The physical characteristics of surface sediments from a suite of pristine lakes on Signy Island, maritime Antarctic, were used to develop a quantitative link between catchment ice-extent and lake-sediment response. Percentage dry weight, median particle size, percentage loss-on-ignition and wet density of the lakes' surface sediments were the most significant variables explaining contemporary catchment ice-extent. Two independent reconstruction models – Partial Least Squares (PLS) and a Modern Analog Technique (MAT) – were applied to dated sediment cores at two sites on Signy Island. The validity of the reconstructions was tested against historical information on catchment ice-extent. With sufficiently high sedimentation rates and sampling resolution, the models can predict sub-decadal changes in ice-extent. The model results are best regarded as indicators of erosion resulting from meltwater activity in the catchment. Comparison of results with Twentieth Century climate records affirms the hypothesis that climatic warming is the most likely cause for the ice retreat observed on Signy Island during the last 40 yrs. Similar reconstruction models using these simple sedimentary measures could be developed for analogous locations in the Antarctic and in Arctic and Alpine regions.