Erosion processes in karst landscapes of the Russian plain northern taiga,based on digital elevation modeling

This paper considers the problems of the potential development of erosion processes in the natural landscapes of northern taiga in the Russian plain. It is considered that in forest ecosystems, erosion processes are slow and are weakly reflected in the terrain. However, the situation changes radically if the vegetation cover integrity is violated, which is inevitable with the modern methods of developing northern territories. Furthermore, global changes in average annual temperatures and the occurrence of karst processes may be the reason behind the development of erosion processes. The authors suggest a method for determining territories with a varying occurrence probability of erosional processes, based on digital elevation modelling. The territory of the Pinezhsky Nature Reserve(Arkhangelsk region) was chosen as the test plot. Direct field studies were previously used to detect exogenous geological processes in this territory. The authors were the first to suggest digital elevation modelling as a method that allows determining the potential danger of erosion in karst landscapes of the northern taiga. The geomorphometric studies resulted in the determination of areas with the greatest and lowest occurrence probability of erosion processes in the Pinezhsky Nature Reserve. It was established that the most significant erosion type was linear erosion, represented by incised river valleys and karst ravines. Sheet erosion is less significant and occurs as sinkholes, local declines, and chasms over the valleys of subterranean rivers.

Study of Spatial and Temporal Processes of Soil Erosion on Sloping Land Using Rare Earth Elements As Tracers

Rare earth elements (REE) were used to study the temporal and spatial processes of soil erosion from different depths and sections of a slope. Two simulated rainfall events were applied to a prepared plot with a slope of 22°. The total runoff and sediment yield were collected every minute during the rainfall events. During the first twenty minutes of the first rainfall event, the average rate of rill erosion and the accumulated sediment yield due to rill erosion was 0.5 and 0.3 times higher than for sheet erosion. During this time, most of the erosion occurred on the lower one third of the plot. After 20 min, rill erosion became the dominant process on the slope. The average acceleration in the rate of rill erosion, the rate of rill erosion and the accumulated sediment yield due to rill erosion were 42, 6 and 4 times higher than that of sheet erosion, respectively. During the first 35 minutes of the second rainfall event, the average acceleration in the rate of rill erosion was 6～9 times higher than that of sheet erosion. Afterwards, the slope became nearly stable with little change in either rill or sheet erosion rates. Initially, most of the rill erosion occurred in the lower third of the slope but later the preexisting rillhead in the middle section of the slope became reactivated and erosion in this section of the slope increased rapidly. These results indicate that REE tracer technology is a valuable tool for quantifying spatial and temporal changes in erosion from a soil slope.

Comparing surface erosion processes in four soils from the Loess Plateau under extreme rainfall events

This research aims to improve erosion control practice in the Loess Plateau,by studying the surface erosion processes,including splash,sheet/interrill and rill erosion in four contrasting soils under high rainfall intensity(120 mm h^(−1))with three-scale indoor artificial experiments.Four contrasting soils as sandy loam,sandy clay loam,clay loam and loamy clay were collected from different parts of the Loess Plateau.The results showed that sediment load was significantly impacted by soil properties in all three sub-processes.Splash rate(4.0-21.6 g m^(−2∙)min^(−1))was highest in sandy loam from the north part of the Loess Plateau and showed a negative power relation with the mean weight diameter of aggregates after 20 min of rainfall duration.The average sediment load by sheet/interrill erosion(6.94-42.86 g m^(−2∙)min^(−1))was highest in clay loam from middle part of the Loess Plateau,and the stable sediment load after 20 min showed a positive power relation with the silt content in soil.The average sediment load increased dramatically by rill and interrill erosion(21.03-432.16 g m^(−2∙)min^(−1)),which was highest in loamy clay from south part of the Loess Plateau.The average sediment load after the occurrence of rill showed a positive power relation with clay content and a negative power relation with soil organic matter content.The impacts of slope gradient on the runoff rate and sediment load also changed with soil properties.The critical factors varied for different processes,which were the aggregate size for splash erosion,the content of silt particles and slope gradient for sheet/interrill erosion,and the content of clay particles,soil organic matter and slope gradient for rill erosion.Based on the results of the experiments,specific erosion control practices were proposed by targeting certain erosion processes in areas with different soil texture and different distribution of slope gradient.The findings from this study should support the improvement of erosion prediction and cropland management in different regions of the Loess Plateau.

Hillslope soil erosion and runoff model for natural rainfall events

By using the momentum theorem and waterbalance principle, basic equations of slope runoff were derived, soil erosion by raindrop splash and runoff were discussed and a model was established for decribing hillslope soil erosion processes. The numerical solution of the model was obtained by adopting the Preissmann format and considering the common solution-determining conditions, from which not only the runoff and soil erosion but also their processes can be described. The model was validated by ten groups of observation data of Soil Conservation Ecological Science and Technology Demonstration Park of Jiangxi Province. Comparisons show that the maximum relative error between simulation and experimental data is about 10.98% for total runoff and 15 % for total erosion, 5.2% for runoffprocess and 6.1% for erosion process, indicating that the model is conceptually realistic and reliable and offers a feasible approach for further studies on the soil erosion process.

Landslides & Debris Flows Formation from Gravelly Soil Surface Erosion and Particle Losses in Jiangjia Ravine

Gravelly soils are made up of gravel, sand, silt and clay. They are widely used in engineering applications such as rock-fill dams with clay cores, which are the main researches at present. The strength and mechanical properties of the gravelly soils are affected by the content of coarse grain, fine particles, and their adhesive states. These Properties can be verified by laboratory unconsolidated undrained triaxial tests with grain size less than 5 mm and by large scale direct-shear tests with original grain content. Fine particles of the loose gravelly slopes are released under rainfalls, alternated the structures and mechanical properties, even affected the slope stability. There are a series of large scale direct-shear tests with different coarse grain contents to study the influence of fine particles releasing and migration, results showed the strength behavior of the gravelly soils were affected by the coarse grain content （5） and the inflection coarse grain contents. In order to study the erosion features of the gravelly soil slopes on rainfall conditions and the slopes stability alteration, we had carried out one sort of artificial rainfall local and model experiments, the runoff sediment contents were monitored during the experiments. Result showed that the shapes of the slopes surface transformed periodically, runoff sediment contents were divided into five phases according to the experiment phenomena, runoff sediment contents maintained downtrend during the rain time and the downtrend was obviouslyinterpreted by one descend belt no matter the rainfall intensity and the slope angels. Particle size analysis released the deposit on the slope surface lost almost all of the clay, most of the silt and sand after the experiments, this meant the fine particles releasing, migration and accumulation process on condition of rainfall resulted in the instability factor of the slopes even induced landslide or debris flow.

Episodic Orogeny Deduced from Coeval Sedimentary Sequences in the Foreland Basin and Its Implication for Uplift Process of Longmen Mountain,China

Longmen Mountain located at the boundary between the Sichuan Basin and Tibetan Plateau,representing the steepest gradient of any edges of the plateau.Three endmember models of uplift process and mechanism have been proposed,including crustal thickening,crustal flow,and crustal isostatic rebound.Here we use coeval sedimentary sequences in the foreland basin to restraint uplift process and mechanism in the Longmen Mountain.The more than 10,000 m thick Late TriassicQuaternary strata filled in this foreland basin and can be divided into six megasequences that are distinguished as two distinct types.The first type is the wedge-shaped megasequences which are sedimentary response of strong active thrust loading events,characterized by a high rate of subsidence and sediment accumulation,coarsening-upward succession and a dual-sourced sediment supply.This type includes Late Triassic,Late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous and Late Cretaceous to Paleogene megasequences.The second type is the tabular megasequences,characterized by the low rate of subsidence and sediment accumulation,finingupward succession,and a single-sourced sediment supply,which is sedimentary response of isostatic rebound and erosion unloading.This type includes the Early to Middle Jurassic,Middle Cretaceous and Neogene to Quaternary megasequences.Basing on sedimentary,active tectonic,geomorphic evidence,we infer that the direction has been reversed from SSWdirected sinistral strike-slip to NNE-directed dextral strike-slip during 40-3.6 Ma,and since 3.6 Ma,the Longmen Mountain thrust belt belong to times of isostatic rebound and erosional unloading with NNEdirected dextral strike-slip.This suggests that crustal isostatic rebound is a primary driver for uplift and topography of the present Longmen Mountain.The Wenchuan(Ms8.0) earthquake,which ruptured a large thrust fault with NNE-directed dextral strikeslip along the range front,is an active manifestation of this crustal isostatic rebound process with dextral strike-slipping and shortening.This process may be the cause for the Wenchuan Earthquake and the apparent paradox of high relief,little shortening,the relative dearth of historical seismicity in the region.

Lithic soils in the semi-arid region of Brazil:edaphic characterization and susceptibility to erosion

Soils(Leptosols or Epileptic Regosols)with lithic contact at a depth of 50 cm occupy almost 20%of the Brazilian semi-arid region.These lithic soils are susceptible to erosion due to faster saturation of water-holding capacity during rainfall,which accelerates the beginning of runoff.However,erosion traits of lithic soils in the semi-arid region of Brazil are less studied.The aim of this study was to characterize the soil and landscape attributes in areas with Neossolos Litólicos(Entisols)in the Caatinga biome to identify region of high susceptibility to erosion.Results showed that the soils were characterized by a sandy texture,soil structure with poor development and low content of organic carbon.These attributes increase susceptibility to erosion and reduce water storage capacity,especially in the states of Cearáand Sergipe.In these states,the content of rock fragments in the soil reaches 790 g/kg.High contents of silt and fine sand,high silt/clay ratio,predominance of Leptosols and strong rainfall erosivity were observed in Piauíand northwestern Ceará.A very high degree of water erosion was observed in the states of Pernambuco and Paraíba.Despite the low degree of erosion observed in the state of Bahia,it is highly susceptible to erosion due to the predominance of very shallow soils,rugged relief and high values of rainfall erosivity.Lower vulnerability was observed in the state of Alagoas because of its more smoothed relief,greater effective soil depth,thicker A horizon of soil and lower rainfall erosivity.In general,the characteristics that intensify the susceptibility to erosion in the Caatinga biome are those soil structures with poor development or without aggregation,low contents of organic carbon,high contents of silt and fine sand,high values of silt/clay ratio and rugged relief in some regions.This study collected information contributing to a better characterization of soils with lithic contact in the semi-arid region of Brazil.In addition,regions with a higher susceptibility to erosion were identified,revealing insights that could help develop strategies for environmental risk mitigation.

Field experimental study on the effect of thawed depth of frozen alpine meadow soil on rill erosion by snowmelt waterflow

Soil erosion by snow or ice melt waterflow is an important type of soil erosion in many high-altitude and high-latitude regions and is further aggravated by climate warming.The snowmelt waterflow erosion process is affected by soil freeze-thaws and is highly dynamically variable.In this study,a methodology was developed to conduct in situ field experiments to investigate the effects of the thawed depth of the frozen soil profile on snowmelt waterflow erosion.The method was implemented on an alpine meadow soil slope at an altitude of 3700 m on the northeastern Tibetan Plateau.The erosion experiments involved five thawed soil depths of 0,10,30(35),50,and 80(100)mm under two snowmelt waterflow rates(3 and 5 L/min).When the topsoil was fully frozen or shallow-thawed(≤10 mm),its hydrothermal and structural properties caused a significant lag in the initiation of runoff and delayed soil erosion in the initial stage.The runoff and sediment concentration curves for fully frozen and shallow-thawed soil showed two-stage patterns characteristic of a sediment supply limited in the early stage and subject to hydrodynamic-controlled processes in the later stage.However,this effect did not exist where the thawed soil depth was greater than 30 mm.The deep-thawed cases(≥30 mm)showed normal hydrograph and sedigraph patterns similar to those of the unfrozen soil.The findings of this study are important for understanding the erosion rates of partially thawed soil and for improving erosion simulations in cold regions.

莱州湾南岸海岸侵蚀过程与原因研究

采用历史资料对比分析的方法，对莱州湾南岸1958-2004年的海岸侵蚀进行了研究。结果表明，1958-1984年，莱州湾南岸岸线平均侵蚀后退速率为27m／a，0m等深线后退速率为27～65m／a，岸滩平均蚀低速率为2．1cm／a。1984-2004年，莱州湾南岸岸线位置基本无变化，岸滩平均蚀低速率为1.04cm／a，水深5m以浅的区域表层沉积物变粗。海面相对上升、入海泥沙量减少和风暴潮是研究区海岸侵蚀主要原因，三者对海岸侵蚀影响权重比为3：5：2。

几种土壤的细沟侵蚀过程及其影响因素

通过间隔为11h的二次人工模拟降雨和冲蚀槽试验研究了10种土壤的侵蚀过程,发现在第2次降雨中大多数土壤出现了细沟侵蚀形式。采样微形态观察发现,在第1次降雨中形成结皮的土壤在第2次降雨中出现了细沟侵蚀;产流产沙观测发现所有出现细沟侵蚀的土壤在第1次降雨中径流含沙量逐渐减少,而第2次降雨中有一个先剧增后减少的过程。土壤理化分析及多元逐步回归分析结果表明,土壤颗粒组成、有机质含量、铁铝含量等因素对细沟侵蚀的影响表现不明显,而与土壤团聚体有关结构指标、细沟侵蚀、产流产沙速率及总量呈显著相关关系。分析表明,团聚体分散度、崩解速率与渗透系数之比两个指标能较好地预测细沟侵蚀发生的可能性,同时也能很好地预测侵蚀产沙量。

地形等高线的分形特征及其动力学含义

以天山地区不同地貌类型的地形等高线为研究对象 ,用尺度法探讨了它们的分形特征 .结果表明 :在 0 .1至 2 0 0km的标度范围内 ,不同地貌类型等高线具有不同的分形特点 ,而且与标度有关 .陆地表面地形等高线分维值与地貌侵蚀作用和不均匀堆积作用的强度密切相关 。

现代黄河口地形地貌特征及冲淤变化

中科院海洋所2007年对黄河口进行了大范围、高精度的水深测量,2009年又对清水沟南部进行了加密测量。利用这些数据分析了现代黄河口的地形地貌特征。发现废弃河口黄河水下三角洲前缘斜坡,在5 m水深左右分布大规模的冲沟,2009年最新资料显示其规模有增大的趋势。将收集到的2000年和2007年数据进行对比计算,并对近年来老河口和现行河口地形变化比较大的区域设计了4条剖面线,分析讨论了研究区内的冲蚀淤积分布特点和水下三角洲地形变化情况。

The characteristics of rill development and their effects on runoff and sediment yield under different slope gradients

Rill formation is the predominant erosion process in slope land in the Loess Plateau, China. This study was conducted to investigate rill erosion characteristics and their effects on runoff and sediment yielding processes under different slope gradients at a rate of 10°, 15°, 20° and 25° with rainfall intensity of 1.5 mm min-1 in a laboratory setting. Results revealed that mean rill depth and rill density has a positive interrelation to the slope gradient. To the contrary, width-depth ratio and distance of the longest rill to the top of the slope negatively related to slope gradient. All these suggested that increasing slope steepness could enhance rill headward erosion, vertical erosion and the fragmentation of the slope surface. Furthermore,total erosion tended to approach a stable maximum value with increasing slope, which implied that there is probably a threshold slope gradient where soil erosion begins to weaken. At the same time, the correlation analysis showed that there was a close connection between slope gradient and the variousindices of soil erosion: the correlation coefficients of slope gradient with maximal rill depth, number of rills and the distance of the longest rill from the top of the slope were 0.98, 0.97 and-0.98, respectively,indicating that slope gradient is the major factor of affecting the development of rills. Furthermore,runoff was not sensitive to slope gradient and rill formation in this study. Sediment concentration,however, is positively related to slope gradient and rill formation, the sediment concentrations increased rapidly after rill initiation, especially. These results may be essential for soil loss prediction.

Obtaining morphometric variables from gullies using two methods of interpolation laser scanner data:the case study of Vassouras,Brazil

Gully erosion is a worldwide problem of land degradation and water quality,and it is also frequent in Brazil.Typically,anthropic influence is the major driver of gully evolution.To study and monitor gullies it is necessary to use specific instruments and methods to obtain accurate information.The objective of this study was to use Terrestrial Laser Scanning(TLS) to create digital elevation model(DEM) accurately and define morphometric variables that characterize gullies in a mountainous relief.Two different interpolations were evaluated using the Topogrid and GridSurfaceCreate algorithms to elaborate DEM.Topographic profile for gullies was used to assess modeling quality.The DEM of the Gully 1(G1) from the Topogrid algorithm estimated soil loss of 49%,whereas the GridSurfaceCreate algorithm estimated a soil loss of97%,in a period of 1 year.The estimated soil loss for the Gully 2(G2) was 14% from the Topogrid,and 8%from the GridSurfaceCreate algorithm.The GridSurfaceCreate algorithm underestimated the volume to area ratio for G2 due to a failure on interpolating a region of low point representativity.The Topogrid algorithm represented better the terrain irregularities,as observed through the topographic profiles traced in three regions of G1 and G2.Statistical analysis showed that the GridSurfaceCreate algorithm presented lower accuracy in estimating elevations.The underestimation trend of this algorithm was also observed in G2.The gullies showed considerable soil losses,which may reduce the areas suitable for agricultural activities,and silting up of water courses.The Topogrid algorithm presented satisfactory results,denoting great potential to produce morphometric data of gullies.

沉积盆地波动分析与不整合剥蚀量研究——以新疆塔里木盆地为例

沉积盆地波动分析是定量研究不整合剥蚀量的有效方法之一．该方法从地层资料入手，通过沉降史研究，恢复地层原始厚度，建立反映盆地沉积—剥蚀过程的波动方程，实现对沉积—剥蚀过程的定量预测．对新疆塔里木盆地的沉积波动分析表明，海西早期构造事件、海西末期构造事件和印支期构造事件引起的隆升剥蚀最为强烈，并以塔中隆起、塔东地区和塔北隆起造成的剥蚀量最大．

塔里木盆地塔中30井区剖面波动过程分析

根据波动方程，７４０Ｍａ、２２０Ｍａ、１０５Ｍａ、３１Ｍａ和１０Ｍａ是控制塔中３０井区构造演化过程的主要周期，尤其是２２０Ｍａ周期控制了大地构造演化阶段．寒武纪—早志留世，该井区总体上处于快速沉降阶段；志留纪末—泥盆纪，以抬升剥蚀为主；石炭纪—二叠纪，沉积与剥蚀幅度均不大．

Transport mechanism of eroded sediment particles under freeze-thaw and runoff conditions

Hydraulic erosion associated with seasonal freeze-thaw cycles is one of the most predominant factors,which drives soil stripping and transportation.In this study,indoor simulated meltwater erosion experiments were used to investigate the sorting characteristics and transport mechanism of sediment particles under different freeze-thaw conditions(unfrozen,shallow-thawed,and frozen slopes)and runoff rates(1,2,and 4 L/min).Results showed that the order of sediment particle contents was silt>sand>clay during erosion process on unfrozen,shallow-thawed,and frozen slopes.Compared with original soils,clay and silt were lost,and sand was deposited.On unfrozen and shallow-thawed slopes,the change of runoff rate had a significant impact on the enrichment of clay,silt,and sand particles.In this study,the sediment particles transported in the form of suspension/saltation were 83.58%–86.54%on unfrozen slopes,69.24%–84.89%on shallow-thawed slopes,and 83.75%–87.44%on frozen slopes.Moreover,sediment particles smaller than 0.027 mm were preferentially transported.On shallow-thawed slope,relative contribution percentage of suspension/saltation sediment particles gradually increased with the increase in runoff rate,and an opposite trend occurred on unfrozen and frozen slopes.At the same runoff rate,freeze-thaw process had a significant impact on the relative contribution percentage of sediment particle transport via suspension/saltation and rolling during erosion process.The research results provide an improved transport mechanism under freeze-thaw condition for steep loessal slopes.

二连盆地反转构造反转程度定量研究及对油气成藏的影响

基于二连盆地8个富油凹陷的三维地震资料、录井、岩心、薄片观察以及包裹体测试资料,对二连盆地反转构造的反转程度进行定量研究,提出用剥蚀比率表征褶皱型反转构造反转程度,并统计剥蚀比率与反转构造含油气性的关系,以巴音都兰凹陷为例研究反转程度对油气成藏的影响。研究结果表明：剥蚀比率在0.22~0.46之间,即反转程度适中时,反转构造含油气性较好;适度的反转对裂谷盆地圈闭形成有建设作用,可以形成挤压反转背斜及砂岩上倾尖灭等圈闭构造;同时适度的反转挤压会促进云质储层次生孔隙和裂缝的产生,对储层的形成和改造有积极影响;此外反转引起的地层抬升影响源岩生烃及油气成藏过程：导致源岩两次生烃及油藏两期成藏,且反转程度的差异导致凹陷内深洼带油藏以早期低熟油充注成藏为主,缓坡带油藏以晚期成熟油充注成藏为主。

Role of debris flow on the change of^10Be concentration in rapidly eroding watersheds:a case study on the Seti River,central Nepal

The concentration of cosmogenic loBe in riverine sediments has been widely used as a proxy for catchment-wide denudation rate （CWDR）. One of the key assumptions of this approach is that sediments originating from sub-basins with different erosional histories are well mixed. A tragic debris flow occurred in the Seti River watershed, central Nepal, on May 5, 2012. This catastrophic debris flow was triggered by slope failure on the peak of Annapurna IV and resulted in many casualties in the lower Seti Khola. However, it provided an opportunity to test the assumption of equal mixing of sediments in an understudied rapidly eroding watershed. This study documents the CWDR of ^10Be to evaluate the extent of the influence of episodic erosional processes such as debris flow on the spatio-temporal redistribution of loBe concentrations. Our data show that the debris flow caused little change in CWDR across the debris flow event. In addition to isotopic measurement, we calculated denudation rates by using the modeled concentrations in pre- and post-landslide sediments based on the local ^10Be production rate. The modeled result showed little change across the event, indicating that the debris flow in May 2012 played a minor role in sediment evacuation, despite the rapid erosion in the catchment. Our study concludes that although the 2012 event caused many casualties and severe damage, it was a low-magnitude, high frequency event.

Soil Erosion Characteristics According to Tree-rings in a Karst Area

Dendrogeomorphological method was used to study soil erosion in two typical karst sites （Puding and Zhengfeng） in Guizhou Province, China. Eleven pairs of exposed and unexposed tree roots were measured in the field and sampled for anatomical characteristics. The results showed that the exposed roots recorded karst soil erosion. Significant changes were shown in the anatomical characteristics of the exposed tree roots when soil erosion occurred, such as suddenly narrower tree rings, smaller cells, and fewer earlywood cells. Meanwhile, the fabre lumen and vessel lumen areas markedly declined to the range of 39.20% to 70.66%, which only slightly implies soil erosion. The accurate time period during which soil erosion occurred was identified and combined with the age of the tree roots. Dynamics of soil erosion were calculated and soil erosion recorded by the exposed roots from 2002 to 2007 at an average rate of 0.484 t y^-1 at Puding, and from 2005 to 2007 at an average rate of 0.051 t y^-1 at Zhenfeng. Karst soil erosion was recorded by not only one species but by multi species of broadleaf tree roots, which can significantly enhance the study of karst soil erosion through the use of Dendrogeomorphological method. The quantity of eroded soil was found to be extremely large when records from the exposed tree roots were compared with estimates from site measurements of runoff. The major type of karst soil erosion was underground soil loss and this comprised approximately 2/3 of total erosion.