An Exploratory Analysis of Vegetation Strategies to Reduce Shallow Landslide Activity on Loess Hillslopes, Northeast Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, China

Heavy summer rainfall induces significant soil erosion and shallow landslide activity on the loess hillslopes of the Xining Basin at the northeast margin of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. This study examines the mechanical effects of five native shrubs that can be used to reduce shallow landslide activity. We measured single root tensile resistance and shear resistance, root anatomical structure and direct shear and triaxial shear for soil without roots and five root- soil composite systems. Results show that Atriplex canescens （Pursh） Nutt. possessed the strongest roots, followed by Caragana korshinskii Kom., Zygophyllum xanthoxylon （Bunge） Maxim., Nitraria tangutorum Bobr. and Lycium chinense Mill. Single root strength and shear resistance relationships with root diameter are characterized by power or exponential relations, consistent with the Mohr- Coulomb law. Root mechanical strength reflects their anatomical structure, especially the percentage of phloem and xylem cells, and the degree and speed of periderm lignifications. The cohesion force of root- soil composite systems is notably higher than that of soil without roots, with increasing amplitudes of cohesion force for A. canescens, C. korshinskii, Z. xanthoxylon, N. tangutorurn and L. chinense of 75.9%, 75.1%, 36.2%, 24.6% and 17.0 % respectively. When subjected to shear forces, the soil without root samples show much greater lateral deformation thanthe root-soil composite systems, reflecting the restraining effects of roots. Findings from this paper indicate that efforts to reduce shallow landslides in this region by enhancing root reinforcement will be achieved most effectively using A. canescens and C. korshinskii.

Modeling of Hillslope Runoff and Soil Erosion at Rainfall Events Using Cellular Automata Approach

A novel quantitative cellular automata (CA) model that simulates and predicts hillslope runoff and soil erosion caused by rainfall events was developed by integrating the local interaction rules and the hillslope surface hydraulic processes. In this CA model, the hillslope surface was subdivided into a series of discrete spatial cells with the same geometric features. At each time step, water and sediment were transported between two adjacent spatial cells. The flow direction was determined by a combination of water surface slope and stochastic assignment. The amounts of interchanged water and sediment were computed using the Chezy-Manning formula and the empirical sediment transport equation. The water and sediment discharged from the open boundary cells were considered as the runoff and the sediment yields over the entire hillslope surface. Two hillslope soil erosion experiments under simulated rainfall events were carried out. Cumulative runoff and sediment yields were measured, respectively. Then, the CA model was applied to simulate the water and soil erosion for these two experiments. Analysis of simulation results indicated that the size of the spatial cell, hydraulic parameters, and the setting of time step and iteration times had a large impact on the model accuracy. The comparison of the simulated and measured data suggested that the CA model was an applicable alternate for simulating the hillslope water flow and soil erosion.

The influence of plant root system architectural properties upon the stability of loess hillslopes,Northeast Qinghai,China

To investigate the influence of root system architectural properties of three indigenous （cold- adapted） shrubs on the hillslope stability of loess deposits in the Xining Basin, northeast part of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau （QTP）, indoor direct shear tests have been conducted on the remolded rooted soil of three shrubs. Test results show that root system architectural indices （root area ratio （RAR）, root length density （RLD） and root density （RD）） of the shrubs decline with depth and the relationship between RAR, RD and depth is exponential, while a power relationship describes the relationship between RLD and depth. The cohesion force of remolded rooted soil for the shrubs initially increases with depth, but it then demonstrates a slightly decreasing trend, which can be described with a power relationship. Power relationships also describe relationships between cohesion force and RAR, RLD and RD for the shrubs. As the growth period increases from lO to 17 months, the incremental increase in RAR is 48.32% ~ 21o.25% for Caragana korshinskii Kom and 0.56% ~ 166.85% for ZygophyUum xanthoxylon （Bunge） Maxim. This proportional increase is notably larger than that for RLD and RD. The increment in RAR is marginally greater for C. korshinskff than it is for Z. xanthoxylon. Correspondingly, the cohesion force incremental rates of remolded rooted soil for C. korshinskii and Z. xanthoxylon are 12.41% ~ 25.22% and 3.45% ~ 17.33% respectively. Meanwhile, as root content increases, the contribution by roots to cohesion force increases markedly until a threshold condition is reached.

Seasonal variations in the influence of vegetation cover on soil water on the loess hillslope

Soil water is the key factor that restricts the restoration of the local ecological systems in the Loess Plateau of China.Studying the effects of vegetation types on soil water and its seasonal variation helps to understand hydrological characteristics and provides insights into the sustainable restoration of vegetation.Therefore,the Caijiachuan watershed was chosen as the research object to investigate the water status of a 0-10 m soil layer under different vegetation types including Pinus tabulaeformis,Robinia pseudoacacia,Platycladus orientalis,apple orchard,natural forestland,farmland and grassland.By comparing the difference between soil water of different land use types and that of grassland during the same period,the seasonal changes of soil water status of different types were judged.The results show that(1)in the 0-10 m soil layer,the largest value of soil water content was in the0.3-0.4 m layer,and the lowest was in the 5.6-5.8 m layer.The depths at which the vegetation cover influenced the soil water were up to 10 m;(2)among summer,fall and spring,the soil water storage wasthe highest in the fall.In addition,the lowest value of relative accumulation was in the fall,which was the period in which the soil water recovered;(3)the soil water in the 0-10 m layer was in a relatively deficient state in the artificial forestlands,apple orchards and native forestlands,while the relative accumulation was in the farmland.In addition,the relative deep soil layers(8-10 m)had more serious deficits in the areas in which P.tabulaeformis,R.pseudoacacia and the apple orchard grew;(4)during the study period,the farmland in the summer had the largest relative accumulation(182.71 mm),and the land under R.pseudoacacia in the fall had the lowest relative deficit(512.20 mm).In the Loess Plateau,vegetation cover will affect the change of deep soil moisture and artificial forest will cause soil water loss in different degrees.

Responses of soil moisture to vegetation restoration type and slope length on the loess hillslope

Soil moisture, a critical variable in the hydrologic cycle, is highly influenced by vegetation restoration type. However, the relationship between spatial variation of soil moisture, vegetation restoration type and slope length is controversial. Therefore, soil moisture across soil layers（0-400 cm depth） was measured before and after the rainy season in severe drought（2015） and normal hydrological year（2016） in three vegetation restoration areas（artificial forestland, natural forestland and grassland）, on the hillslopes of the Caijiachuan Catchment in the Loess area, China. The results showed that artificial forestland had the lowest soil moisture and most severe water deficit in 100-200 cm soil layers. Water depletion was higher in artificial and natural forestlands than in natural grassland. Moreover, soil moisture in the shallow soil layers（0-100 cm） under the three vegetation restoration types did not significantly vary with slope length, but a significant increase with slope length was observed in deep soil layers（below 100 cm）. In2015, a severe drought hydrological year, higher water depletion was observed at lower slope positions under three vegetation restoration types due to higher transpiration and evapotranspiration and unlikely recharge from upslope runoff. However, in 2016, a normal hydrological year, there was lower water depletion, even infiltration recharge at lower slope positions, indicating receiving a large amount of water from upslope. Vegetation restoration type, precipitation, slope length and soil depth during a rainy season, in descending order of influence, had significant effects on soil moisture. Generally, natural grassland is more beneficial for vegetation restoration than natural and artificial forestlands, and the results can provide useful information for understanding hydrological processes and improving vegetation restoration practices on the Loess Plateau

Effects of rainfall regime and its character indices on soil loss at loessial hillslope with ephemeral gully

Understanding the relationship between hillslope soil loss with ephemeral gully and rainfall regime is important for soil loss prediction and erosion control. Based on 12-year field observation data, this paper quantified the rainfall regime impacts on soil loss at loessial hillslope with ephemeral gully. According to three rainfall parameters including precipitation （P）, rainfall duration （t）, and maximum 30-minute rainfall intensity （I30）, 115 rainfall events were classified by using K-mean clustering method and Discriminant Analysis. The results showed that 115 rainfall events could be divided into three rainfall regimes. Rainfall Regime 1 （RR1） had large I30 values with low precipitation and short duration, while the three rainfall parameters of Rainfall Regime 3 （RR3） were inversely different compared with those of RR1; for Rainfall Regime 2 （RR2）, the precipitation, duration and Iso values were all between those of RR1 and RR3. Compared with RR2 and RR3, RR1 was the dominant rainfall regime for causing soil loss at the loessial hillslope with ephemeral gully, especially for causing extreme soil loss events. PI30 （Product of P and Izo） was selected as the key index of rainfall characteristics to fit soil loss equations. Two sets of linear regression equations between soil loss and Plzo with and without rainfall regime classification were fitted. Compared with the equation without rainfall regime classification, the cross validation results of the equations with rainfall regime classification was satisfactory. These results indicated that rainfall regime classification could not only depict rainfall characteristics precisely, but also improve soil loss equation prediction accuracy at loessial hillslope with ephemeral gully.

Features of soil redistribution and major element migration in a karst hillslope of Southwest China

In this study, we investigated the spatial characteristics of the rate of soil distribution and the mechanism of major element migration in a typical karst hillslope in Guangxi Province, Southwestern China. Soil redistribution was examined using (137~)Cs technique under different hillslope components. With the combination of geochemical methods, the migration characteristics of major elements in soils of three hillslope components in both the horizontal and vertical directions were determined. Thirty-seven soil samples were collected and analyzed for 137 Cs and the major elements were determined. By using the profile distribution model the mean soil redistribution rates were found to be-17.01, 0.40 and-23.30t ha-1 yr-1 in the summit(BYSD), shoulder(BYSY) and toeslope(BYSJ) components of the studied hillslope, respectively. In comparison to BYSD, the sesquioxides of Fe_2O_3 and TiO_2 tend to be enriched, whereas the alkalis(CaO, MgO, Na_2O and K_2O) tend to be depleted, both in the shoulder and toeslope components. Due to human and animal activities, the contents of CaO, MgO, K_2O and Na_2O have somewhat increased within the topsoil. The results indicated that (137~)Cs activities are significantly correlated with clay particles and organic matter, and are affected by the pedogenic process and vegatation. Overall, it maybe necessary to use techniques such as (137~)Cs to investigate soil erosion with the combination of geochemical methods.

Geomorphic Characteristics of Hillslope and Channelized Debris Flows: A Case Study in the Shitou Area of Central Taiwan

The data on the hillslope and channelized debris flows in the Shitou area of central Taiwan occurred during Typhoons Toraji and Nali in 2001 were applied in this paper. The geomorphic parameters, including the flow length, gully gradient, drainage area and form factor of the debris flows were determined by spatial analysis using a Geographic Information System (GIS) based on the data derived from field investigation, aerial photographs, and topographical maps. According to such determined geomorphic parameters, the threshold conditions and empirical equations, such as the relationship between the gully gradient and drainage area and that between gully length and drainage area and topographic parameter, are presented and used to distinguish the geomorphic characteristics between the channelized and hillslope debris flows.

A Dynamic Model for Simulating Atmospheric, Surface and Soil Water interactions in Hillslope of Loess Area Under Natural Conditions and Its Application

The mechanism of atmospheric, surface and soil water interactions (water transformation) in hillslope under natural conditions was analyzed, and a dynamic model was developed to simulate infiltration, overland flow and soil water movement during natural rainfall in hillslope, by bringing forward concepts such. as rainfall intensity on slope and a correction coefficient of saturated soil water content for soil surface seal. Some factors, including slope angle, slope orientation and raindrop inclination, which affect the rainfall amount on slope, were taken into account while developing the dynamic model. The effect of surface seal on infiltration and water balance under a boundary condition of the second kind was also considered. Application of the model in a field experiment showed that the model simulated precisely the infiltration, overland flow and soil water movement in hillslope under natural rainfall conditions.

Effects of heterogeneity distribution on hillslope stability during rainfalls

The objective of this study was to investigate the spatial relationship between the most likely distribution of saturated hydraulic conductivity(Ks) and the observed pressure head(P) distribution within a hillslope. The cross-correlation analysis method was used to investigate the effects of the variance of ln Ks, spatial structure anisotropy of ln Ks, and vertical infiltration flux(q) on P at some selected locations within the hillslope. The cross-correlation analysis shows that, in the unsaturated region with a uniform flux boundary, the dominant correlation between P and Ksis negative and mainly occurs around the observation location of P. A relatively high P value is located in a relatively low Kszone, while a relatively low P value is located in a relatively high Kszone. Generally speaking, P is positively correlated with q/Ksat the same location in the unsaturated region. In the saturated region, the spatial distribution of Kscan significantly affect the position and shape of the phreatic surface. We therefore conclude that heterogeneity can cause some parts of the hillslope to be sensitive to external hydraulic stimuli(e.g., rainfall and reservoir level change), and other parts of the hillslope to be insensitive. This is crucial to explaining why slopes with similar geometries would show different responses to the same hydraulic stimuli, which is significant to hillslope stability analysis.

Identifying soil structure along headwater hillslopes using ground penetrating radar based technique

Soil structure plays an important role in understanding soil attributes as well as hydrological processes. Effective method to obtain high quality soil map is therefore important for both soil science research and soil work ability improvement. However,traditional method such as digging soil pits is destructive and time-consuming. In this study, the structure of headwater hillslopes from Hemuqiao catchment(Taihu Basin, China) have been analyzed both by indirect(ground penetrating radar, GPR) and direct(excavation or soil auger) methods. Four transects at different locations of hillslopes in the catchment were selected for GPR survey. Three of them(#1, #2, and #3) were excavated to obtain fullscale soil information for interpreting radar images.We found that the most distinct boundary that can be detected by GPR is the boundary between soil and underlain bedrock. In some cases(e.g., 8-17 m in transect #2), in which the in situ soil was scarcely affected by colluvial process, different soil layers can be identified. This identification process utilized the sensitive of GPR to capture abrupt changes of soil characteristics in layer boundaries, e.g., surface organic layer(layer #1) and bamboo roots layer(layer#2, contain stone fragments), illuvial deposits layer(layer #3) and regolith layer(layer #4). However, in areas where stone fragments were irregularly distributed in the soil profile(highly affected bycolluvial and/or fluvial process), it was possible to distinguish which part contains more stone fragments in soil profile on the basis of reflection density(transect #3). Transect #4(unexcavated) was used to justify the GPR method for soil survey based on experiences from former transects. After that, O horizon thickness was compared by a hand auger.This work has demonstrated that GPR images can be of a potential data source for hydrological predictions.

Temporal stability analysis of soil moisture along a coniferous forest hillslope with subtropical monsoon climate in southwest China

Soil water content(SWC)plays a crucial role in simulating hydrological process,guiding reforestation and controlling soil erosion in mountainous regions.Spatial-temporal variability of SWC increases the difficulty of quantifying SWC pattern in the prediction of soil moisture.Temporal stability analysis of SWC can reduce the labor consuming and simplify the costly field monitoring.This study aimed to evaluate the temporal stability of SWC at hourly,daily and monthly temporal periods and its controlling factors at a hillslope in the Three Gorges region.The SWC of five soil depths was monitored at 5 topographic locations(toe,lower,middle,upper and top slope positions)along a 170 m hillslope in the Three Gorges region(110°04'~112°04'E,29°53'~31°34'N),Yichang City,Hubei Province,China from May 4^(th),2018 to May 3^(rd),2019.The results showed thatthe coefficient of variation of SWC ranged from 4%to 49%,which increased with rising soil depth within 40 cm but thereafter decreased.However,the high Spearman's rank coefficients(P<0.05)indicated strong temporal stability at three temporal periods.Therepresentative locations(RLs)varied in the different soil depths,which weretoe,upper and middle slope positions at 0~40,40~60 and 60~80 cm depthsof the investigated hillslope,respectively.Saturated hydraulic conductivity served as adominant factor controlling the temporal stability of SWC.The result advances our thorough understanding of hydrology and soil water resource in the Three Gorges region.

Assessment of Seasonal Sedimentation in Rain-fed Irrigation Reservoirs by a Hillslope Erosion Modeling Approach

A distributed hillslope model is presented for the computation of seasonal sediment loads flowing into the rain-fed irrigation reservoirs (tanks) from the mountainous catchments in Sri Lanka. The model is based on the subdivision of the catchment into hillslopes and application of a sediment transport capacity equation at hillslope scale and computation of sediment loads transported to the tanks. Coarse and fine sediment loads due to hourly excess rainfall during a season are separately estimated. The model depends on fewer parameters and can be easily calibrated for a tank. The model calibration only requires measurements of coarse and fine sediment loads transported into the tank due to several rainfalls of different intensities from a representative subcatchment of the tank. Coarse sediment loads are measured by using a sediment trap installed across an ephemeral stream draining the subcatchment. Fine sediment loads are obtained by measuring the discharge and accompanied sediment concentrations over the sediment trap. The model is calibrated, verified and applied for an irrigation tank in Sri Lanka to estimate the seasonal sedimentation loads.

Rangeland hillslope lengths:A case study at the Walnut Gulch Experimental Watershed,southeastern Arizona

Rangeland hillslopes provide much of the sediment supplied to channel systems and their lengths exert a fundamental constraint on hillslope diffusive processes.However,information regarding lengths of rangeland hillslopes,and how best to estimate them,is limited.In this study,three groups of watersheds(10 in total)were selected from the Walnut Gulch Experimental Watershed according to their geology,soil and vegetation characteristics.Group 1 watersheds were at lower elevations dominated by shrubs,Group 3 were at high elevations dominated by grass,and Group 2 were mixed shrub and grass.Their hillslope lengths were calculated from 1 m-resolution DEMs using three methods:a flow routing algorithm,slope-area relationships,and inverted relationship with drainage density.Parameters that characterize the current watersheds,including Hack's exponent and coefficient,watershed shape coefficient,channel concavity and steepness,and surface roughness,were quantified and related to hillslope lengths.Results shows:(1)estimated hillslope lengths were different for the three methods and between the three groups of watersheds;(2)hillslope lengths that measured from the flow routing algorithm for the ten selected watersheds primarily ranged from 30 to 100 m,with a median value of 63.0 m,which was 20%e50%greater than those derived from slope-area plots or drainage densities;(3)hillslope lengths estimated from the flow routing method were greater in Group 3 watersheds than in Group 2 and then in Group 1 watersheds.We attributed these differences in hillslope lengths to the historic epeirogenic pulses,watershed and drainage network morphology,and differences in vegetation characteristics;(4)measured hillslope lengths from the flow routing algorithm were best correlated with hillslope relief,then surface roughness,channel steepness and concavity.These results would benefit the applications of hydrological and erosion models in rangelands.

Impact of hillslope vegetation restoration on gully erosion induced sediment yield

Facing the eco-environmental construction on the Loess Plateau, especially the vegeta-tion restoration in the semiarid areas, as well as the dam system engineering construction that is about to start, how can the vegetation restoration gain the optimum ecological benefits following the improvement of the preservation rates of trees and grass on the basis of guaranteeing water storage and silt trapping effects? What techniques should be taken to restore vegetation? These questions critical to environmental management on the Loess Plateau have to be settled urgently. According to the different macroscopic spatial distribution patterns of forest and grass on the Loess Plateau, this paper analyzes the macroscopic hillslope and gully management relationship in the middle Yellow River and weight of natural and human factors in erosion-induced sediment yield in the context of environmental background of the major silt producing areas. In light of the current status of the inte-grated management of small watersheds and soil and water conservation measure arrangement schemes of hillslopes and gullies on the Loess Plateau, this paper discusses the impact of vegetation restoration on gully erosion induced sediment yield and the effect of vegetation caused sediment re-duction. Studies indicate that there exists an erosional environmental background related to the natural and human activities in the sediment yield peak values of the sandy and coarse sandy areas in the middle Yellow River, sediment yield modulus is closely related to the synthetic effect of environ-mental elements, and the rainstorms, reclamation rate and forest coverage are the main factors af-fecting sediment yield modulus in the sandy and coarse sandy areas. The key to control soil erosion in the sandy and coarse sandy areas is the conversion of farmland into forestland and grassland, the reduction of reclamation rate and the increase of tree and grass vegetation. Small catchment man-agement should adhere to the principle of simultaneous control of hillslope and gully erosion and combination of biological measures with engineering measures. Engineering measures play an im-portant role in the hillslope vegetation restoration in the initial period. Vegetation restoration can result in a reduction of erosion induced sediment yield in gullies of Yangjiagou by over 75%.

Spatial distribution of surface rock fragment on hillslopes in a small catchment in wind-water erosion crisscross region of the Loess Plateau

The cover and size distributions of surface rock fragment in hillslopes were investigated by using digital photographing and treating technique in a small catchment in wind-water erosion crisscross region of the Loess Plateau. The results indicated that the maximal cover of rock fragment was pre-sented at mid-position in steep hillslope. Rock fragment presented a general decreasing-trend along the hillslope in gentle hillslope. Rock fragment cover was positively related to gradient, rock fragment size decreased generally along the hillslope, and the size reduced with the gradient. The mean size of rock fragment was at a range of 6―20 mm in the steep hillslope, rock fragment size > 50 mm was rarely presented. The covers of rock fragment at different positions were markedly related to the quantities of rock fragment < 40 mm. The area of rock fragment of 2―50 mm accounted for 60% or more of the total area, dominating the distribution of rock fragment in the hillslopes.

Effect of Hillslope Gradient on Vegetation Recovery on Abandoned Land of Shifting Cultivation in Hainan Island,South China

In the present study, we investigated the effect of hillslope gradient on vegetation recovery on abandoned land of shifting cultivation In Hainan Island, south China, by measuring community composition and structure of 25-year-old secondary forest fallows along a hillslope gradient （up-, middle-, and down-slope position）. A total of 49 733 free-standing woody plant stems higher than 10 cm and belonging to 170 species, 112 genera, and 57 families was found in the three l-hm2 investigation plots. Stem density was highest in the down-slope stand and lowest in the up-slope stand. Species richness and the Shannon-Wiener Index were both highest in the middle-slope stand, and lower In the down-slope and up-slope stands. The recovery forest fallows on different hiUslope positions were all dominated by a few species. The five most abundant species accounted for 70.1%, 58.8%, and 72.9% of total stem densities in stands in the up-, middle-, and down-slope positions, respectively. The five species with the greatest basal areas accounted for 74.5%, 84.3%, and 74.7% of total stem basal area for the up-, middle-, and down-slope positions, respectively. The number of low-density species （stem abundance less than five） Increased from the up-slope position downward. Of the nine local common species among three different functional groups, the short-lived pioneer species dominated the up-slope position, but long-lived pioneer species dominated the middle- and down-slope positions. The climax species of primary tropical lowland rain forest was found in the downslope position. Both the mean diameter at breast height （DBH） and mean height of the trees Increased with decreasing hillslope gradient. The stem density and basal area in different size classes were significantly different in stands In different slope positions. Our results indicated that the rate of secondary succession varies, even over small spatial scales caused by the hlllslope gradient, in early vegetation recovery.

A two-dimensional numerical model coupled with multiple hillslope hydrodynamic processes and its application to subsurface flow simulation

A numerical hillslope hydrodynamic model is of great importance in facilitating the understanding of rainfall-runoff mechanism.However,most of the currently existing models do not consider the effect of coupled hydrodynamic processes as runoff,subsurface flow or groundwater flow.In this study,the Tsinghua Hillslope Runoff Model based on multiple hydrodynamic process,THRM model,is developed,which couples with Saint Venant equation for surface runoff and Richards equation for variably saturated soil water movement(including subsurface flow and groundwater flow).A finite difference scheme with improved boundary conditions is adopted in this research.It is revealed from the simulation that the THRM model has a high computational efficiency and stability in simulating subsurface flow of the experimental hillslope,which is valuable in assessing the hillslope runoff generation mechanism.A model based sensitivity analysis is also carried out.The impact of boundary condition,grid size and initial soil moisture on simulation result and model stability are revealed,which provides insightful references to understand the mechanism of subsurface flow.

Hydrological Responses and Flow Pathways in an Acrisol on a Forested Hillslope with a Monsoonal Subtropical Climate

The nature of subsurface flow depends largely on hydraulic conductivity of the vadoze zone, permeability of the underlying bedrock, existence of soil layers differing in hydraulic properties and macropore content, soil depth, and slope angle.Quantification of flow pathways on forested hillslopes is essential to understand hydrological dynamics and solute transport patterns.Acrisols, with their argic Bt horizons, are challenging in this respect.To further elucidate flow pathways of water and short-term variability of soil moisture patterns in Acrisols, a field study was conducted on a forested hillslope in a sub-catchment of the Tie Shan Ping(TSP)watershed, 25 km northeast of Chongqing City, China.This catchment is covered by a mixed secondary forest dominated by Masson pine(Pinus massoniana).Soil saturated hydraulic conductivity(K sat) was significantly reduced at the interface between the AB and Bt horizons(2.6 × 10^(-5) vs.1.2 × 10^(-6) m s^(-1)), which led to that the flow volume generated in the Bt horizon was of little quantitative importance compared to that in the AB horizon.There was a marked decrease in porosity between the OA and AB horizons, with a further decrease deeper in the mineral subsoil.Especially, the content of soil pores > 300 μm was higher in the AB horizon(14.3%)than in the Bt horizon(6.5%).This explained the difference in soil K sat values.This study showed that Bt horizon had limited water transport capability, forcing part of the infiltrated rainwater as interflow through the OA and AB horizons.Thus, the topsoil responded quickly to rainfall events, causing frequent cycles of saturation and aeration of soil pores.

A hillslope version of the revised Morgan,Morgan and Finney water erosion model

The revised Morgan,Morgan and Finney(rMMF)water erosion model calculates annual surface runoff and soil loss from field-sized areas.The original version of the rMMF is neither suited to calculate water erosion along irregular hillslopes,nor capable to allow infiltration of once generated surface runoff at places where the runoff speed slows down,and infiltration could occur under natural conditions.The aim of this article is to describe a new hillslope version of the rMMF model that allows infiltration of surface runoff,and to show examples of soil erosion modelling along real and hypothetical hillslopes.The new hillslope version(hMMF)splits the entire hillslope into a number of sections that have individual properties,such as slope angle,slope length,soil properties and vegetation characteristics.The surface runoff along the slope is calculated by summing the volume of surface runoff generated in a particular section with the surface runoff coming from the immediate upsiope section.The related sediment transport is calculated for each section using the calculated detachment for the section,the sediment coming from the upsiope section and the transport capacity.A new variable is introduced to account for infiltration of surface runoff and allows simulating the effects of soil and water conservation structures on water erosion.The model was tested using measured data from plots in Africa,Asia,the US and Europe,as well as for a surveyed hillslope in Tunisia(Barbara watershed).Overall,the performance of the hMMF was reasonable for surface runoff and poor for soil loss when recommended input variable values are used.Calibration of the model resulted in a good performance,which shows the capability of the hMMF model to reproduce measured surface runoff and erosion amounts.In addition,realistic water erosion patterns on hillslopes with soil and water conservation can be simulated.