Spatial distribution of soil hydraulic parameters estimated by pedotransfer functions for the Jialing River Catchment,Southwestern China

Soil hydraulic parameters θs,α,n,Ks,L and θr of the van Genuchten-Mualem model were estimated using three pedotransfer functions(PTFs) based on soil properties for surface soils of the largest main tributary catchment(the Jialing River) of the upper Yangtze River in China.The soil database was from the second national soil survey of China with a spatial 30 × 30 arc-second resolution.According to the statistical analysis of the differences between the continuous-PTFs-estimated values of soil hydraulic parameters for the study catchment and the reference values for a specific texture class provided in the development database of a specific PTF,best estimations were obtained using the W?sten PTF.The Rawls & Brakenssiek PTF was good estimation for parameter θr that was assumed as zero by W?sten PTF.The established higher θr(0.08%) and lower Ks(20 cm/d) and θs(0.43%) in the mid-downstream area relative to the other areas of the catchment could lead to larger amounts of surface runoff andconsequently provide higher energy to erode soil.Thus,these factors provide a supporting explanation for previously reported severe soil erosion occurring in this area.Spatial heterogeneity analysis for estimated hydraulic parameters in terms of semivariogram showed that the spatial correlation distance was in the range of 50-80 km and that the spatial variability(sill) was not large except for parameters Ks and L.The semi-variance with the exponential model at the zero distance(nugget) was 30%-50% of the sill.This study provided a practical PTF approach for estimating soil hydraulic properties from soil survey data at a large watershed scale.The estimation results could provide better insight into the mechanism of surface runoff and soil erosion,which is important to better understand and manage erosion in the catchment.

Simulation of Moving Bed Erosion Based on the Weakly Compressible Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics-Discrete Element Coupling Method

A complex interface exists between waterflow and solid particles during hydraulic soil erosion.In this study,the particle discrete element method(DEM)has been used to simulate the hydraulic erosion of a granular soil under moving bed conditions and surrounding terrain changes.Moreover,the weakly compressible smoothed particle hydrodynamics(WCSPH)approach has been exploited to simulate the instability process of the free surfacefluid and its propagation characteristics at the solid–liquid interface.The influence of a suspended medium on the waterflow dynamics has been characterized using the mixed viscosity concept accounting for the solid–liquid mixed particle volume ratio.Numerical simulations of wall-jet scouring and reservoir sedimentflushing on a mobile bed were performed and validated with experiments.The results show that the proposed WCSPH–DEM coupling model is highly suitable for determining parameters,such as the local maximum scour depth,the scour pit width,and the sand bed profile.The effects on the hydraulic erosion process of two important para-meters of the mixed viscosity coefficient(initial solid volume concentration and initial viscosity coefficient)are also discussed to a certain extent in this study.

Effect of gravel content on the detachment of colluvial deposits in Benggang

Accurately calculating detachment capacity is the most fundamental issue when establishing a soil erosion process model.Colluvial deposits of Benggang are typical soil-gravel mixtures,whereas the understanding of the soil detachment of colluvial deposits is limited.This work investigated the effects of the gravel contents on the soil detachment capacity of colluvial deposits and its hydrodynamic mechanism.The colluvial sample was collected in Anxi County,Fujian Province,Southeast China,and a small-sample scouring test was used.The slope steepness ranged from 18%to 84%,unit discharge ranged from 0.56×10^(-3)to 2.22×10^(-3)m^(2)s^(-1),and gravel content ranged from 0%to 70%.The results indicated that the gravel content is the primary factor that influences the detachment capacity,followed by the discharge and then the slope.The detachment capacity trend with the gravel content varied over different slopes and discharges.Stream power represents the best hydrodynamic parameter for modelling the detachment capacity of colluvial deposits and can be used to establish a fitting equation for the colluvium together with the mean weight diameter(MWD)(Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency(NSE)=0.96).As the gravel content increased,the soil erodibility parameters increased several folds,in some cases more than 10 folds,mainly because the soil shear strength decreased gradually.Meanwhile,as the gravel content increased,the gravel specific surface area increased,the obstruction of gravel to runoff increased,and the energy needed for runoff to overcome gravel obstruction increased,leading to 2-3 folds higher critical shear stress of runoff for soilgravel mixtures compared with pure soil.In summary,gravel can influence the detachment capacity by changing the soil properties,and the gravel content also affects the relationship between soil detachment capacity and the hydrodynamic parameters.These findings deepen the understanding of the influence of gravel on soil erosion and provide a basis for establishing a soil erosion process model in colluvial deposits.