Features of Runoff and Sediment Yield of Different Shrub-Grass Combination Modes for Highway Side Slope in Hilly Areas of Central Sichuan Province

[Objective] Indigenous plants with favorable water and soil conservation effects were screened for the shrub planting.[Method] Suining-Ziyang-Meishan Highway in the hilly areas of central Sichuan Province was taken for example,through sorting out plant species investigated in the route planning,3 indigenous shrub species(Neosinocalamus affinis,Vitex negundo and Coriaria nepalensis) and 3 indigenous herbaceous species(Setaria viridis,Miscanthus floridulus,Artemisia argyi) were selected.Rainfall simulation experiment was adopted to compare runoff and sediment yields of different combination modes and ratios under constant rainfall intensity(20 mm/min).[Result] Different combination modes under constant rainfall intensity all showed better water and soil conservation effects than that of control group did.For example,runoff appeared 1'-4'05"later,sediment yield reduced by 6.56-33.86 g respectively.Among all combination modes,runoff and sediment yield showed great difference after 20 min of constant rainfall,V.negundo+S.viridis had the lowest runoff(1,700 ml) and sediment yield(60.71 g);C nepalensis+A. argyi had the highest runoff(1,920 ml) and sediment yield(84.02 g).[Conclusion] Given the same planting conditions such as side slope and seeding quantity,and also the same planting techniques,in the hilly areas of central Sichuan Province,the combination of V.negundo and S.viridis can greatly improve the water and soil conservation capacity of highway.

Estimation of runoff and sediment yield in the Redrock Creek watershed using AnnAGNPS and GIS

Sediment has been identified as a significant threat to water quality and channel clogging that in turn may lead to river flooding. With the increasing awareness of the impairment from sediment to water bodies in a watershed, identifying the locations of the major sediment sources and reducing the sediment through management practices will be important for an effective watershed management. The annualized agricultural non-point source pollution(AnnAGNPS) model and newly developed GIS interface for it were applied in a small agricultural watershed, Redrock Creek watershed, Kansas, in this pilot study for exploring the effectiveness of using this model as a management tool. The calibrated model appropriately simulated monthly runoff and sediment yield through the practices in this study and potentially suggested the ways of sediment reduction through evaluating the changes of land use and field operation in the model for the purpose of watershed management.

Simulation of Runoff and Sediment Yield for a Himalayan Watershed Using SWAT Model

Watershed is considered to be the ideal unit for management of the natural resources. Extraction of water-shed parameters using Remote Sensing and Geographical Information System (GIS) and use of mathematical models is the current trend for hydrologic evaluation of watersheds. The Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) having an interface with ArcView GIS software (AVSWAT2000/X) was selected for the estimation of runoff and sediment yield from an area of Suni to Kasol, an intermediate watershed of Satluj river, located in Western Himalayan region. The model was calibrated for the years 1993 & 1994 and validated with the observed runoff and sediment yield for the years 1995, 1996 and 1997. The performance of the model was evaluated using statistical and graphical methods to assess the capability of the model in simulating the run-off and sediment yield from the study area. The coefficient of determination (R2) for the daily and monthly runoff was obtained as 0.53 and 0.90 respectively for the calibration period and 0.33 and 0.62 respectively for the validation period. The R2 value in estimating the daily and monthly sediment yield during calibration was computed as 0.33 and 0.38 respectively. The R2 for daily and monthly sediment yield values for 1995 to 1997 was observed to be 0.26 and 0.47.

Modeling and analysis of effects of precipitation and vegetation coverage on runoff and sediment yield in Jinsha River Basin

This paper focuses on the effects of precipitation and vegetation coverage on runoff and sediment yield in the Jinsha River Basin. Results of regression analysis were taken as input variables to investigate the applicability of the adaptive network-based fuzzy inference system （ANFIS） to simulating annual runoff and sediment yield. Correlation analysis indicates that runoff and sediment yield are positively correlated with the precipitation indices, while negatively correlated with the vegetation indices. Furthermore, the results of stepwise regression show that annual precipitation is the most important factor influencing the variation of runoff, followed by forest coverage, and their contributions to the variation ofrunoffare 69.8% and 17.3%, respectively. For sediment yield, rainfall erosivity is the most important factor, followed by forest coverage, and their contributions to the variation of sediment yield are 49.3% and 24.2%, respectively. The ANFIS model is of high precision in runoff forecasting, with a relative error of less than 5%, but of poor precision in sediment yield forecasting, indicating that precipitation and vegetation coverage can explain only part of the variation of sediment yield, and that other impact factors, such as human activities, should be sufficiently considered as well.

Modelling the Effects of Land-use Change on Runoff and Sediment Yield in the Weicheng River Watershed, Southwest China

As a major sediment area in the upper Yangtze River, Jialing River basin experienced substantial land-use changes, many water conservancy projects were constructed from the 1980 s onward to promote water and soil conservation. The water and sediment yield at the watershed outlet was strongly affected by these water conservation works, including ponds and reservoirs, which should be considered in the modelling. In this study, based on the observed data of the Weicheng River catchment, the relationships between precipitation, runoff, vegetation, topography and sediment yield were analyzed, a distributed runoff and sediment yield model(WSTD-SED) was developed, and the hydrological processes of different land-use scenarios were simulated by using the model. The main results are summarized as follows: 1) there is an alternating characteristic in river channels and reservoirs in the Jialing River hilly area, with scour occurring in wet years and deposit occurring in dry years. 2) Most of the sediment deposited in river channels and reservoirs is carried off by the largest flood in the year. 3) The model yielded plausible results for runoff and sediment yield dynamics without the need of calibration, and the WSTD-SED model could be usedto obtain qualitative estimates on the effects of land use change scenarios. 4) The modelling results suggest that a 10% increase in cropland(dry land) reforestation results in a 0.7% decrease in runoff and 1.5% decrease in sediment yield.

Forecasting of Runoff and Sediment Yield Using Artificial Neural Networks

Runoff and sediment yield from an Indian watershed during the monsoon period were forecasted for differ-ent time periods (daily and weekly) using the back propagation artificial neural network (BPANN) modeling technique. The results were compared with those of single- and multi-input linear transfer function models. In BPANN, the maximum value of variable was considered for normalization of input, and a pattern learning algorithm was developed. Input variables in the model were obtained by comparing the response with their respective standard error. The network parsimony was achieved by pruning the network using error sensitiv-ity - weight criterion, and model generalization by cross validation. The performance was evaluated using correlation coefficient (CC), coefficient of efficiency (CE), and root mean square error (RMSE). The single input linear transfer function (SI-LTF) runoff and sediment yield forecasting models were more efficacious than the multi input linear transfer function (MI-LTF) and ANN models.

Impacts of precipitation variation and soil and water conservation measures on runoff and sediment yield in the Loess Plateau Gully Region, China

The Loess Plateau of China has experienced a lengthy drought and severe soil erosion.Changes in precipitation and land use largely determine the dynamics of runoff and sediment yield in this region. Trend and mutation analyses were performed on hydrological data(1981–2012) from the Yanwachuan watershed in the Loess Plateau Gully Region to study the evolution characteristics of runoff and sediment yield. A time-series contrasting method also was used to evaluate the effects of precipitation and soil and water conservation(SWC) on runoff and sediment yield. Annual sediment yield declined markedly from 1981 to 2012 although there was no significant change in annual precipitation and annual runoff. Change points of annual runoff and annual sediment yield occurred in 1996 and 1997,respectively. Compared with that in the baseline period(1981–1996), annual runoff and annual sediment yield in the change period(1997–2012)decreased by 17.0% and 76.0%, respectively, but annual precipitation increased by 6.3%. Runoff decreased in the flood season and normal season, but increased in the dry season, while sediment yield significantly declined in the whole study period. The SWC measures contributed significantly to the reduction of annual runoff(137.9%) and annual sediment yield(135%) and were more important than precipitation. Biological measures(forestland and grassland) accounted for 61.04% of total runoff reduction, while engineering measures(terraces and dams) accounted for 102.84% of total sediment yield reduction. Furthermore, SWC measures had positive ecological effects. This study provides a scientific basis for soil erosion control on the Loess Plateau.

Impacts of land disturbance and restoration on runoff production and sediment yield in the Chinese Loess Plateau

Land disturbance and land restoration are important factors influencing runoff production and sediment yield in the semi-arid loess regions of China. This study compared the runoff production and sediment yield during the early stage after land disturbance（ESLD） with those during restoring stage after land disturbance（RSLD）. Grey relational analysis was used to analyse the importance of each one of the influencing factors（vegetation, rainfall, soil and topography） in affecting the runoff production and sediment yield. Our results showed that during ESLD, topography was the most critical factor controlling the runoff production, while soil was the most important factor controlling the sediment yield. During RSLD, vegetation was more important in affecting runoff production, while rainfall was more important in affecting sediment yield. In additional, this study demonstrated that both the runoff production and the sediment yield can be effectively reduced by restoring vegetation on severely-disturbed lands, thus providing an important theoretical basis for better implementations of the Grain for Green Program. Our results revealed that the vegetation types of Hippophae rhamnoides＋Pinus tabulaeformis and H. rhamnoides are better plant selections for land restoration in this area, especially for relatively gentle slopes（i.e., less than 20 degrees）.

Simulation of Runoff and Sediment Yield for a Kaneri Watershed Using SWAT Model

Watershed as an entry point acts as a beginning to address the issues of sustainable rainwater management for improving livelihoods. Extraction of watershed parameters using Geographical Information System (GIS) and use of simulation models is the current trend for hydrologic evaluation of watersheds. In the present study, the open Source Tool Quantum GIS 2.2.0 was used for preparation of maps to verify the spatial extent of the area. The Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) having an interface with Arc-View GIS software (ArcGIS 10.1 with Arc SWAT 2012 extension) was selected for the estimation of runoff and sediment yield from Kaneri watershed, located in Western Maharashtra region. The coefficient of determination (R2) for the monthly and yearly runoff was obtained as 0.849 and 0.951 respectively for the calibration period 1979 to 2000 and 0.801 and 0.950 respectively for the validation period 2001-2013. The R2 value in estimating the monthly and yearly sediment yield during calibration period was computed as 0.722 and 0.788 respectively. The R2 for monthly and yearly sediment yield values for validation period was observed to be 0.565 and 0.684 respectively.

Impacts of Climate Change on Spatial and Temporal Distribution of Runoff and Sediment Yield in Xixi Watershed of Jinjiang Basin

Based on meteorologic data in Xixi Watershed from 1972 to 1979, the SWAT model was applied to simulate the response of runoff and sediment yield in Xixi Watershed to climate change under 24 kinds of climate change scenarios, and then the spatial and temporal distribution of change rates of the runoff and sediment were analyzed. The results showed that the runoff yield would increase with the increase of precipitation or decrease of temperature, and the sediment yield would increase with the increase of precipitation or increase of temperature; the runoff would be more sensitive to variations in precipitation than to variations in temperature, and precipitation change would lead to more obvious change in the run- off yield; the temporal distribution of change rates of the runoff and sediment yield would be uneven in the 12 months, and the variation trends of the two change rates in the 12 months would be accordant; the spatial distribution of change rates of the runoff and sediment yield would be uneven in the sub-watersheds, and the change rate of the runoff yield would be bigger in the sub-watersheds where the runoff yield in the basic period would be smaller. This study can provide decision-making basis for sustainable development of Jinjiang Basin.

Path Analysis on Environmental Factors Controlling Runoff and Sediment Yields in Shelter Forests in Three Gorges Reservoir Region

Effects of environmental factors such as climate,topography,vegetation and soil in shelter forests in Three Gorges Reservoir Region on runoff and sediment yields were monitored to identify dominant environmental factors controlling runoff and sediment yields in 15 runoff plots in study area by soil sampling,laboratory analysis,stepwise regression analysis and path analysis,and to establish the main control environmental factors that affect runoff and sediment yields. The results showed that soil bulk density,herbaceous cover,slope,and canopy density were the significant factors controlling runoff,and the direct path coefficient of each factor was ranked as canopy closure(-0. 628) > litter thickness(-0. 547) > bulk density( 0. 509) > altitude( 0. 289). The indirect path coefficient was ranked as soil bulk density( 0. 354) >litter thickness(-0. 169) > altitude( 0. 126) > canopy closure(-0. 104). Therefore,canopy closure and litter thickness mainly had direct effects on runoff,while soil bulk density mainly had indirect effects through their contributions to other factors. Herbaceous cover,litter thickness,slope,canopy density,and altitude were the significant factors controlling sediment yields. The direct path coefficient of each factor was ranked as herbaceous cover(-0. 815) > litter thickness(-0. 777) > canopy closure(-0. 624) > slope( 0. 620). The indirect path coefficient was ranked as slope( 0. 272) > litter thickness(-0. 131) > canopy closure(-0. 097) > herbaceous cover(-0. 084). Therefore,herbaceous cover and litter thickness mainly had direct effects on sediment yields,while slope mainly had indirect effects through their contributions to other factors. All the selected environmental factors jointly explained 85. 5% and 78. 3% of runoff and sediment yield variability,respectively. However,there were large values of remaining path coefficients of other factors influencing runoff and sediment yields,which indicated that some important factors are not included and should be taken into account.

Effect of Ryegrasses on Soil Runoff and Sediment Control

Living plants and plant roots can reduce runoff and soil erosion. Using a rain simulator, a series of soil erosion experiments were conducted to study the influence of living roots and canopies of ryegrasses （Lolium perenne L.） during the growing season on sediment yields and runoff of a silt loam soil. The results indicated that during the growing season, decrements in runoff and sediment yields increased with time. Sediment yields （τ^2 = 0.999） and decrements in runoff （τ2 = 0.946） were closely related to the root surface area density. The contributions of roots and canopies of ryegrasses to the reductions in runoff and sediment yields were different. Canopies usually contributed more to the runoff decrement than the roots, whereas roots contributed up to 96% of the decrease in sediment yields in the late stage of the growing season.

Transport of phosphorus in runoff and sediment with surface runoff from bare purple soil during indoor simulated rainfall

Phosphorus(P)in surface runoff from purple soil is a critical element of agricultural nonpoint source pollution,leading to eutrophication of surface waters in the Three Gorges Reservoir Area(TGRA)of China.This work aimed to understand the processes and mechanisms of P losses from bare purple soil.Based on an indoor rainfall simulation experiment,we focused on the processes of surface runoff and P losses via different hydrological pathways.Experimental treatments included three simulated rainfall intensities,four slope gradients,and three fertilizer treatments.P loss from sediment was the main pathway in the purple soil,and bioavailable P was mainly transferred in dissolved P(DP)of runoff water.The P loss loads tend to grow with the increase of the slope until 25°for the maximum load of runoff water and 20°for the maximum load of sediment.Concentrations of DP in the surface runoff after fertilizer application can exceed the estimates of those required for accelerated eutrophication.Sediment P control might be an essential way for reducing P loss in purple soil for the local government and farmers of TGRA.

Runoff and Sediment Modeling Using SWAT in Gumera Catchment, Ethiopia

This study was undertaken to examine the applicability of the SWAT model in Gumera river basin upstream of Lake Tana, Ethiopia for simulating stream runoff and sediment load. The area of river basin was discretized into 24 sub-catchments using ArcSWAT interface of the model. The semi automated Sequential Uncertainty Fitting (SUFI2) and fully automated Parameter Solution (ParaSol) calibration process built in SWAT calibration and uncertainty program (SWAT-CUP) were used to calibrate the model parameters using time series of flow and sediment load data of 1994 to 2002 and validated with the observed data from years 2003 to 2006. The performance of the model was evaluated using statistical and graphical methods to assess the capability of the model in simulating the runoff and sediment yield for the study area. The coefficient of determination (R2) and NSE values for the daily runoff by using [ParaSol] optimization technique was obtained as 0.72 and 0.71 respectively for the calibration period and 0.79 and 0.78 respectively for the validation period, R2 and NSE values of monthly flow calibration using SUFI2 are 0.83 and 0.78 respectively for validation it was 0.93 and 0.93. For monthly sediment yield by using SUFI2 calibration technique the model evaluation coefficients R2 and NS for calibration was computed as 0.61 and 0.60 respectively, for validation it was 0.84 and 0.83 respectively. The sensitivity analysis on 13 runoff producing parameters was also carried out and discussed.

SWAT Model Application to Assess the Impact of Intensive Corn-farming on Runoff, Sediments and Phosphorous loss from an Agricultural Watershed in Wisconsin

The potential future increase in corn-based biofuel may be expected to have a negative impact on water quality in streams and lakes of the Midwestern US due to increased agricultural chemicals usage. This study used the SWAT model to assess the impact of continuous-corn farming on sediment and phosphorus loading in Upper Rock River watershed in Wisconsin. It was assumed that farmers in the area where corn was rotated with soybean would progressively skip soybean for continuous corn as corn became more profitable. Simulations using SWAT indicated that conversion of corn-soybean to corn-corn-soybean would cause 11% and 2% increase in sediment yield and TP loss, respectively. The conversion of corn-soybean to continuous corn caused 55% and 35% increase in sediment yield and TP loss, respectively. However, this increase could be mitigated by applying various BMPs and/or conservation practices such as conservation tillage, fertilizer management and vegetative buffer strips. The conversion to continuous corn tilled with conservation tillage reduced sediment yield by 2% and did not change TP loss. Increase in P fertilizer amount was roughly proportional to increase in TP loss and 11% more TP was lost when fertilizer was applied four months before planting. Vegetative buffer strips, 15 to 30 m wide, around corn farms reduced sediment yield by 51 to 70% and TP loss by 41 to 63%.

Impact of Land-Use Practices on Sediment Yield in the Dhrabi Watershed of Pakistan

Soil erosion by water is one of the most important land degradation processes in the sloping rainfed lands in Pakistan. A study was conducted in the Dhrabi watershed of Pakistan to evaluate sediment yield associated with rainfall-runoff under various land-use practices. Five sub-catchments with sizes varying from 1.5 to 350 ha were selected for measurement of rainfall, runoff and sediment yield. Soil conservation techniques were also introduced to reduce the soil erosion. All runoff events occurred in the summer especially during monsoon season （July-September）. Sediment yield of two small gully catchments ranged from 4.79 to 8.34 t/ha/yr in 2009, a relatively dry year. In 2010, the annual sediment yield was 8.15 to 12.31 t/ha. Terraced catchment with arable crops produced annual 4.1 t/ha of sediment as compared to 12.31 t/ha by the adjacent gully catchment showing high potential of terraces in reducing erosion. Runoff coefficients calculated for these catchments vary from 0.09 to 0.75. The macro and micro nutrients present in the sediment indicate that these nutrients are being depleted due to soil erosion.

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.

Effects of soil conservation practices on soil erosion and the size selectivity of eroded sediment on cultivated slopes

Soil conservation practices can greatly affect the soil erosion process,but limited information is available about its influence on the particle size distribution(PSD)of eroded sediment,especially under natural rainfall.In this study,the runoff,sediment yields,and effective/ultimate PSD were measured under two conventional tillage practices,downhill ridge tillage(DT)and plat tillage(PT)and three soil conservation practices,contour ridge tillage(CT),mulching with downhill ridge tillage(MDT),and mulching with contour ridge tillage(MCT)during 21 natural rainfall events in the lower Jinsha River.The results showed that(1)soil conservation practices had a significant effect on soil erosion.The conventional tillage of DT caused highest runoff depth(0.58 to 29.13 mm)and sediment yield(0.01 to 3.19 t hm^(-2)).Compared with DT,the annual runoff depths and sediment yields of CT,MDT and MCT decreased by 12.24%-49.75%and 40.79%-88.30%,respectively.(2)Soil conservation practices can reduce the decomposition of aggregates in sediments.The ratios of effective and ultimate particle size(E/U)of siltand sand-sized particles of DT and PT plots were close to 1,indicating that they were transported as primary particles,however,values lower/greater than 1 subject to CT,MDT and MCT plots indicated they were transported as aggregates.The ratios of E/U of claysized particles were all less than 1 independently of tillage practices.(3)The sediments of soil conservation practices were more selective than those of conventional tillage practices.For CT,MDT and MCT plots,the average enrichment ratios(ERs)of clay,silt and sand were 1.99,1.93 and 0.42,respectively,with enrichment of clay and silt and depletion of sand in sediments.However,the compositions of the eroded sediments of DT and PT plots were similar to that of the original soil.These findings support the use of both effective and ultimate particle size distributions for studying the size selectivity of eroded sediment,and provide a scientific basis for revealing the erosion mechanism in the purple soil area of China.

A Simulating Experiment in the Process of Soil Erosion on Bare Land in Mt.Tanakami

In order to understand the process of surface erosion and acquire basic data of conditions on hillslope without vegetation, a sprinkling experiment is conducted on a bare slope in Mt.Tanakami in the central part of Japan. Based on the measurements of runoff, mean soil erosion depth, and sediment yield, etc., the results suggest the following characteristics in the process of surface erosion in the experimental area. (1) The occurrence of sediment discharge is interrupted; (2) Surface runoff is a saturated overland flow; (3) The mean soil erosion depth is thick compared with other areas in Mt.Tanakami; (4) Sediment discharge process is detachment-limited.

Assessment of Factors Affecting Ephemeral Gully Development in Badland Topography: A Case Study at Garbheta Badland (Pashchim Medinipur,

Gully erosion in the Paschim Medinipur district of West Bengal, Indiahas been an issue of anxiety, formed by the amputation of soil from narrow channels through the accretion of surface runoff. Here, we attempted to investigate the erosion variability of gully in a micro catchment area, and also scrutinized the gully cross-sectional areas as distinct components of gully volumes. Twelve gullies were randomly selected in different slopes. To determine the geometric growth of the gully dimensions and soil loss, the initial length of gully, the width of the gully and depth of respective gullies was monitored in different seasons. Univariate analysis was conducted to measure the association between gully head retreat and vegetation coverage, slope, rainfall volume and runoff contributing area. We found strong and significant relation between the slope of gully head and linear retreat in the pre monsoon (p 0.008) and post monsoon (p 0.024) season respectively. Conversely, rainfall volume and gully head retreat showed a strong relationship in the pre monsoon (r = 0.80), monsoon (r = 0.66) and post-monsoon period (r = 0.94);while meager relationship was observed with rainfall intensity (r = 0.06). Results also illustrated that the overall retreat of gully head had very strong and positive relationship with the runoff contributing area (r = 0.89, p 0.001), and maximum gully erosion was observed in the monsoon period (55.67%). These results indicate that slope, rainfall and runoff contributing area have a strong positive influence on gully erosion in Paschim Medinipur district, since the initiation of the gully.