Sediment yield and erosion–deposition distribution characteristics in ephemeral gullies in black soil areas under geocell protection

Investigating the effect of geocells on the erosion and deposition distribution of ephemeral gullies in the black soil area of Northeast China can provide a scientific basis for the allocation of soil and water conservation measures in ephemeral gullies.In this study,an artificial simulated confluence test and stereoscopic photogrammetry were used to analyze the distribution characteristics of erosion and deposition in ephemeral gullies protected by geocells and the effect of different confluence flows on the erosion process of ephemeral gullies.Results showed that when the confluence flow was larger,the effect of geocell was more evident,and the protection against ephemeral gully erosion was stronger.When the confluence flow rates were 0.6,1.8,2.4,and 3.0 m^(3)/h,ephemeral gully erosion decreased by 37.84%,26.09%,21.40%,and 35.45%.When the confluence flow rates were 2.4 and 3.0 m^(3)/h,the average sediment yield rate of the ephemeral gully was close to 2.14 kg/(m^(2)•min),and the protective effect of ephemeral gully erosion was enhanced.When the flow rate was higher,the surface fracture of the ephemeral gully was more serious.With an increase in confluence flow rate,the ratio of erosion to deposition increased gradually,the erosion area of ephemeral gullies was expanded,and erosion depth changed minimally.In conclusion,geocell measures changed erosion patterns by altering the rill erosion/deposition ratio,converting erosion from rill erosion to sheet erosion.

Effect of Vegetation and Precipitation upon Runoff and Sediment Production on Slope Lands of the Loess Area in China

According to fixed-position data for 1992-2003 from 16 runoff plots of Caijiachuan watershed which lie in Jixian County, Shanxi Province, in the loess area, this paper studied the relationship between vegetation and runoff and sedimentproduction on slope lands. The results showed as follows: 1) Runoffand sediment production in Robinia pseudoacacia forestand Pinus tabulaeformis forest had a high correlation with precipitation amount and rainfall intensity, but the correlation decreased gradually with the increase of canopy density; 2) The secondary forest had better function of soil and water conservation than artificial R. pseudoacacia forest, and runoff and sedimentproduction in the former in an individual rain event was 65%-82% and 23%-92% lower than thosein the latter, respectively;3) The difference ofrunoff and sediment production in several land uses was very distinct. Runoff and sediment production in Ostryopsisdavidiana forest and the secondary forest were the least; runoff and sediment production in artificial R. pseudoacacia forest and P. tabulaeformis forest were 5-fold as much as those in O. davidiana forest. Besides, runoff and sediment production in mixed stand of apple trees and cropswere 16.14-fold and 2.96-fold higher than that in O. davidiana forest, respectively, but theamount decreased obviously after high-standard soil preparation for theformer;4) Based on gray correlation analysis of variousfactorsaffecting runoffand sedimentproduction on slope lands, it can be seen that stand canopy density and herb and litter biomass werethe most significant ones, whosegray correlation valuesall exceeded 0.6. Therefore, mixed forest with multi-layer stand structure and shrub forest should be developed in vegetation reconstruction of the loess area, which help to increase coverage and litter thicknessto cut down the runoffand sediment production dramatically on slope lands.