Stability analysis of unsaturated soil slope during rainfall infiltration using coupled liquid-gas-solid three-phase model

Generally, most soil slope failures are induced by rainfall infiltration, a process that involves interactions between the liquid phase, gas phase,and solid skeleton in an unsaturated soil slope. In this study, a loosely coupled liquid-gas-solid three-phase model, linking two numerical codes,TOUGH2/EOS3, which is used for water-air two-phase flow analysis, and FLAC^(3D), which is used for mechanical analysis, was established. The model was validated through a documented water drainage experiment over a sandy column and a comparison of the results with measured data and simulated results from other researchers. The proposed model was used to investigate the features of water-air two-phase flow and stress fields in an unsaturated soil slope during rainfall infiltration. The slope stability analysis was then performed based on the simulated water-air two-phase seepage and stress fields on a given slip surface. The results show that the safety factor for the given slip surface decreases first, then increases, and later decreases until the rainfall stops. Subsequently, a sudden rise occurs. After that, the safety factor decreases continually and reaches its lowest value, and then increases slowly to a steady value. The lowest value does not occur when the rainfall stops, indicating a delayed effect of the safety factor. The variations of the safety factor for the given slip surface are therefore caused by a combination of pore-air pressure, matric suction, normal stress, and net normal stress.

Dynamic shear modulus of undisturbed soil under different consolidation ratios and its effects on surface ground motion

The dynamic shear modulus for three types of undisturbed soil under different consolidation ratios is presented by using the resonant column test method. Its effects on surface ground motion is illustrated by calculation. The test results indicate that the power function is a suitable form for describing the relationship between the ratio of the maximum dynamic shear modulus due to anisotropic and isotropic consolidations and the increment of the consolidation ratio. When compared to sand, the increment of the maximum dynamic shear modulus for undisturbed soil due to anisotropic consolidation is much larger. Using a one-dimensional equivalent linearization method, the earthquake influence factor and the characteristic period of the surface acceleration are calculated for two soil layers subjected to several typical earthquake waves. The calculated results show that the difference in nonlinear properties due to different consolidation ratios is generally not very notable, but the degree of its influence on the surface acceleration spectrum is remarkable for the occurrence of strong earthquakes. When compared to isotropic consolidation, the consideration of actual anisotropic consolidation causes the characteristic period to decrease and the earthquake influence factor to increase.

Characteristics of Soil Organic Carbon, Total Nitrogen, and C/N Ratio in Chinese Apple Orchards

Soil organic carbon and nitrogen are used as indexes of soil quality assessment and sustainable land use management. At the same time, soil C/N ratio is a sensitive indicator of soil quality and for assessing the carbon and nitrogen nutrition balance of soils. We studied the characteristics of soil organic carbon and total nitrogen by investigating a large number of apple orchards in major apple production areas in China. High apple orchard soil organic carbon content was observed in the provinces of Heilongjiang, Xinjiang, and Yunnan, whereas low content was found in the provinces of Shandong, Henan, Hebei, and Shaanxi, with the values ranging between 6.44 and 7.76 g·kg-1. Similar to soil organic carbon, soil total nitrogen content also exhibited obvious differences in the 12 major apple producing provinces. Shandong apple orchard soil had the highest total nitrogen content (1.26 g·kg-1), followed by Beijing (1.23 g·kg-1). No significant difference was noted between these two regions, but their total nitrogen content was significantly higher than the other nine provinces, excluding Yunnan. The soil total nitrogen content for Xinjiang, Heilongjiang, Hebei, Henan, and Gansu was between 0.87 and 1.03 g·kg-1, which was significantly lower than that in Shandong and Beijing, but significantly higher than that in Liaoning, Shanxi, and Shaanxi. Six provinces exhibited apple orchard soil C/N ratio higher than 10, including Heilongjiang (15.42), Xinjiang (13.38), Ningxia (14.45), Liaoning (12.24), Yunnan (11.03), and Gansu (10.63). The soil C/N ratio was below 10 in the remaining six provinces, in which the highest was found in Shaanxi (9.47), followed by Beijing (8.98), Henan (7.99), and Shanxi (7.62), and the lowest was found in Hebei (6.80) and Shandong (6.05). Therefore, the improvement of soil organic carbon should be given more attention to increase the steady growth of soil C/N ratio.

NH_4^+ Adsorption in a Eum-Orthic Anthrosol at Different Solution/Soil Ratios and Temperatures

Effects of NHj concentiation, solution/soil ratio and temperature on NH_4^+adsorption were studied in a Eum-Orthic Anthrosol. The slopes of the soil NH_4^+ adsorptionisotherms and the fitted n, the coefficient for the adsorption intensity, and kappa, the coefficientrelated to adsorption capacity, of the Freundlich equation increased with increasing solution/soilratio (SSR) and with decreasing temperature (T). For the range of experimental conditions, the valueof delta q/delta c, the rate of change of the amount of NH_4^+ adsorbed in the soil solid phase (q)with respect to the equilibrium concentration of NH_4^+ in soil solution (c), was 0.840, indicatingthat q increased with increasing c. From 2 to 45 deg C, delta q/delta SSR, the rate of change of qwith respect to SSR, decreased from 2.598 to 1.996, showing that q increased with increasing SSR,while its increasing rate decreased with temperature. From SSR 1:1 to 20:1, delta q/delta T, therate of change of q with respect to T, decreased from -- 0.095 to -- 0.361, indicating that qdecreased with increasing temperature, and at the same time the negative effect of temperaturebecame larger as SSR increased. Thus under the experimental conditions the order of importance indetermining the amount of NH_4^+ adsorbed in the soil solid phase was delta q/delta SSR > deltaq/delta c > |delta q/delta T|, indicating that the greatest effect on the amount of NH_4^+ adsorbedwas with the solution/soil ratio; the equilibrium concentration of NH_4^+ had a lesser effect; andtemperature had the least effect.

Pile-soil stress ratio in bidirectionally reinforced composite ground by considering soil arching effect

To discuss the soil arching effect on the load transferring model and sharing ratios by the piles and inter-pile subsoil in the bidirectionally reinforced composite ground, the forming mechanism, mechanical behavior and its effect factors were discussed in detail. Then, the unified strength theory was introduced to set up the elastoplastic equilibrium differential equation of the subsoil under the limit equilibrium state. And from the equation, the solutions were derived with the corresponding formulas presented to calculate the earth pressure over and beneath the horizontal reinforced cushion or pillow, the stress of inter-pile subsoil and the pile-soil stress ratio. Based on the obtained solutions and measured data from an engineering project, the influence rules by the soil property parameters (i.e., the cohesion c and internal friction angle φ) and pile spacing on the pile-soil stress ratio n were discussed respectively. The results show that to improve the load sharing ratio by the piles, the more effective means for filling materials with a larger value of φ is to increase the ratio of pile cap size to spacing, while to reduce the pile spacing properly and increase the value of cohesion c is advisable for those filling materials with a smaller value of φ.

Factors influencing accuracy of free swelling ratio of expansive soil

Many geotechnical structures,such as the subgrade of high-speed railway,are extremely sensitive to micro deformations.As one of the most commonly used indexes in China to evaluate the potential swelling level of expansive soils,the effectiveness and accuracy of free swelling ratio should be highly required.However,due to the deficiency of geotechnical test regulations for the free swelling ratio test,non-negligible variation difference is often observed among the test results of the same type of soil samples.Thus,a series of laboratory tests are conducted to figure out the influences of soil particle size,initial soil temperature,and wet-dry circulation on the free swelling ratio of expansive soils.The results show that the initial soil temperature exerts an obvious influence on free swelling ratio and a relative weak influence on soil mass of expansive soil with the micro soil particle size(d<0.075 mm),and the correlation becomes unclear when soil particle size is within the range of 0.075 mm≤d<0.500 mm.A larger particle size of expansive soils induces a larger free swelling ratio and soil mass in the soil measuring cup regardless of initial soil temperature.However,the enlarging amplitude decreases as the particle size of expansive soils increases.There is a progressive enlargement of free swelling ratio at the first two wet-dry cycles and then it attenuates gradually when the number of wetdry cycles further increases.

Effects of N:P ratio of Artemisia ordosica on growth influenced by soil calcium carbonate

Soil calcium carbonate(CaCO_3) has a strong solid phosphorus effect, and high content of CaCO_3 can significantly reduce the effectiveness of soil phosphorus. To reveal the limiting effect of soil CaCO_3 on the growth of plants on sand land and its mechanism of plant physiology, we performed pot experiments with a two-factor randomized block design and a three-factor orthogonal design for different soil CaCO_3 content treatments using Artemisia ordosica seedlings. In the experiments, we surveyed plant height, aboveground biomass, root length and root weight and analyzed N, P concentrations and RNA content of the seedlings, and discussed the relationships between relative growth rate(RGR) of the seedlings and N:P ratio as well as RNA. Results show that, the RGRs of plant height and above-ground biomass of the seedlings decreased significantly with the increase of soil CaCO_3 content, and those for root length and root weight decreased. The RGRs of plant height and above-ground biomass of the seedlings were significantly negatively correlated with leaf N:P ratios, but significantly positively correlated with leaf RNA content and leaf P concentrations. It can be seen that soil CaCO_3 is a stress factor for the growth of A. ordosica seedlings, and the growth response of the seedlings under the influence of soil CaCO_3 is in line with the Growth Rate Hypothesis.

Maize straw application as an interlayer improves organic carbon and total nitrogen concentrations in the soil profile: A four-year experiment in a saline soil

Soil salinization is a critical environmental issue restricting agricultural production.Deep return of straw to the soil as an interlayer (at 40 cm depth) has been a popular practice to alleviate salt stress.However,the legacy effects of straw added as an interlayer at different rates on soil organic carbon (SOC) and total nitrogen (TN) in saline soils still remain inconclusive.Therefore,a four-year (2015–2018) field experiment was conducted with four levels (i.e.,0,6,12and 18 Mg ha~(–1)) of straw returned as an interlayer.Compared with no straw interlayer (CK),straw addition increased SOC concentration by 14–32 and 11–57%in the 20–40 and 40–60 cm soil layers,respectively.The increases in soil TN concentration (8–22 and 6–34%in the 20–40 and 40–60 cm soil layers,respectively) were lower than that for SOC concentration,which led to increased soil C:N ratio in the 20–60 cm soil depth.Increases in SOC and TN concentrations in the 20–60 cm soil layer with straw addition led to a decrease in stratification ratios (0–20 cm:20–60 cm),which promoted uniform distributions of SOC and TN in the soil profile.Increases in SOC and TN concentrations were associated with soil salinity and moisture regulation and improved sunflower yield.Generally,compared with other treatments,the application of 12 Mg ha~(–1) straw had higher SOC,TN and C:N ratio,and lower soil stratification ratio in the2015–2017 period.The results highlighted that legacy effects of straw application as an interlayer were maintained for at least four years,and demonstrated that deep soil straw application had a great potential for improving subsoil fertility in salt-affected soils.

Effects of soil nitrogen:phosphorus ratio on growth rate of Artemisia ordosica seedlings

To address how the ratios of nitrogen and phosphorus (N:P ratios) in soil affect plant growth, we performed a two-factor (soil available N:P ratios and plant density) randomized block pot experiment to examine the relationships between soil N:P ratios, and the N:P ratios and growth rate of Artemisia ordosica seedlings. Under moderate water stress and adequate nutrient status, both soil N:P and plant density influenced the N:P ratios and growth rates of A. ordosica. With the increase of soil N:P ratios, the growth rates of A. ordosica seedlings decreased significantly. With the increase of soil N:P ratios, N:P ratios in A. ordosica seedlings increased significantly. While the nitrogen concentrations in the plant increased slightly, the phosphorus concentrations significantly decreased. With the increase of plant density, the shoot N:P ratios and growth rates significantly decreased, which resulted from soil N:P ratios. Thus, soil N:P ratios influenced the N:P ratios in A. ordosica seedlings, and hence, influenced its growth. Our results suggest that, under adequate nutrient environment, soil N:P ratios can be a limiting factor for plant growth.

Amelioration of Saline Soil by the Application of Gypsum, Calcium Chloride, Rice Husk and Cow Dung

A pot experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of cow dung, rice husks, calcium chloride and gypsum on soil reclamation and compare the effect of organic and inorganic amendments on soil reclamation during the period of 5th March to 20th April, 2017. The experiment was laid to fit a completely randomized design (CRD) with seven treatments [Reference soil (T0), Cow dung (T1), Rice husk (T2), Gypsum (T3), Calcium chloride (T4), Cow dung + Rice husk (T5) and Gypsum + Calcium chloride (T6)] each having three replications for this experiment. After incubation (45 days), the laboratory investigation was carried out in the Soil, Water and Environment Discipline, Khulna University, Khulna, Bangladesh. Results indicate that the individual or combined effect of gypsum (T3) was more effective in changing EC and SAR. Gypsum application in combination with calcium chloride (T6) improved the soil chemical properties by reducing the EC. Among the treatment, calcium chloride (T4) had a remarkable effect in reducing sodium adsorption ratio and gypsum had a remarkable effect in reducing pH. Cow dung (T1), rice husk (T2), combination of cow dung and rice husk (T5) were less effective to reduce EC, pH and SAR. It’s measured for soils of different soil amendments varied significantly

Spatial Variability of Soil Carbon to Nitrogen Ratio and Its Driving Factors in Ili River Valley,Xinjiang,Northwest China

Soil carbon to nitrogen(C/N) ratio is one of the most important variables reflecting soil quality and ecological function,and an indicator for assessing carbon and nitrogen nutrition balance of soils.Its variation reflects the carbon and nitrogen cycling of soils.In order to explore the spatial variability of soil C/N ratio and its controlling factors of the Ili River valley in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region,Northwest China,the traditional statistical methods,including correlation analysis,geostatistic alanalys and multiple regression analysis were used.The statistical results showed that the soil C/N ratio varied from 7.00 to 23.11,with a mean value of 10.92,and the coefficient of variation was 31.3%.Correlation analysis showed that longitude,altitude,precipitation,soil water,organic carbon,and total nitrogen were positively correlated with the soil C/N ratio(P < 0.01),whereas negative correlations were found between the soil C/N ratio and latitude,temperature,soil bulk density and soil p H.Ordinary Cokriging interpolation showed that r and ME were 0.73 and 0.57,respectively,indicating that the prediction accuracy was high.The spatial autocorrelation of the soil C/N ratio was 6.4 km,and the nugget effect of the soil C/N ratio was 10% with a patchy distribution,in which the area with high value(12.00–20.41) accounted for 22.6% of the total area.Land uses changed the soil C/N ratio with the order of cultivated land > grass land > forest land > garden.Multiple regression analysis showed that geographical and climatic factors,and soil physical and chemical properties could independently explain 26.8%and 55.4% of the spatial features of soil C/N ratio,while human activities could independently explain 5.4% of the spatial features only.The spatial distribution of soil C/N ratio in the study has important reference value for managing soil carbon and nitrogen,and for improving ecological function to similar regions.

Effects of soil nitrate:ammonium ratio on plant carbon:nitrogen ratio and growth rate of Artemisia sphaerocephala seedlings

Can soil nitrate： ammonium ratios influence plant carbon： nitrogen ratios of the early succession plant？ Can plant carbon： nitrogen ratios limit the plant growth in early succession？ To address these two questions, we performed a two-factor （soil nitrate： ammonium ratio and plant density） randomized block design and a uniform-precision rotatable central composite design pot experiments to examine the relationships between soil nitrate： ammonium ratios, the carbon： nitrogen ratios and growth rate of Artemisia sphaerocephala seedlings. Under adequate nutrient status, both soil nitrate： ammonium ratios and plant density influenced the carbon： nitrogen ratios and growth rate of A. sphaerocephala seedlings. Under the lower soil nitrate： ammonium ratios, with the increase of soil nitrate： ammonium ratios, the growth rates of plant height and shoot biomass of A. sphaerocephala seedlings decreased significantly; with the increase of plant carbon： nitrogen ratios, the growth rates of shoot biomass of A. sphaerocephala seedlings decreased significantly. Soil nitrate： ammonium ratios affected the carbon： nitrogen ratios of A. sphaerocephala seedlings by plant nitrogen but not by plant carbon. Thus, soil nitrate： ammonium ratios influenced the carbon： nitrogen ratios of A. sphaerocephala seedlings, and hence influenced its growth rates. Our results suggest that under adequate nutrient environment, soil nitrate： ammonium ratios can be a limiting factor for the growth of the early succession plant.

Concentrative phenomenon of relative content ratios of Cu, Pb and Zn in soils

It is discovered that there is the concentrative phenomenon of relative content ratios of Cu, Pb and Zn in soil by studying their parageneous association in soil, meteorites and rocks with the relative content ratios. This not only is helpful to understand the trends of Cu, Cd and Zn enriched and dispersed in the evolution course of earth matter, but also provides evidence for geochemical self-organization that there may be in the process of Cu, Pb and Zn translation and distribution.

Base cation concentrations in forest litter and topsoil have different responses to climate and tree species along elevational gradients

The forest litter is an essential reservoir of nutrients in forests, supplying a large part of absorbable base cations(BC) to topsoil, and facilitating plant growth within litter-soil system. To characterize elevational patterns of base cation concentrations in the forest litter and topsoil, and explore the effects of climate and tree species, we measured microclimate and collected the forest litter and topsoil(0-10 cm) samples across an elevational range of more than 2000 m(1243 ～ 3316 m a.s.l.),and analyzed the concentrations of BC in laboratory. Results showed that: 1) litter Ca concentration displayed a hump-shaped pattern along the elevational gradients, but litter K and Mg showed saddle-shaped patterns. Soil Ca concentration increased with elevation, while soil K and Mg had no significant changes. 2) Ca concentration in the forest litter under aspen(Populus davidiana) was significantly higher than that in all other species, but in topsoil, Ca concentration was higher under coniferous larch and fir(Larix chinensis and Abies fargesii). Litter K and Mg concentrations was higher under coniferous larch and fir, whereas there were nosignificant differences among tree species in the concentrations of K and Mg in topsoil. 3) Climatic factors including mean annual temperature(MAT), growing season precipitation(GSP) and non-growing season precipitation(NGSP) determined BC concentrations in the forest litter and topsoil. Soil C/N and C/P also influenced BC cycling between litter and soil. Observation along elevations within different tree species implies that above-ground tree species can redistribute below-ground cations, and this process is profoundly impacted by climate. Litter and soil Ca, K and Mg with different responses to environmental variables depend on their soluble capacity and mobile ability.

A Parameterization of Bowen Ratio with Respect to Soil Moisture Availability

The Bowen ratio (B) is impacted by 5 environmental elements: soil moisture availabillity, m, the ratio of resistances between atmosphere and soil pores, atmospheric relative humidity, h,atmospheric stability, △T, and enviD ronment temperature. These impacts have been investigated over diverse surfaces, including bare soil, free water surface, and vegetation covered land, using an analytical approach. It was concluded that: (a) B is not a continuous function. The singularity exists at the condition αhcb = h, occurring preferably in the following conditions f weak turbulence, stable stratified stability, dry soil, and humid air, where hcb, defined by Eq.(11) is a critical variable. The existence of a singularity makes the dependence of B on the five variables very complicated. The value of B approaches being inversely proportional to m under the conditions m≥mfc (the soil capacity) and / 0.The proportional coefficient changes with season and latitude with relatively high values in winter and over the poles; (b) B is nearly independent of during the day. The impact of m on B is much larger as compared to that of on B; (c) when h increases, the absolute value of B also increases; (d) over bare soil,when the absolute surface net radiation increases, the absolute value of B will increase. The impact of RN on B is larger at night than during the day, and (e) over plant canopy, the singularity and the dependdes of B on m,rα, and h are modified as compared to that over bare soil.Also (i) during the daytime unstable condition, m exerts an even stronger impact on B; at night, however,B changes are weak in response to the change in m; (ii) the value of B is much more sensitive in response to the changes of turbulent intensity; (iii) the B response to the variation of h over a vegetation covered area is weaker; and (iv) the singularity exists at the condition hcp=h instead of αhcb=h as over bare soil, where hcp is defined by Eq.(49). The formulas derived over bare soil also hold the same when applied to free water bodies as long as they are visualized as a special soil in which the volumetric fraction of soil pore is equal to one and are fully filled with water.Finally, the above discussions are used to briefly study the impact on the thermally induced mesoscale circulations.

Dynamic response of chlorsulfuron herbicide to nitrogen mineralization and the ratio of microbial biomass nitrogen to nitrogen mineralization in the soil

A laboratory incubation experiment was conducted to elucidate the effect of chlorsulfuron herbicide on nitrogen mineralization and the ratio of microbial biomass nitrogen to nitrogen mineralization (N mic /N min ratio) in loamy sand soil.The herbicide was applied at four levels that were control, field rate 0\^01 (FR), 10 times of field rate 0\^1(10FR),and 100 times of field rate 1\^0 (100FR) μg/g soil. Determinations of N\|mineralization and microbial biomass\|N content were carried out 1,3,5,7,10,15,25 and 45 days after herbicide application. In comparison to untreated soil, the N\|mineralization decreased significantly in soil treated with herbicide at levels 10FR and 100FR within the first 5 days incubation. A more considerable reduction in the N mic /N min ratio was observed in the herbicide treated soil than the non\|treated control.Among the different treatment of chlorsulfuron, 100FR displayed the greatest biocidal effect followed by 10FR and FR,showing their relative toxicity in the order of 100FR>100FR>FR.The results indicated that the side effect of this herbicide on N\|mineralization is probably of little ecological significance.

Effects of Soil C/N Ratio on Apple Growth and Nitrogen Utilization,Residue and Loss

Soil C /N ratio is an important influencing factor in soil nitrogen cycling. Two-year old apple trees( Borkh. cv. ‘Fuji'/Malus hupehensis) were used to understand the effect of soil C/N ratio [6. 52( CK),10,15,20,25,30,35 and 40]on apple growth and nitrogen utilization and loss by using15N trace technique. The results showed that,with the increasing of soil C/N ratio,apple shoot length and fresh weight increased at first,and then decreased; the higher apple shoot length and fresh weight appeared in C/N = 15,20 and 25 treatments,and there were no significant differences among these three treatments,but significantly higher than the other treatments. Statistical analysis revealed that there was significant difference in nitrogen utilization rate between the different treatments,the highest N utilization rate was occurred in soil C/N = 25 treatment which value was 22. 87%,and there was no significant difference between soil C/N = 25 and C/N = 20 treatments,but both the two treatments were significantly higher than the other treatments; Soil C/N = 40 had the lowest N utilization rate which value was 15. 43%,and this value was less than CK( 16. 65%). The proportion of plant absorption nitrogen from fertilizer was much higher when the value of soil C/N ratio in the range of 15- 25,but the percentage of plant absorption nitrogen from soil was much higher when the soil C/N ratio was too low( < 15) or high( < 25). Amount of residual nitrogen in soil increased gradually with the soil C/N ratio increasing,the amount of residual nitrogen in C/N = 40 treatment was 1. 32 times than that in CK. With the increasing of soil C/N ratio,fertilizer nitrogen loss decreased at first,and then increased,fertilizer nitrogen loss was the minimum in C/N = 25 treatments( 49. 87%) and the maximum were occurred in CK( 61. 54%). Therefore,regarding the apple growth and nitrogen balance situation,the value of soil C/N ratio in the range of 15- 25 would be favorable for apple growth and could increase effectively nitrogen fixed by soil,reduce nitrogen loss,and improve the nitrogen utilization ratio.

Effects of N Application Rates and NO_3-N to NH_4-N Ratios on Yield and Quality of Flue-cured Tobacco Planted in Black Soil

A field experiment about effects of nitrogen application rates and different NO3-N to NH4-N ratios on agronomic, chemical and biological characteristics as well as yield and quality of flue-cured tobacco grown in a black soil was conducted from 2004 to 2005 in Heilongjiang Province. The results showed that the nitrogen application rates at 45 kg·hm^-2 with the ratio of 75% NO3-N to 25% NH4-N resulted in the highest potassium and reducing sugar contents in the flue-cured tobacco leaving with the highest quality grade and value. It is recommended that this ni- trogen application rate and NO3-N to NH4-N ratio should be widely applied on flue-cured tobacco grown in the black soil in Heilongjiang Province.

Experimental research on the mixed sand ratio and initial dry density of weathered sand improved expansive soil free load swelling rate

In this paper, through the indoor free load swelling rate test, expansive soil in a section of a first- class highway reconstruction project in Yichang City was studied. It emphatically analyzed the interrelations among free load swelling rate, non-load time, the proportion of mixed sand and initial dry density. Experimen- tal studies have shown that： Free load swelling deformation is mainly divided into three stages of rapid expan- sion, slow expansion and final stability; when the initial dry density is constant, free load swelling rate of the weathered sand modified soil will reduce rapidly before they slow down with the increase of sand proportion, and weathered sand modified soil free load swelling rate is not sensitive to the large amount of sand mixed; in the same mixed sand ratio, weathered sand modified soil free load swelling rate increases rapidly with the in- crease of initial dry density, there is a good linear correlation between them. To take appropriate control of the initial dry density during the expansive soil subgrade construction helps to reduce its swelling deformation and ensures the stability of the embankment.

Spatial and seasonal dynamics of soil loss ratio in mountain rangelands of south-western Kyrgyzstan

Vegetation cover is the main factor of soil loss prevention.The C-factor of the RUSLE(Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation) was predicted with NDVI,ground data and exponential regression equation for mountain rangelands of Kyrgyzstan.Time series of C-factor,precipitation and temperature were decomposed into seasonal and trend components with STL(seasonal decomposition by loess) to assess their interrelations.C-factor,precipitation and temperature trend components indicated significant lagged correlation,whereas seasonal components indicated more complex relations with climate factors which can be promoting as well as limiting factors for vegetation development,depending on the season.Rainy springs and hot summers may increase soil loss dramatically,whereas warm and dry springs with rainy summers can decrease it.Steep slopes indicated higher soil loss ratio,whereas flat areas were better protected by vegetation.