The Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) was applied to assess the spatial distribution and dynamic properties of soil loss with geographic information system (GIS) and remote sensing (RS) technologies. ...The Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) was applied to assess the spatial distribution and dynamic properties of soil loss with geographic information system (GIS) and remote sensing (RS) technologies. To improve the accuracy of soil-erosion estimates, a new C-factor estimation model was developed based on land cover and time series normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) datasets. The new C-factor was then applied in the RUSLE to integrate rainfall, soil, vegetation, and topography data of different periods, and thus monitor the distribution of soil erosion patterns and their dynamics during a 3o-year period of the upstream watershed of Miynn Reservoir (UWMR), China. The results showed that the new C-factor estimation method, which considers land cover status and dynamics, and explicitly incorporates within-land cover variability, was more rational, quantitative, and reliable. An average annual soil loss in UWMR of 25.68, 21.04, and 16.8o t ha-1 a-1 was estimated for 1990, 2000 and 2010, respectively, corroborated by comparing spatial and temporal variation in sediment yield. Between 2000 and 2010, a 1.38% average annual increase was observed in the area of lands that lost less than 5 t ha-1 a^-1, while during 1990-2000 such lands only increased on average by o.46%. Areas that classified as severe, very severe and extremely severe accounted for 5.68% of the total UWMR in 2010, and primarily occurred in dry areas or grasslands of sloping fields. The reason for the change in rate of soil loss is explained by an increased appreciation of soil conservation by developers and planners. Moreover,we recommend that UWMR watershed adopt further conservation measures such as terraced plowing of dry land, afforestation, or grassland enclosures as part of a concerted effort to reduce on-going soil erosion.展开更多
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 w...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.展开更多
Agro-chemical transport processes at different scales are discussed and relevant opening questions areidentified by literature review to make some suggestions concerning the improvement of research methods forfield sc...Agro-chemical transport processes at different scales are discussed and relevant opening questions areidentified by literature review to make some suggestions concerning the improvement of research methods forfield scale solute transport by aid of evaluation of existing models, and examining transport behaviors of solutein vadose zones on different scales. The results indicate that present research progress and understanding onfield scale solute transport have not yet been enough to guarantee the use of our models for the management offield solute movement. Much more research work needs to be done, particularly, in aspects of high resolutionof spatial structures relevant to the hydraulic and transport properties, explicit numerical simulation of actualstructure on field scale and field measurement corroborated with model development.展开更多
The Loess Plateau is one typical area of serious soil erosion in the world. China has implemented ′Grain for Green′(GFG) project to restore the eco-environment of the Loess Plateau since 1999. With the GFG project s...The Loess Plateau is one typical area of serious soil erosion in the world. China has implemented ′Grain for Green′(GFG) project to restore the eco-environment of the Loess Plateau since 1999. With the GFG project subsidy approaching the end, it is concerned that farmers of fewer subsidies may reclaim land again. Thus, ′Gully Land Consolidation Project′(GLCP) was initiated in 2010. The core of the GLCP was to create more land suitable for farming in gullies so as to reduce land reclamation on the slopes which are ecological vulnerable areas. This paper aims to assess the effect of the GLCP on soil erosion problems by studying Wangjiagou project region located in the central part of Anzi valley in the middle of the Loess Plateau, mainly using the revised universal soil loss equation(RUSLE) based on GIS. The findings show that the GLCP can help to reduce soil shipment by 9.87% and it creates more terraces and river-nearby land suitable for farming which account for 27.41% of the whole study area. Thus, it is feasible to implement the GLCP in places below gradient 15°, though the GLCP also intensifies soil erosion in certain places such as field ridge, village land, floodplain, natural grassland, and shrub land. In short, the GLCP develops new generation dam land and balances the short-term and long-term interests to ease the conflicts between economic development and environmental protection. Furthermore, the GLCP and the GFG could also be combined preferably. On the one hand, the GFG improves the ecological environment, which could offer certain safety to the GLCP, on the other hand, the GLCP creates more farmland favorable for farming in gullies instead of land reclamation on the slopes, which could indirectly protect the GFG project.展开更多
The actual situation of the Tisza Valley traditionally used for land farming is basically determined by the consequences of the river regulation of the nineteenth century which aimed at the extension of the intensive ...The actual situation of the Tisza Valley traditionally used for land farming is basically determined by the consequences of the river regulation of the nineteenth century which aimed at the extension of the intensive agriculture, by the extreme water regime of alternating periods of flood showing a deteriorating trend and drought related to the climatic change; and by several environmental problems induced mainly by the land use. The objective of the article is to prove the regional advantages of a proposed technical solution to mitigate the flood risk with a special regard to the land cover. Hydrodynamic modeling results prove that the best technical solution is given by a combination of different strategies containing the inundation of deep floodplains-areas regularly covered by water before the river regulation works and, globally, by an important mitigation of flood damages, the costs of solution would be surely covered in the longterm. By means of its natural-resembling operation, the regular water cover would allow a multiple use of water, contributing to the solution of the simultaneously existing aridity problem, and, the development of the floodplain landscape management would help improve the ecological and the economical upgrading of the region.展开更多
The Merguellil catchment (central Tunisia) has undergone rapid hydrological changes over the last decades. The most visible signs are a marked decrease in surface runoff in the upstream catchment and a complete chan...The Merguellil catchment (central Tunisia) has undergone rapid hydrological changes over the last decades. The most visible signs are a marked decrease in surface runoff in the upstream catchment and a complete change in the recharge processes of the Kairouan aquifer downstream. Fluctuations in rainfall have had a real but limited hydrological impact. Much more important are the consequences of human activities such as soil and water conservation works, small and large dams, pumping for irrigation. Several independent approaches were implemented: hydrodynamics, thermal surveys, geochemistry including isotopes. They helped to identify the different terms of the regional water balance and to characterize their changes over time.展开更多
In the French Alps, some grasslands have been abandoned, others are invaded by scrub whereas they are still used by farmers What are the relationships between land use changes and other changes at farm level that lead...In the French Alps, some grasslands have been abandoned, others are invaded by scrub whereas they are still used by farmers What are the relationships between land use changes and other changes at farm level that lead to scrub invasion? We hypothesize that they are linked by two work organization processes: process of changes (changes in the household and farm) leading to less intensive land use; and annual processes (sequences of activities during the year) and their repetition from one year to another, leading to insufficient land maintenance. In this paper, we present a study carried out in the Northern French Alps, based on surveys with livestock farmers. It appears that land use changes are often the consequence of other changes made to address work problems, and land use sequences are defined according to workforce and prioritization of tasks. This highlights the importance of considering farmers as workers in order to evaluate land use changes at the farm level and to link them to the human dimension within farming systems.展开更多
The capacity of soil and water conservation measures, defined as the maximum quantity of suitable soil and water conservation measures contained in a region, were determined for the Loess Plateau based on zones suitab...The capacity of soil and water conservation measures, defined as the maximum quantity of suitable soil and water conservation measures contained in a region, were determined for the Loess Plateau based on zones suitable for establishing terraced fields, forestland and grassland with the support of geographic information system(GIS) software. The minimum possible soil erosion modulus and actual soil erosion modulus in 2010 were calculated using the revised universal soil loss equation(RUSLE), and the ratio of the minimum possible soil erosion modulus under the capacity of soil and water conservation measures to the actual soil erosion modulus was defined as the soil erosion control degree. The control potential of soil erosion and water loss in the Loess Plateau was studied using this concept. Results showed that the actual soil erosion modulus was 3355 t·km^(–2)·a^(–1), the minimum possible soil erosion modulus was 1921 t·km^(–2)·a^(–1), and the soil erosion control degree was 0.57(medium level) in the Loess Plateau in 2010. In terms of zoning, the control degree was relatively high in the river valley-plain area, soil-rocky mountainous area, and windy-sandy area, but relatively low in the soil-rocky hilly-forested area, hilly-gully area and plateau-gully area. The rate of erosion areas with a soil erosion modulus of less than 1000 t·km^(–2)·a^(–1) increased from 50.48% to 57.71%, forest and grass coverage rose from 56.74% to 69.15%, rate of terraced fields increased from 4.36% to 19.03%, and per capita grain available rose from 418 kg·a^(–1) to 459 kg·a^(–1) under the capacity of soil and water conservation measures compared with actual conditions. These research results are of some guiding significance for soil and water loss control in the Loess Plateau.展开更多
Despite being in arid and semi-arid areas,erosion is largely a result of infrequent but heavy rainfall events; therefore,rainfall erosivity data can be used as an indicator of potential erosion risks.The purpose of th...Despite being in arid and semi-arid areas,erosion is largely a result of infrequent but heavy rainfall events; therefore,rainfall erosivity data can be used as an indicator of potential erosion risks.The purpose of this study was to investigate the spatial distribution of annual rainfall erosivity in North Jordan.A simplified procedure was used to correlate erosivity factor R values in both the universal soil loss equation (USLE) and the revised universal soil loss equation (RUSLE) with annual rainfall amount or modified Fournier index (F mod ).Pluviometric data recorded at 18 weather stations covering North Jordan were used to predict R values.The annual values of erosivity ranged between 86-779 MJ mm ha ?1 h ?1 year ?1 .The northwest regions of Jordan showed the highest annual erosivity values,while the northeastern regions showed the lowest annual erosivity values.展开更多
The current economic crisis has left numerous residential developments in the southeastern United States in various stages of construction. Many of them are currently graded and essentially abandoned, creating a major...The current economic crisis has left numerous residential developments in the southeastern United States in various stages of construction. Many of them are currently graded and essentially abandoned, creating a major source of sediment runoff to waterways. Residential development locations with significant bare soil areas were identified through classification of Landsat 5 TM satellite imagery and subsequently verified from high-resolution county aerial photographs. The revised universal soil loss equation (RUSLE) was used in a geographic information system (GIS) as a tool for prioritizing identified locations on the basis of potential soil loss assuming the worst case scenario of a completely unmaintained site. Initial GIS identification indicated 301 sites with a total bare soil area of 2 378 ha over three counties in Upstate South Carolina. A random sample of 153 sites was visited over 17 days and assessed using a mobile GIS, global positioning system (GPS), and digital camera for field validation. Results indicated that 78% (119) of the sites were classified correctly (residential construction sites in varying stages of completion); 88% of identified areas were less than 25% built compared to the previous year; 48% were categorized as moderate to severe problems. Abandoned and unfinished developments in Upstate South Carolina may represent a major source of sediment pollution to streams. Well-maintained erosion control devices may be useful in preventing offsite sedimentation.展开更多
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No.41101399)the open fund of State Key Laboratory of Remote Sensing ScienceJointly Sponsored by the Institute of Remote Sensing Applications of Chinese Academy of Sciences and Beijing Normal University,China
文摘The Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) was applied to assess the spatial distribution and dynamic properties of soil loss with geographic information system (GIS) and remote sensing (RS) technologies. To improve the accuracy of soil-erosion estimates, a new C-factor estimation model was developed based on land cover and time series normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) datasets. The new C-factor was then applied in the RUSLE to integrate rainfall, soil, vegetation, and topography data of different periods, and thus monitor the distribution of soil erosion patterns and their dynamics during a 3o-year period of the upstream watershed of Miynn Reservoir (UWMR), China. The results showed that the new C-factor estimation method, which considers land cover status and dynamics, and explicitly incorporates within-land cover variability, was more rational, quantitative, and reliable. An average annual soil loss in UWMR of 25.68, 21.04, and 16.8o t ha-1 a-1 was estimated for 1990, 2000 and 2010, respectively, corroborated by comparing spatial and temporal variation in sediment yield. Between 2000 and 2010, a 1.38% average annual increase was observed in the area of lands that lost less than 5 t ha-1 a^-1, while during 1990-2000 such lands only increased on average by o.46%. Areas that classified as severe, very severe and extremely severe accounted for 5.68% of the total UWMR in 2010, and primarily occurred in dry areas or grasslands of sloping fields. The reason for the change in rate of soil loss is explained by an increased appreciation of soil conservation by developers and planners. Moreover,we recommend that UWMR watershed adopt further conservation measures such as terraced plowing of dry land, afforestation, or grassland enclosures as part of a concerted effort to reduce on-going soil erosion.
文摘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.
文摘Agro-chemical transport processes at different scales are discussed and relevant opening questions areidentified by literature review to make some suggestions concerning the improvement of research methods forfield scale solute transport by aid of evaluation of existing models, and examining transport behaviors of solutein vadose zones on different scales. The results indicate that present research progress and understanding onfield scale solute transport have not yet been enough to guarantee the use of our models for the management offield solute movement. Much more research work needs to be done, particularly, in aspects of high resolutionof spatial structures relevant to the hydraulic and transport properties, explicit numerical simulation of actualstructure on field scale and field measurement corroborated with model development.
基金Under the auspices of National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.41130748,41471143)
文摘The Loess Plateau is one typical area of serious soil erosion in the world. China has implemented ′Grain for Green′(GFG) project to restore the eco-environment of the Loess Plateau since 1999. With the GFG project subsidy approaching the end, it is concerned that farmers of fewer subsidies may reclaim land again. Thus, ′Gully Land Consolidation Project′(GLCP) was initiated in 2010. The core of the GLCP was to create more land suitable for farming in gullies so as to reduce land reclamation on the slopes which are ecological vulnerable areas. This paper aims to assess the effect of the GLCP on soil erosion problems by studying Wangjiagou project region located in the central part of Anzi valley in the middle of the Loess Plateau, mainly using the revised universal soil loss equation(RUSLE) based on GIS. The findings show that the GLCP can help to reduce soil shipment by 9.87% and it creates more terraces and river-nearby land suitable for farming which account for 27.41% of the whole study area. Thus, it is feasible to implement the GLCP in places below gradient 15°, though the GLCP also intensifies soil erosion in certain places such as field ridge, village land, floodplain, natural grassland, and shrub land. In short, the GLCP develops new generation dam land and balances the short-term and long-term interests to ease the conflicts between economic development and environmental protection. Furthermore, the GLCP and the GFG could also be combined preferably. On the one hand, the GFG improves the ecological environment, which could offer certain safety to the GLCP, on the other hand, the GLCP creates more farmland favorable for farming in gullies instead of land reclamation on the slopes, which could indirectly protect the GFG project.
文摘The actual situation of the Tisza Valley traditionally used for land farming is basically determined by the consequences of the river regulation of the nineteenth century which aimed at the extension of the intensive agriculture, by the extreme water regime of alternating periods of flood showing a deteriorating trend and drought related to the climatic change; and by several environmental problems induced mainly by the land use. The objective of the article is to prove the regional advantages of a proposed technical solution to mitigate the flood risk with a special regard to the land cover. Hydrodynamic modeling results prove that the best technical solution is given by a combination of different strategies containing the inundation of deep floodplains-areas regularly covered by water before the river regulation works and, globally, by an important mitigation of flood damages, the costs of solution would be surely covered in the longterm. By means of its natural-resembling operation, the regular water cover would allow a multiple use of water, contributing to the solution of the simultaneously existing aridity problem, and, the development of the floodplain landscape management would help improve the ecological and the economical upgrading of the region.
文摘The Merguellil catchment (central Tunisia) has undergone rapid hydrological changes over the last decades. The most visible signs are a marked decrease in surface runoff in the upstream catchment and a complete change in the recharge processes of the Kairouan aquifer downstream. Fluctuations in rainfall have had a real but limited hydrological impact. Much more important are the consequences of human activities such as soil and water conservation works, small and large dams, pumping for irrigation. Several independent approaches were implemented: hydrodynamics, thermal surveys, geochemistry including isotopes. They helped to identify the different terms of the regional water balance and to characterize their changes over time.
文摘In the French Alps, some grasslands have been abandoned, others are invaded by scrub whereas they are still used by farmers What are the relationships between land use changes and other changes at farm level that lead to scrub invasion? We hypothesize that they are linked by two work organization processes: process of changes (changes in the household and farm) leading to less intensive land use; and annual processes (sequences of activities during the year) and their repetition from one year to another, leading to insufficient land maintenance. In this paper, we present a study carried out in the Northern French Alps, based on surveys with livestock farmers. It appears that land use changes are often the consequence of other changes made to address work problems, and land use sequences are defined according to workforce and prioritization of tasks. This highlights the importance of considering farmers as workers in order to evaluate land use changes at the farm level and to link them to the human dimension within farming systems.
基金National Natural Science Foundation of China,No.41401305,No.41330858The Open Foundation of State Key Laboratory of Soil Erosion and Dryland Farming on the Loess Plateau,No.K318009902-14
文摘The capacity of soil and water conservation measures, defined as the maximum quantity of suitable soil and water conservation measures contained in a region, were determined for the Loess Plateau based on zones suitable for establishing terraced fields, forestland and grassland with the support of geographic information system(GIS) software. The minimum possible soil erosion modulus and actual soil erosion modulus in 2010 were calculated using the revised universal soil loss equation(RUSLE), and the ratio of the minimum possible soil erosion modulus under the capacity of soil and water conservation measures to the actual soil erosion modulus was defined as the soil erosion control degree. The control potential of soil erosion and water loss in the Loess Plateau was studied using this concept. Results showed that the actual soil erosion modulus was 3355 t·km^(–2)·a^(–1), the minimum possible soil erosion modulus was 1921 t·km^(–2)·a^(–1), and the soil erosion control degree was 0.57(medium level) in the Loess Plateau in 2010. In terms of zoning, the control degree was relatively high in the river valley-plain area, soil-rocky mountainous area, and windy-sandy area, but relatively low in the soil-rocky hilly-forested area, hilly-gully area and plateau-gully area. The rate of erosion areas with a soil erosion modulus of less than 1000 t·km^(–2)·a^(–1) increased from 50.48% to 57.71%, forest and grass coverage rose from 56.74% to 69.15%, rate of terraced fields increased from 4.36% to 19.03%, and per capita grain available rose from 418 kg·a^(–1) to 459 kg·a^(–1) under the capacity of soil and water conservation measures compared with actual conditions. These research results are of some guiding significance for soil and water loss control in the Loess Plateau.
基金Supported by the Deanship of Research, Jordan University of Science and Technology (No. 91/2004)
文摘Despite being in arid and semi-arid areas,erosion is largely a result of infrequent but heavy rainfall events; therefore,rainfall erosivity data can be used as an indicator of potential erosion risks.The purpose of this study was to investigate the spatial distribution of annual rainfall erosivity in North Jordan.A simplified procedure was used to correlate erosivity factor R values in both the universal soil loss equation (USLE) and the revised universal soil loss equation (RUSLE) with annual rainfall amount or modified Fournier index (F mod ).Pluviometric data recorded at 18 weather stations covering North Jordan were used to predict R values.The annual values of erosivity ranged between 86-779 MJ mm ha ?1 h ?1 year ?1 .The northwest regions of Jordan showed the highest annual erosivity values,while the northeastern regions showed the lowest annual erosivity values.
基金Supported by the South Carolina Water Resources Centerthe Clemson University Public Service and Agriculture Next Generation Graduate Fellowship (PSA-NGGF), USATechnical Contribution No. 5903 of the Clemson University Experiment Station, USA
文摘The current economic crisis has left numerous residential developments in the southeastern United States in various stages of construction. Many of them are currently graded and essentially abandoned, creating a major source of sediment runoff to waterways. Residential development locations with significant bare soil areas were identified through classification of Landsat 5 TM satellite imagery and subsequently verified from high-resolution county aerial photographs. The revised universal soil loss equation (RUSLE) was used in a geographic information system (GIS) as a tool for prioritizing identified locations on the basis of potential soil loss assuming the worst case scenario of a completely unmaintained site. Initial GIS identification indicated 301 sites with a total bare soil area of 2 378 ha over three counties in Upstate South Carolina. A random sample of 153 sites was visited over 17 days and assessed using a mobile GIS, global positioning system (GPS), and digital camera for field validation. Results indicated that 78% (119) of the sites were classified correctly (residential construction sites in varying stages of completion); 88% of identified areas were less than 25% built compared to the previous year; 48% were categorized as moderate to severe problems. Abandoned and unfinished developments in Upstate South Carolina may represent a major source of sediment pollution to streams. Well-maintained erosion control devices may be useful in preventing offsite sedimentation.