Review of collapse triggering mechanism of collapsible soils due towetting

Loess soil deposits are widely distributed in arid and semi-arid regions and constitute about 10% of land area of the world.These soils typically have a loose honeycomb-type meta-stable structure that is susceptible to a large reduction in total volume or collapse upon wetting.Collapse characteristics contribute to various problems to infrastructures that are constructed on loess soils.For this reason,collapse triggering mechanism for loess soils has been of significant interest for researchers and practitioners all over the world.This paper aims at providing a state-of-the-art review on collapse mechanism with special reference to loess soil deposits.The collapse mechanism studies are summarized under three different categories,i.e.traditional approaches,microstructure approach,and soil mechanics-based approaches.The traditional and microstructure approaches for interpreting the collapse behavior are comprehensively summarized and critically reviewed based on the experimental results from the literature.The soil mechanics-based approaches proposed based on the experimental results of both compacted soils and natural loess soils are reviewed highlighting their strengths and limitations for estimating the collapse behavior.Simpler soil mechanics-based approaches with less parameters or parameters that are easy-to-determine from conventional tests are suggested for future research to better understand the collapse behavior of natural loess soils.Such studies would be more valuable for use in conventional geotechnical engineering practice applications.

Influence of the roots of mixed-planting species on the shear strength of saline loess soil

In order to improve our knowledge of the mechanical effect of the roots of mixed-plantings on soil reinforcement and slope protection,the influence of roots of a mixed-planting with four herb species(Medicago sativa L.,Elymus nutans Griseb.,Puccinellia distanx(L.),and Poa pratensis L.)and one shrub species(Caragana korshinskii Kom.)were investigated on the shear strength characteristics of saline loess soil.The root distribution characteristics were assessed via a survey when the plants grew for one year.The effects of the root biomass density,the root mass ratio(RMR)of the fine roots to the coarse roots,the moisture content,and the salt content on the shear strength index of the rooted soil were analyzed via a triaxial compression test,and the mechanism of these effects was discussed.The results indicate that the biomass density decreased linearly with increasing depth.The RMR initially decreased with depth and then increased,exhibiting in a quadratic relationship.The cohesion of the rooted soil increased linearly as the biomass density increased.The cohesion of the rooted soil initially increased with increasing RMR and salt content,and then it decreased.The turning point of the cohesion occurred when the RMR was 0.6 and the salt content was 1.18%.The internal friction angle of the rooted soil initially increased with biomass density and then decreased,and the turning point of the internal friction angle occurred when the biomass density was 0.015 g/cm3.The relationships between the internal friction angle of the rooted soil and the RMR and salt content were exponential incremental and linear subtractive relationship,respectively.Both the cohesion and the internal friction angle of the rooted soil linearly decreased with increasing moisture content.

Comparative Study on Rain Splash Erosion of Representative Soils in China

As the first event of soil erosion, rain splash erosion supplies materials for subsequent transportation and en-trainment. The Loess Plateau, the southern hilly region and the Northeast China are subject to serious soil and water loss; however, the characteristics of rain splash erosion in those regions are still unclear. The objectives of the study are to ana-lyze the characteristics of splash erosion on loess soil, red soil, purple soil and black soil, and to discuss the relationship between splash erosion and soil properties. Soil samples spatially distributed in the abovementioned regions were col-lected and underwent simulated rainfalls at a high intensity of 1.2mm/min, lasting for 5, 10, 15, and 20min, respectively. Rain splash and soil crust development were analyzed. It shows that black soil sample from Heilongjiang Province corre-sponds to the minimum splash erosion amount because it has high aggregate content, aggregate stability and organic mat-ter content. Loess soil sample from Inner Mongolia corresponds to the maximum splash erosion amount because it has high content of sand particles. Loess soil sample from Shanxi Province has relatively lower splash erosion amount be-cause it has high silt particle content and low aggregate stability easily to be disrupted under rainfalls with high intensity. Although aggregate contents of red soil and purple soil samples from Hubei and Guangdong provinces are high, the sta-bility is weak and prone to be disrupted, so the splash erosion amount is medium. Splash rate which fluctuates over time is observed because soil crust development follows a cycling processes of formation and disruption. In addition, there are two locations of soil crust development, one appears at the surface, and the other occurs at the subsurface.

Solute transport characteristics of a deep soil profile in the Loess Plateau,China

Understanding solute transport behaviors of deep soil profile in the Loess Plateau is helpful for ecological construction and agricultural production improvement. In this study, solute transport processes of a deep soil profile were measured by a conservative tracer experiment using 25 undisturbed soil cores （20 cm long and 7 cm diameter for each） continuously sampled from the surface downward to the depth of 500 cm in the Loess Plateau of China. The solute transport breakthrough curves （BTCs） were analyzed in terms of the convection-dispersion equation （CDE） and the mobile-immobile model （MIM）. Average pore-water velocity and dispersion coefficient （or effective dispersion coefficient） were calculated using the CDE and MIM. Basic soil properties and water infiltration parameters were also determined to explore their influence on the solute transport parameters. Both pore-water velocity and dispersion coefficient （or effective dispersion coefficient） generally decreased with increasing depth, and the dispersivity fluctuated along the soil profile. There was a good linear correlation between log-transformed pore-water velocity and dispersion coefficient, with a slope of about 1.0 and an average dispersivity of 0.25 for the entire soil profile. Generally speaking, the soil was more homogeneous along the soil profile. Our results also show that hydrodynamic dispersion is the dominant mechanism of solute transport of loess soils in the study area.

Soil Insect Diversity and Abundance Following Different Fertilizer Treatments on the Loess Plateau of China

The presence of abundant and diverse communities of macro-arthropods is considered an indicator of sustainability in agroecosystems. This study was designed to investigate the effects of different fertilizer treatments on abundance and diversity of insects of arable loess soil on the Loess Plateau of China. These regimes included a control with no fertilizer addition or manure, treatments with application of mineral fertilizers （N, NK, NP, PK, NPK）, treatments with NPK in combination with organic materials such as wheat straw or maize stalk, treatments with two rates of organic manure application; and different crop rotations （Rot. 1： winter wheat summer maize; Rot.2： winter wheat summer maize soybean intercropping; and Rot.3： winter wheat or rapeseed summer maize soybean intercropping）. Soil macro-arthropods were collected from the plough layer （0-20 cm） and sorted by hand after each harvest in June and October 2001 and 2002. A total of 3 132 individuals were collected, from 7 orders and 55 families, dominated by Formicidae （61.72%） and Staphylinidae （14.24%）. The results showed that individuals and groups were significantly influenced by sampling dates, while groups were significantly influenced by the fertilization treatments. Soil insect biodiversity, as determined by the Shannon index, was significantly influenced by fertilization and sampling dates. The abundance of soil insects was positively and significantly correlated with soil moisture content in October 2002. Nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium fertilizers and incorporation of organic materials were favorable factors for abundance and diversity in arable loess soil.

Effects of Shrub on Runoff and Soil Loss at Loess Slopes Under Simulated Rainfall

Improved understanding of the effect of shrub cover on soil erosion process will provide valuable information for soil and water conservation programs.Laboratory rainfall simulations were conducted to determine the effects of shrubs on runoff and soil erosion and to ascertain the relationship between the rate of soil loss and the runoff hydrodynamic characteristics.In these simulations a 20° slope was subjected to rainfall intensities of 45,87,and 127 mm/h.The average runoff rates ranged from 0.51 to 1.26 mm/min for bare soil plots and 0.15 to 0.96 mm/min for shrub plots.Average soil loss rates varied from 44.19 to 114.61 g/(min·m^2) for bare soil plots and from 5.61 to 84.58 g/(min·m^2) for shrub plots.There was a positive correlation between runoff and soil loss for the bare soil plots,and soil loss increased with increased runoff for shrub plots only when rainfall intensity is 127 mm/h.Runoff and soil erosion processes were strongly influenced by soil surface conditions because of the formation of erosion pits and rills.The unit stream power was the optimal hydrodynamic parameter to characterize the soil erosion mechanisms.The soil loss rate increased linearly with the unit stream power on both shrub and bare soil plots.Critical unit stream power values were 0.004 m/s for bare soil plots and 0.017 m/s for shrub plots.

GIS-based Effect Assessment of Soil Erosion Before and After Gully Land Consolidation: A Case Study of Wangjiagou Project Region, Loess Plateau

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.

Effects of freeze-thaw on soil erosion processes and sediment selectivity under simulated rainfall

The freeze-thaw （FT） processes affect an area of 46.3% in China. It is essential for soil and water conservation and ecological construction to elucidate the mechanisms of the FF processes and its associated soil erosion processes. In this research, we designed the control simulation experiments to promote the understanding of FT-water combined erosion processes. The results showed that the runoff of freeze-thaw slope （FTS） decreased by 8% compared to the control slope （CS）, and the total sediment yield of the FTS was 1.10 times that of the CS. The sediment yield rate from the FTS was significantly greater than that from the CS after 9 min of runoff （P〈0.01）. Both in FTS and CS treatments, the relationships between cumulative runoff and sediment yield can be fitted well with power functions （R2〉0.98, P〈0.01）. Significant differences in the mean weight diameter （MWD） values of particles were between the CS and the FTS treatments in the erosion were smaller than those under FTS for both washed and observed for washed particles and splashed particles process （P〈0.05）. The mean MWD values under CS splashed particles. The ratio of the absolute value of a regression coefficient between the CS and the FTS was 1.15, being roughly correspondent with the ratio of K between the two treatments. Therefore, the parameter a of the power function between cumulative runoff and sediment yield could be an acceptable indicator for expressing the soil erodibility. In conclusion, the FTS exhibited an increase in soil erosion compared to the CS.

Spatial Variability of Soil Organic Carbon in Different Hillslope Positions in Toshan Area, Golestan Province, Iran: Geostatistical Approaches

Accessibility to organic carbon(OC) budget is required for sustainable agricultural development and ecosystem preservation and restoration. Using geostatistical models to describe and demonstrate the spatial variability of soil organic carbon(SOC) will lead to a greater understanding of this dynamics. The aim of this paper is to present the relationships between the spatial variability of SOC and the topographic features by using geostatistical methods on a loess mountain-slope in Toshan region, Golestan Province, northern Iran. Hence, 234 soil samples were collected in a regular grid that covered different parts of the slope. The results showed that such factors as silt, clay, saturated moisture content, mean weighted diameter(MWD) and bulk density were all correlated to the OC content in different slope positions, and the spatial variability of SOC more to slope positions and elevations. The coefficient of variation(CV) indicated that the variability of SOC was moderate in different slope positions and for the mountain-slope as a whole. However, the higher variability of SOC(CV = 45.6%) was shown in the back-slope positions. Also, the ordinary cokriging method for clay as covariant gave better results in evaluating SOC for the whole slope with the RMSE value 0.2552 in comparison with the kriging and the inverse distance weighted(IDW) methods. The interpolation map of OC for the slope under investigation showed lowering SOC concentrations versus increasing elevation and slope gradient. The spatial correlation ratio was different between various slope positions and related to the topographic texture.

^(137)Cs Finger Printing Technique for Erosion and Sedimentation Studies

137 Cs is an artificial radionuclide with a half-life of 30.2 years,which was released into the environment as a byproduct of atmospheric testing of nuclear weapons during the period of 1950s to 1970s with a peak deposition in 1963.137 Cs fallout was strongly and rapidly adsorbed by soil particles when it deposited on the ground mostly with precipitation.Its following movements will associate with the adsorbed particles.137 Cs tracing technique has been widely used in soil erosion and sedimentation studies since 1980s.This paper introduces the basis of the technique and shows several case studies of assessment of soil erosion rates,investigation of sediment sources and dating of reservoir deposits by using the technique in the Loess Plateau and the Upper Yangtze River Basin.

Branched tetraether lipids in Chinese soils:Evaluating the fidelity of MBT/CBT proxies as paleoenvironmental proxies

The ubiquitous occurrence of branched glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers(br GDGTs) in soils has allowed development of new proxies for reconstruction of past climate and environment. The methylation and cyclization degrees of br GDGTs, expressed as MBT and CBT, respectively, are reported to be mainly controlled by mean annual air temperature(MAAT) and soil p H. However, the br GDGT-derived temperatures and soil p H scatter widely when data from different environmental conditions are considered. In this study, we collected over 300 soil samples from China, which are representative of humid(Xishuangbanna, Guangzhou, and Shanghai), semi-arid(Dongying) and semi-arid/arid(Lanzhou, Tibetan Plateau) regions. Collectively we have the most extensive dataset that broadly characterizes the distribution of br GDGTs according to climate zones in China. The overall data demonstrate that the MBT/CBT derived temperatures better match the measured MAATs in humid and non-alkaline regions than those from regions of low MAP(<400 mm/yr) and above neutral soil p H(>7.0–7.5). Similarly, CBT describes soil p H much better in humid and non-alkaline soils than in semi-arid/arid and alkaline soils; the semi-arid/arid and alkaline soils tend to show a positive correlation between soil p H and CBT, which contradicts that in the humid and non-alkaline soils. While soil p H, MAAT and mean annual precipitation(MAP) are dominating factors controlling the br GDGT distribution across all climate zones, conductivity, total organic carbon and total nitrogen, as well as soil water content can also play an important role locally. Removing br GDGT-II resulted in a revised CBT index that provides more accurate estimation of p H, especially in semi-arid/arid and alkaline soils. The overall Chinese dataset demonstrates that continental air temperature derived from br GDGT-proxies can vastly deviate from real measurements and should be used with extreme caution in paleo-climate or-environment studies.

Effects of rye grass coverage on soil loss from loess slopes

Vegetative coverage is commonly used to reduce urban slope soil erosion.Laboratory experimental study on soil erosion under grass covered slopes is conventionally time and space consuming.In this study,a new method is suggested to study the influences of vegetation coverage on soil erosion from a sloped loess surface under three slope gradients of 51,151,and 251;four rye grass coverages of 0%,25%,50%,and 75%;and three rainfall intensities of 60,90,and 120 mm/h with a silt-loamy loess soil.Rye grasses were planted in the field with the studied soil before being transplanted into a laboratory flume.Grass was allowed to resume growth for a period before the rain simulation experiment.Results showed that the grass cover reduced soil erosion by 63.90%to 92.75%and sediment transport rate by 80.59%to 96.17%under different slope gradients and rainfall intensities.The sediment concentration/sediment transport rate from bare slope was significantly higher than from a grass-covered slope.The sediment concentration/transport rate from grass-covered slopes decreased linearly with grass coverage and increased with rainfall intensity.The sediment concentration/transport rate from the bare slope increased as a power function of slope and reached the maximum value at the gradient of about 251,whereas that from grass-covered slope increased linearly and at much lower levels.The results of this study can be used to estimate the effect of vegetation on soil erosion from loess slopes.

Experimental determination of sediment transport capacity of rill flow over sandified loess slope

Rill erosion is affected by the sand particle content in soil,especially in the wind and water erosion transition region of the Loess Plateau.The sediment transport capacity(STC)is a key parameter in rill erosion research,assessing the impact of aeolian sand intrusion on the STC of rill flow is of importance for a better understanding of rill erosion.This study aimed to assess the effect of aeolian sand intrusion on the STC on sandified loess slopes,with typical slopes and flow discharges,using a flume system which consisting of a sediment-feeding and a sediment-supply/settlement flume.The sediment feeding flume was jointed by 10°higher than that of the sediment measurement flume section.Three flow discharges(2,4,and 8 L min^(-1))and four slope gradients(5°,10°,15°,and 25°)were used to represent the natural hydrological conditions under three intrusion rates(SIR)of aeolian sands(10%,20%,and 50%).The results show that STC increased with slope gradient and flow discharge,and the relationship between the STC and the SIR was significantly affected by the slope gradient;the STCs decreased with the SIR on a slope of 5°but increased with the SIR on steep slopes of 15°-25°,implying a significant impact of slope gradient on the relationship between SIR and STC.The SIR of 50%resulted in the highest sediment concentration nearly 1200 kg m^(-3)on slopes of 25°.On sandified loess slopes of 10%,20%,and 50%SIR,the STC were about 30%,46%,and 57%higher than on loess slopes,indicating an increased erosion rate by sand particle intrusion into loess soil.These results highlight the impact of sand intrusion on STC of rill flow and provide deeper insights into the soil loss process on the sandified loess slope.