Estimation of soil erosion and sediment yield in Wadi El Hachem watershed(Algeria)using the RUSLE-SDR approach

One of the most common types of soil degradation is water erosion.It reduces soil quality at the erosion site and may cause sedimentation issues at the deposition site.This phenomenon is estimated using a variety of models.The Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation(RUSLE)model is the most often used,due to its consistence and low data requirement.It is useful for estimating annual soil loss at the watershed scale.To investigate the relationship between soil erosion and sediment deposition,the combined RUSLE and Sediment Delivery Ratio(SDR)models are used.The Wadi El Hachem watershed is a coastal and mountainous Mediterranean basin with rugged topography and high degree of climatic aggressiveness.Both of these characteristics can have an immediate effect on soil erosion and sediment yield.This research includes estimating the Average Annual Soil Loss(A)and Sediment Yield(SY)in the Wadi El Hachem watershed,mapping different RUSLE factors as well as A and SY,and studying the influence of rainfall erosivity(R)on A and SY in dry and rainy years.The A results vary from 0 to 410 t·ha^(-1)·yr^(-1)with an annual average of 52 t·ha^(-1)·yr^(-1).The Renfro's SDR model was selected as the best model for estimating SY,with standard error,standard deviation,coefficient of variation,and Nash–Sutcliffe efficiency(NSE)values of 0.38%,0.02,0.07%,and 1.00,respectively.The average SY throughout the whole watershed is around 27 t·ha^(-1)·yr^(-1).The SY map for the entire Wadi El Hachem watershed revealed that sediment production zones are mainly concentrated in the Northeast of the basin,at the basin’s outlet,and in the tributaries of the dam.The simulation results of soil loss and sediment yield in dry and rainy years revealed that R is one of the main factors affecting soil erosion and sediment deposition in the Wadi El Hachem watershed.The mean difference in R factor between dry year and rainy year is 671 MJ·mm·ha^(-1)·h^(-1)·yr^(-1).As a result of this fluctuation,the soil loss and sediment yield have increased by 15 and 8 t·ha^(-1)·yr^(-1),respectively.The results of this research can be used to provide scientific and technical support for conservation and management strategies of the Wadi El Hachem watershed.

Identifying the driving factors of sediment delivery ratio on individual flood events in a long-term monitoring headwater basin

The Sediment Delivery Ratio(SDR) has multi-fold environmental implications both in evaluating the soil and water losses and the effectiveness of conservation measures in watersheds. Various factors, including hydrological regime and watershed properties, may influence the SDR at interannual timescales. However, the effect of certain important dynamic factors, such as rainfall peak distribution, runoff erosion power and sediment bulk density, on the sediment delivery ratio of single flood events(SDRe) has received little attention. The Qiaogou headwater basin is in the hilly-gully region of the Chinese Loess Plateau, and it encompasses a 0.45 km^2 catchment. Three large-scale field runoff plots at different geomorphological positions were chosen to obtain the observation data, and the 20-year period between 1986 and 2005 is presented. The results showed that the SDRe of the Qiaogou headwaters varied from 0.49 to 2.77. Among the numerous influential factors, rainfall and runoff were the driving factors causing slope erosion and sediment transport. The rainfall erosivity had a significant positive relationship with the sediment transport modulus(R^2=0.85, P<0.01) but had no significant relationship with SDRe. The rainfall peak coefficient was significantly positively correlated with the SDRe(R^2=0.64, P<0.05), indicating the influence of rainfall energy distribution on the SDRe. The runoff erosion power index was not only significantly related to the sediment transport modulus(R^2=0.84, P<0.01) but also significantly related to the SDRe(R^2=0.57, P<0.01). In addition, the relative bulk density was significantly related to the SDRe, indicating that hyper-concentrated flow characteristics contributed to more transported sediment in the catchment. Thus, the rainfall peak coefficient, runoff erosion power and sediment relative bulk density could be used as dynamic indexes to predict the SDRe in the hilly areas of the Chinese Loess Plateau.

Influence of Environmental Conditions on the Sound Velocity Ratio of Seafloor Surficial Sediment

In this work,we investigated the influences of salinity,temperature,and hydrostatic pressure on the acoustics of seafloor surficial sediment by theoretically and experimentally analyzing the sound velocity ratio of the seafloor sediment to the bottom sea-water in typical environmental conditions.Temperature-and pressure-controlled experiments were conducted to examine the charac-teristics of the sound velocity ratio,the results of which agree with the theoretical analysis using the effective density fluid model.Of the three environmental factors considered,the sound velocity ratio was found to be sensitive to temperature and pressure but not to salinity,with the sound velocity ratio decreasing with temperature and hydrostatic pressure.With respect to surficial sediments,pore water plays a key role in the sound velocity ratio of sediment influenced by different environmental factors.The sound velocities of different types of sediments(sandy,silty,and clayey)change similarly with temperature,but change slightly differently with hydro-static pressure.The influence of environmental factors on the sound velocity ratio of seafloor sediment is independent of the detec-tion frequency.The results show that the sound velocity ratio can change up to 0.0008 per℃ when the temperature ranges from 2℃ to 25℃ and up to 0.00064MPa−1 when the seawater depth pressure ranges from 0MPa to 40MPa.

Relationships between the sound speed ratio and physical properties of surface sediments in the South Yellow Sea

Building empirical equations is an effective way to link the acoustic and physical properties of sediments.These equations play an important role in the prediction of sediments sound speeds required in underwater acoustics.Although many empirical equations coupling acoustic and physical properties have been developed over the past few decades,further confirmation of their applicability by obtaining large amounts of data,especially for equations based on in situ acoustic measurement techniques,is required.A sediment acoustic survey in the South Yellow Sea from 2009 to 2010 revealed statistical relationships between the in situ sound speed and sediment physical properties.To improve the comparability of these relationships with existing empirical equations,the present study calculated the ratio of the in situ sediment sound speed to the bottom seawater sound speed,and established the relationships between the sound speed ratio and the mean grain size,density and porosity of the sediment.The sound speed of seawater at in situ measurement stations was calculated using a perennially averaged seawater sound speed map by an interpolation method.Moreover,empirical relations between the index of impedance and the sound speed and the physical properties were established.The results confirmed that the existing empirical equations between the in situ sound speed ratio and the density and porosity have general suitability for application.This study also considered that a multiple-parameter equation coupling the sound speed ratio to both the porosity and the mean grain size may be more useful for predicting the sound speed than an equation coupling the sound speed ratio to the mean grain size.

A new method for the estimation of fine-sediment resuspension ratios in estuaries-taking the turbidity maximum zone of the Changjiang(Yangtze) estuary as an example

Based on the principle of conservative matter removal in estuary,a new method is proposed for estimating the ratio of sediment resuspension in estuaries with fine suspended sediments in the turbidity maximum zone(TMZ) of the Changjiang(Yangtze) estuary during 2005.Results show that there was a range of 18.7%±27.9% to 73.9%±22.5% per annum of total suspended particulate matter(SPM),with an average of 49.2%.Nearly half of the particulate matter in the TMZ originates from sediment resuspension.This indicates that sediment resuspension is one of the major mechanisms involved in formation of the TMZ.Compared with traditional method for calculating these ratios in the estuary,this new method evaluates the dynamic variation of SPM content carried by river runoff from the river mouth to the ocean.The new method produced more reliable results than the traditional one and could produce a better estimation of resuspension flux for particulate matter in estuaries.

INFLUENCES OF THE FISH-MOUTH PROJECT AND THE GROINS ON THE FLOW AND SEDIMENT RATIO OF THE YANGTZE RIVER WATERWAY

A depth_integrated two_dimensional numerical model of current, salinity and sediment transport was proposed and calibrated by the observation data in the Yangtze River Estuary. It was then applied to investigate the flow and sediment ratio of the navigation channel, i.e. the North Channel of the Yangtze River Estuary,before and after the first phase waterway project is implemented. Particularly, the influences of groin length and the orientation of the submerged dam on the flow ratio and sediment load discharging into the North Channel were discussed. The numerical results demonstrate that less sediment load discharges into the navigation channel, which unburdens the waterway dredging, but in the meantime the flow ratio is also decreased. The flow and sediment ratio can be adjusted by changing layout and dimensions of the hydro_structures, such as the groin length, the top height, etc. The effect of the orientation of the submerged dam is more obvious than the groin lengh.

Inversion and Prediction of Consolidation Settlement Characteristics of the Fluvial Sediments Based on Void Ratio Variation in the Northern Modern Yellow River Subaqueous Delta, China

The modern Yellow River delta is formed near the estuary of the Yellow River with the characteristics of short formation time, efficient sedimentation rate and loose structure which make sediments prone to be compacted and consolidate under the geostatic stress and overburden stress. It is one of the key areas with land subsidence disasters in China, bringing a series of safety hazards to production and living. Based on the data of massive surface cores and ten drill holes ranging from 12 to 40 m obtained from the northern modern Yellow River subaqueous delta, the inversion method suitable for the calculation of consolidation settlement characteristics of the modern Yellow River subaqueous delta is discussed, and the consolidation settlement characteristics of the delta sediments are inversed and predicted in this paper. The actual void ratio of the delta sediments at the depth from 3 to 15 m shows a significant power function relationship with the depth, while the void ratio of the sediments below 15 m changes little with depth. The pre-consolidation settlement(from deposition to sampling) of the delta sediments is between 0.91 and 1.96 m, while the consolidation settlement of unit depth is between 9.6 and 14.0 cm m^(-1). The post-consolidation settlement(from sampling to stable) of the subaqueous delta sediments is between 0.65 and 1.56 m in the later stage, and the consolidation settlement of unit depth is between 7.6 and 13.1 cm m^(-1) under the overburden stress. The delta sediments with a buried depth of 3 to 7 m contribute the most to the possible consolidation settlement in the later stage.

Pb concentrations and isotopic compositions in the soil and sediments around the abandoned mine in southwest of Korea

This study was undertaken to investigate the influence of Pb contaminant dispersal from an abandoned mine. For the study, 23 samples of sediment and soil were collected around the abandoned mine located in southwest of Korea. Pb concentrations and isotope ratios of sediment samples were analyzed through ICP-OES (Optima 5300 DV, Perkin Elmer) and MC-ICP-MS (Plasma II, Nu), respectively. The sediment samples collected in the main stream from the mine entrance showed high Pb concentrations of 139 - 1079 mg/kg, while Pb concentrations of the other sites were 19 - 29 mg/kg. Pb isotope ratios of the main stream sediments were 2.4854 - 2.4883 for 208Pb/207Pb and 1.1693 - 1.1740 for 206Pb/207Pb. On the other hand, the Pb isotopic compositions of sediments collected from the other sites were clearly different from those of ore deposits. The Pb isotope ratios versus inverse concentrations plot showed high linear correlation between the main stream, the tributary stream and one of the downstream sites representing the two end member mixing system between these sites. According to the binary mixing equation, the relative contribution of Pb pollutants from the abandoned mine to the downstream area were approximately 33% - 36%.

Experimental Study on the Effect of Sediment Composition Ratio on Shallow Water Delta

1 Introduction Shallow water delta in the middle-newborn Stratum Widely developed with huge oil and gas in China(Hu Shengwu et al.,2013).The control factors on the deltadevelopment like Climate,sea level,tectonic subsidence,sediment supply(flow,type),the geometric characteristics of the upstream river,the energy(wave,

Dynamic shear modulus and damping ratio characteristics of undisturbed marine soils in the Bohai Sea,China

This paper presents results from a series of stress-controlled undrained cyclic triaxial tests on the undisturbed marine silty clay,silt,and fine sand soils obtained from the Bohai Sea,China.Emphasis is placed on the major factors for predominating the dynamic shear modulus(G)and damping ratio(λ)in the shear strain amplitude(γ_(a))from 10^(-5) to 10^(-2),involving depth,sedimentary facies types,and water content of marine soils.The empirical equations of the small-strain shear modulus(G_(max))and damping ratio(λ_(min))using a single-variable of depth H are established for the three marine soils.A remarkable finding is that the curves of shear modulus reduction(G/G_(max))and the damping ratio(λ)with increasing γ_(a) of the three marine soils can be simply determined through a set of explicit expressions with the two variables of depth H and water content W.This finding is validated by independent experimental data from the literature.At the similar depths,the G value of the marine soils of terrestrial facies is the largest,followed b_(y) the neritic facies,and the G value of the marine soils of abyssal facies is the smallest.The sedimentary facies types of the marine soils have slight effect on theλvalue.Another significant finding is that the shear modulus reduction curves plotted against the γ_(a) of the three marine soils at the similar depths are significantly below those of the corresponding terrigenous soils,while the damping curves plotted against γ_(a) are just the opposite.The results presented in this paper serve as a worthful reference for the evaluation of seabed seismic site effects in the Bohai Sea due to lack of experimental data.

Sedimentary record of climate change in a high latitude fjord—Kongsfjord

The sedimentary record of climate change in the Arctic region is useful for understanding global warming.Kongsfjord is located in the subpolar region of the Arctic and is a suitable site for studying climate change.Glacier retreat is occurring in this region due to climate change,leading to an increase in meltwater outflow with a high debris content.In August 2017,we collected a sediment Core Z3 from the central fjord near the Yellow River Station.Then,we used the widely used chronology method of 210Pb,^(137)Cs,and other parameters to reflect the climate change record in the sedimentary environment of Kongsfjord.The results showed that after the mid-late 1990s,the mass accumulation rate of this core increased from 0.10 g/(cm^(2)·a)to 0.34 g/(cm^(2)·a),while the flux of^(210)Pb_(ex)increased from 125 Bq/(m^(2)·a)to 316 Bq/(m^(2)·a).The higher sedimentary inventory of^(210)Pb_(ex)in Kongsfjord compared to global fallout might have been caused by sediment focusing,boundary scavenging,and riverine input.Similarities between the inventory of^(137)Cs and global fallout indicated that terrestrial particulate matter was the main source of^(137)Cs in fjord sediments.The sedimentation rate increased after 1997,possibly due to the increased influx of glacial meltwater containing debris.In addition,the^(137)Cs activity,percentage of organic carbon(OC),and OC/total nitrogen concentration ratio showed increasing trends toward the top of the core since 1997,corresponding to a decrease in the mass balance of glaciers in the region.The results ofδ^(13)C,δ^(15)N and OC/TN concentration ratio showed both terrestrial and marine sources contributed to the organic matter in Core Z3.The relative contribution of terrestrial organic matter which was calculated by a two-endmember model showed an increased trend since mid-1990s.All these data indicate that global climate change has a significant impact on Arctic glaciers.

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.

Evaluation of Total Hydrocarbons Levels and Traces Metals in Water and Sediment from Main Outfall Drain in Al-Nassiriya City/Southern Iraq

This study was conducted during Dec2011-Nov2012 on three stations located in the south sector of Main Outfall Drain (MOD) River. Station 1 was near Al-Holandee Bridge which was the general carriage way in the center of Al-Nassiriya city, station 2 was 20 km far from the first station, while station 3 was in the beginning of the new branch. This study reveals the Seasonal Variation of Total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPHs) in both surface waters, sediment and it is related with trace metals nickel and vanadium in water (dissolved, particulate) and sediment (residual and exchangeable) phases. Also, the study shows the relationships between the concentration of Ni and V with Total Organic Carbon (TOC%) in the sediment.

The Burial of Biogenic Silica, Organic Carbon and Organic Nitrogen in the Sediments of the East China Sea

We sampled the sediments of the East China Sea during 2005 and 2006, and analysed the contents of the biogenic matters: biogenic silica, organic carbon, and organic nitrogen. From the surface distribution we found the contents of these substances to be in the ranges of 0.72%-1.64%, 0.043%-0.82%, and 0.006%-0.11%, respectively. Their distributions were similar to each other, being high inside the Hangzhou Bay and low outside the bay. The vertical variations of the contents were also similar. In order to discuss the relation between them we analysed the variations of content with depth. They increased in the first 7 cm and then decreased with depth. The peaks were found at depths between 20 to 25 cm. The distribution of carbonate showed an opposite trend to that of biogenic matters. The content of total carbon was relatively stable with respect to depth, and the ratio of high organic carbon to carbonate showed a low burial efficiency of carbonate, which means that the main burial of carbon is organic carbon. In order to discuss the source of organic matters, the ratio of organic carbon to organic nitrogen was calculated, which was 8.01 to 9.65, indicating that the organic matter in the sediments was derived mainly from phytoplankton in the seawater.

A 16 ka climate record deduced from δ^(13)C and C/N ratio in Qinghai Lake sediments, northeastern Tibetan Plateau

On the basis of multi-proxy analysis on TOC, TN, C/N, organic δ13C and grain size, sedi- ment record from Qinghai Lake provides evidences of stepwise-patterned climatic change since 16 ka BP. Results show that Qinghai Lake underwent six environmental stages. From 16.2 to 14.3 ka BP and from 4.0 to 2.1 ka BP, the organic δ13C value was controlled by the concentration of atmospheric CO2. Relative higher organic δ13C values occurred between 14.3 to 10.4 ka BP indicative of water hardness decrease resulted from melting ice water, corresponding to two intervals of C/N peak values to the B?ling and Al- ler?d warm periods in Europe respectively. From 10.4 ka BP, Qinghai Lake entered the Holocene and the climate was warm and a little dry. The Megathermal appeared at about 6.7 ka BP when the vegetation around the lake transformed into a forest. Between 6.3 ka BP and 4.0 ka BP, the temperature decreased and δ13C value was controlled by the expansion of C3 plants and the retreat of C4 plants in river catchment. Since 4.0 ka BP, the climate gradually became cold and dry. From 2.1 ka BP, the cold-dry climate and human activity resulted in an abrupt increase in C/N with deceased δ13C value; meanwhile, many coarse grains appeared in sediments.

Assessment of Sedimentation Impacts on Small Dams—A Case of Small Reservoirs in the Lotsane Catchment

Sedimentation is a major problem for agricultural dams in Botswana, as it reduces the storage capacity and life span of the reservoirs. The process of sedimentation starts from day one of the impounding of water in any given reservoir. Even though a provision is made for every reservoir during planning for a certain storage capacity, specifically for sediment deposition, called dead storage, a major portion of the sediment gets deposited for many years of the reservoir’s life in areas other than the dead storage, and this trend cannot be reversed at easy cost. This study is aimed at the analysis of prevailing sedimentation processes in the nearby dozens of dams found in the Lotsane catchment located within the Limpopo Basin of Botswana, and focuses on assessment of annual sedimentation rate. A spatial analysis and modelling study was conducted based on the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation and GIS to determine sediment yield and degree of impact of each reservoir for a given landscape, rainfall and catchment heterogeneity. Field observations and soil sampling were carried out in order to determine the factors that lead to reservoir sedimentation. Spatial data on the dams in Lotsane catchment were also collected from Ministry of Agriculture, which were used for ground-truthing, GIS-based calculations and model validation. The average sediment rate and sediment delivery ratio were found to be 1.74 t/ha/year and 81%, respectively. These are useful parameters to estimate service life of the dams and plan remedial measures related to sedimentation problems.

Evaluation of Pollution Sources of Zinc in Tokyo Bay Based on Zinc Isotope Ratio in Sediment Core

This study evaluated the sources of Zn pollution in Tokyo Bay, Japan, on the basis of δ66Zn in a sediment core. The Zn concentration in sediments in the 1980s-2000s was considerably higher than the background concentration, suggesting that there remain important sources of Zn in the bay. The δ66Zn (+0.51‰) of anthropogenic Zn estimated in the core was significantly higher than those (approximately –0.1‰ - +0.2‰) of treated water from sewage treatment plants and vehicle-related sources. A large number of electroplating plants are located in Tokyo areas. It is assumed that Zn in effluents from electroplating operations is isotopically heavier owing to a negative isotopic effect on Zn electroplating. This tends to support the hypothesis that river bottom sediments, which were contaminated with Zn in the untreated effluents from electroplating plants in the past, are the principal sources of anthropogenic Zn in Tokyo Bay in the 1980s-2000s.

Characterization of Alluvial Gold Bearing Sediments of Betare Oya District-East Cameroon, Implication for Gold Exploration and Recovery

Field studies (location Au pits, sampling of different layers of sedimentary sequences filling the pits, panning of sediments), litho-stratigraphic investigations, grain size analysis and outlining of depositional conditions revealed a characteristic fining upward sequence in all the sections of 08 Au-pits within the Betare Oya basin. A typical profile is 2.5 to 4.5 m thick and is composed of a 30 to 50 cm organic topsoil layer, underlain by a 1.5 m thick reddish brownish gold free saprolite, which is underlain by 1.5 m sandy section. From litho-stratigraphic investigations and grain size analysis results a quartz dominated gravelly 1.4 m thick layer consisting in boulders (275 mm), cobbles (2-&minus;0.0148x2 + 1.2187x + 2.0344, R2 = 0.6929 (sandy layer);2) y = 0.0617x2 + 1.0849x + 0.8097, R2 = 0.8694 (gravelly layer);and y > R2 is satisfied in both cases. This implies that Au recovery from these layers could be effective through gravity separation using sieves mounted on classifiers of 7 cm (sandy layer) and 10 cm (gravelly layer) diameter.

Sediment Delivery across Multiple Spatio-temporal Scales in an Agriculture Watershed of the Chinese Loess Plateau

There is a consensus that sediment delivery ratio in the Chinese Loess Plateau is close to 1at the inter-annual timescale. However, little information is available about the sediment delivery at finer timescales. We evaluated the sediment delivery from plots to watersheds at the event or intra-annual, annual, and inter-annual timescales within the Wudinghe river basin, a 30,261 km2 basin in the Loess Plateau. We calculated the ratio of sediment output to sediment input and presented the temporal change of the channel morphology to determine whether sediment deposition occurs.Although a single flood event frequently has a sediment yield exceeding 10,000 t km-2, sediment deposition rarely occurs except during some small runoff events(sediment yield < 5000 t km-2) or dry years(sediment yield < 10,000 t km-2) when moving from slopes up to the main channels of the Wudinghe River. This observation suggests a sediment delivery ratio close to 1 even at the event or intra-annual and the annual timescales, but not necessarily at the interannual timescale. Such a high sediment delivery ratio can be related to hyper-concentrated flows, which have very strong sediment transport capacity even at low flow strength. Because hyper-concentrated flows are well-developed in the whole Loess Plateau, a sediment delivery ratio close to 1 below the interannual timescale possibly remains true for other rivers in the Loess Plateau.