Soil erosion on the Loess Plateau of China is effectively controlled due to the implementation of several ecological restoration projects that improve soil properties and reduce soil erodibility. However, few studies ...Soil erosion on the Loess Plateau of China is effectively controlled due to the implementation of several ecological restoration projects that improve soil properties and reduce soil erodibility. However, few studies have examined the effects of vegetation restoration on soil properties and erodibility of gully head in the gully regions of the Loess Plateau. The objectives of this study were to quantify the effects of vegetation restoration on soil properties and erodibility in this region. Specifically, a control site in a slope cropland and 9 sites in 3 restored land-use types （5 sites in grassland, 3 in woodland and 1 in shrubland） in the Nanxiaohegou watershed of a typical gully region on the Loess Plateau were selected, and soil and root samples were collected to assess soil properties and root characteristics. Soil erodibility factor was calculated by the Erosion Productivity Impact Calculator method. Our results revealed that vegetation restoration increased soil sand content, soil saturated hydraulic conductivity, organic matter content and mean weight diameter of water-stable aggregate but decreased soil silt and clay contents and soil disintegration rate. A significant difference in soil erodibility was observed among different vegetation restoration patterns or land-use types. Compared with cropland, soil erodibility decreased in the restored lands by 3.99% to 21.43%. The restoration patterns of Cleistogenes caespitosa K. and Artemisia sacrorum L. in the grassland showed the lowest soil erodibility and can be considered as the optimal vegetation restoration pattern for improving soil anti-erodibility of the gully heads. Additionally, the negative linear change in soil erodibility for grassland with restoration time was faster than those of woodland and shrubland. Soil erodibility was significantly correlated with soil particle size distribution, soil disintegration rate, soil saturated hydraulic conductivity, water-stable aggregate stability, organic matter content and root characteristics （including root average diameter, root length density, root surface density and root biomass density）, but it showed no association with soil bulk density and soil total porosity. These findings indicate that although vegetation destruction is a short-term process, returning the soil erodibility of cropland to the level of grassland, woodland and shrubland is a long-term process （8-50 years）.展开更多
Based on the large-scale model tests, a simplified dam breach model for homogeneous cohesive dam due to overtopping failure is put forward. The model considers headcut erosion as one of the key homogeneous cohesive da...Based on the large-scale model tests, a simplified dam breach model for homogeneous cohesive dam due to overtopping failure is put forward. The model considers headcut erosion as one of the key homogeneous cohesive dam breaching mechanisms and we calculate the time-averaged headcut migration rate using an energy-based empirical formula. A numerical method is adopted to determine the initial scour position at the downstream slope in terms of the water head and dam height, and the broad-crested weir equation is utilized to simulate the breach flow. The limit equilibrium method is used to analyze the stability of breach slope during the breach process. An iterative method is developed to simulate the coupling process of soil and water at each time step. The calculated results of three dam breach cases testify the reasonability of the model, and the sensitivity studies of soil erodibility show that sensitivity is dependent on each test case's soil conditions. In addition, three typical dam breach models, NWS BREACH, WinDAM B, and HR BREACH, are also chosen to compare with the proposed model. It is found that NWS BREACH may have large errors for cohesive dams, since it uses a noncohesive sediment transport model and does notconsider headcut erosion, WinDAM B and HR BREACH consider headcut erosion as the breaching mechanism and handle well homogeneous cohesive dam overtopping failure, but overall, the proposed model has the best performance.展开更多
This paper presents new experimental data of the erosion rate and sediment transport rate during the processes of dam break caused by overtopping. In order to study the headcut migration, the erosion coefficient was c...This paper presents new experimental data of the erosion rate and sediment transport rate during the processes of dam break caused by overtopping. In order to study the headcut migration, the erosion coefficient was calculated and its peak value was determined near the downstream edge of the dam crest. Then the characteristics of vertical erosion during dam break processes were analyzed by dividing the dam into three regions： the upstream region, middle region, and downstream region. The three regions show different features during headcut migration, but all are exposed to the most intense erosion at the third stage of the dam break process. Finally, three relevant parameters affecting sediment transport were discussed： the length of the dam crest, the inner slope, and the dam composition. The results show that a longer dam crest and flatter inner slope reduce the peak sediment transport rate and prolong the arrival time of peak sediment transport rate; and with the increase of the non-uniformity coefficient S, the peak sediment transport rate initially increases, and then decreases.展开更多
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(41571275)the Western Action Plan Project of the Chinese Academy of Sciences(KZCX-XB3-13)the Major Program of the National Natural Science Foundation of China(41790444/D0214)
文摘Soil erosion on the Loess Plateau of China is effectively controlled due to the implementation of several ecological restoration projects that improve soil properties and reduce soil erodibility. However, few studies have examined the effects of vegetation restoration on soil properties and erodibility of gully head in the gully regions of the Loess Plateau. The objectives of this study were to quantify the effects of vegetation restoration on soil properties and erodibility in this region. Specifically, a control site in a slope cropland and 9 sites in 3 restored land-use types （5 sites in grassland, 3 in woodland and 1 in shrubland） in the Nanxiaohegou watershed of a typical gully region on the Loess Plateau were selected, and soil and root samples were collected to assess soil properties and root characteristics. Soil erodibility factor was calculated by the Erosion Productivity Impact Calculator method. Our results revealed that vegetation restoration increased soil sand content, soil saturated hydraulic conductivity, organic matter content and mean weight diameter of water-stable aggregate but decreased soil silt and clay contents and soil disintegration rate. A significant difference in soil erodibility was observed among different vegetation restoration patterns or land-use types. Compared with cropland, soil erodibility decreased in the restored lands by 3.99% to 21.43%. The restoration patterns of Cleistogenes caespitosa K. and Artemisia sacrorum L. in the grassland showed the lowest soil erodibility and can be considered as the optimal vegetation restoration pattern for improving soil anti-erodibility of the gully heads. Additionally, the negative linear change in soil erodibility for grassland with restoration time was faster than those of woodland and shrubland. Soil erodibility was significantly correlated with soil particle size distribution, soil disintegration rate, soil saturated hydraulic conductivity, water-stable aggregate stability, organic matter content and root characteristics （including root average diameter, root length density, root surface density and root biomass density）, but it showed no association with soil bulk density and soil total porosity. These findings indicate that although vegetation destruction is a short-term process, returning the soil erodibility of cropland to the level of grassland, woodland and shrubland is a long-term process （8-50 years）.
基金Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No.51379129,51539006,51509164)
文摘Based on the large-scale model tests, a simplified dam breach model for homogeneous cohesive dam due to overtopping failure is put forward. The model considers headcut erosion as one of the key homogeneous cohesive dam breaching mechanisms and we calculate the time-averaged headcut migration rate using an energy-based empirical formula. A numerical method is adopted to determine the initial scour position at the downstream slope in terms of the water head and dam height, and the broad-crested weir equation is utilized to simulate the breach flow. The limit equilibrium method is used to analyze the stability of breach slope during the breach process. An iterative method is developed to simulate the coupling process of soil and water at each time step. The calculated results of three dam breach cases testify the reasonability of the model, and the sensitivity studies of soil erodibility show that sensitivity is dependent on each test case's soil conditions. In addition, three typical dam breach models, NWS BREACH, WinDAM B, and HR BREACH, are also chosen to compare with the proposed model. It is found that NWS BREACH may have large errors for cohesive dams, since it uses a noncohesive sediment transport model and does notconsider headcut erosion, WinDAM B and HR BREACH consider headcut erosion as the breaching mechanism and handle well homogeneous cohesive dam overtopping failure, but overall, the proposed model has the best performance.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grants No50979064 and 51079090)
文摘This paper presents new experimental data of the erosion rate and sediment transport rate during the processes of dam break caused by overtopping. In order to study the headcut migration, the erosion coefficient was calculated and its peak value was determined near the downstream edge of the dam crest. Then the characteristics of vertical erosion during dam break processes were analyzed by dividing the dam into three regions： the upstream region, middle region, and downstream region. The three regions show different features during headcut migration, but all are exposed to the most intense erosion at the third stage of the dam break process. Finally, three relevant parameters affecting sediment transport were discussed： the length of the dam crest, the inner slope, and the dam composition. The results show that a longer dam crest and flatter inner slope reduce the peak sediment transport rate and prolong the arrival time of peak sediment transport rate; and with the increase of the non-uniformity coefficient S, the peak sediment transport rate initially increases, and then decreases.
