Negligible soil erosion in a burned mountain watershed, Canadian Rockies : field and modelling investigations considering the role of duff
British Columbia ; Canada ; Fire ; Infiltration ; Model ; Mountain ; Organic materials ; Precipitation ; Soil erosion ; Soil moisture ; Soil properties ; Watershed
The field site was located in a closed canopy, subalpine forest in Kootenay National Park, British Columbia that was subjected to a high-intensity crown fire in the summer of 2003. Low soil erosion values were documented at the study site
in the years immediately following the 2003 wildfire. Following the wildfire, notable duff coverage (the duff layer is the combined fermentation and humus soil organic layers) remained above the mineral soil. The Green-Ampt model of rainfall infiltration
is employed to better assess how interactions between rainfall duration/intensity and soil/duff properties affect hydrological response and the generation of overland flow. Model results show that duff provides an effective zone for detention storage
2011
[b4] Dep. of Biological Sciences, Univ., Calgary, Canada
Land use change and soil erosion in the Maotiao River watershed of Guizhou Province
Agricultural land use ; Agricultural practice ; China ; Decision making process ; Geographical information system ; Guizhou ; Karst ; Land use ; Soil erosion ; Sustainable development ; Watershed
The AA. analyzed the spatio-temporal dynamic change of land-use type in Maotiao River watershed, a typical agricultural area with severe soil erosion in Guizhou Province, from 1973 to 2007 using Landsat MSS image in 1973, Landsat TM data in 1990
and 2007. Soil erosion change characteristics from 1973 to 2007, and soil loss among different land-use types were examined by integrating the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) with a GIS environment. The results indicate that changes in land use
within the watershed have significantly affected soil erosion. They also provide useful information for decision makers and planners to take sustainable land use management and soil conservation measures in the area.
2011
[b1] Dep. of land Resources and Management, College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, China Agricultural Univ., Beijing, Chine
Australia ; Biogenic process ; Biogeography ; Burrowing animal ; Fire ; New South Wales ; Soil ; Soil erosion ; Soil properties ; Watershed
on footslopes. Possible reasons for this spatial variation are discussed. A complex response to various soil and ecological factors such as soil texture, soil moisture and vegetation patterns is the most likely explanation. There was also seasonal variability
that was not directly related to rainfall. The results substantiate the importance of bioturbation in modifying soil characteristics and influencing soil erosion, especially following a major disturbance event like wildfire.
2011
[b2] Dep. of Geography, College of Science, Univ., Swansea, Royaume-Uni
Changes in soil organic carbon, total nitrogen, pH, and the abundance of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi are examined along a large-scale aridity gradient from southeast to northwest in China. A structural equation model suggested that aridity affected
soil organic carbon and total nitrogen by limiting aboveground plant biomass. Aridity exerted a large direct effect and smaller indirect effects (via changes in aboveground plant biomass) on the abundance of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi. Soil pH also
directly influenced arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal abundance. These results suggest that aboveground plant biomass could be a key factor driving the changes of soil organic carbon, total nitrogen, and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal abundance along
2011
[b1] College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang Univ., Hangzhou, Chine
Ants are widely found in Mediterranean soils, where they increase water infiltration rates by forming soil macropores during nest construction. In the summer of 2009 rainfall simulations of low frequency–high intensity rainstorms were conducted
in an orange orchard in eastern Spain on plots that contained ant nests and adjacent paired-plots without ant nests. Ant nests decreased water losses but soil erosion rates were nearly double in areas with ant activity as compared to soil with no ants
. The results indicate that the presence of ants can increase soil erosion when rainfall intensity is greater than the infiltration capacity of the ant macropores.
2011
[b1] Soil Erosion and Degradation Research Group, Dep. de Geografia, Univ., València, Espagne
[b2] School of Forest Resources and Environmental Science, Michigan Technological Univ., Houghton, Etats-Unis
Soil-geomorphic significance of land surface characteristics in an arid mountain range, Mojave Desert, USA
Aeolian features ; Aeolian transport ; Arid area ; California ; Desert ; Discriminant analysis ; Geomorphometry ; Mountain ; Piedmont ; Playa ; Soil properties ; United States of America ; Vegetation ; Watershed
As part of a larger soil-geomorphic study, 4 major landform types were identified within the southern Fry Mountains in the southwestern Mojave Desert on the basis of topography and landscape position: mountaintop, mountainflank, mountainflat (intra
show that despite the variation within types, landforms have distinct land surface properties that likely control soil-geomorphic processes. A cyclic eolian and alluvial process is proposed for these settings.
2011
[b2] Soil and Water Sciences Program, Dep. of Environmental Sciences, Univ. of California, Riverside, Etats-Unis
Catena ; Clay mineral ; National park ; Pedogenesis ; Precipitation ; Slope gradient ; Soil properties ; South Africa ; Transvaal
Soil catenas integrate and amplify gravity transfer and differentiation processes of eluviation and illuviation in soil profiles. The AA. quantified differences in these redistribution processes along granitic catenas across an arid to sub-humid
climate gradient in Kruger National Park, South Africa. They measured soil properties in 9 catenas sampled from 3 areas receiving annual rainfall of 470 mm (arid zone), 550 mm (semi-arid zone) and 730 mm (sub-humid zone). As rainfall increased, kaolinite
sites. Clay movement and storage conditioned other soil properties such as CEC, base cation distribution, base saturation and pH. The AA. highlight climate and topography as significant drivers of catena differentiation, properties and evolution.
2011
[b2] Dep. of Geology and Environmental Science, James Madison Univ., Harrisonburg, Etats-Unis
[b3] Centre for Water in the Environment, School of Animal, Plants, and Environmental Sciences, Witwatersrand Univ., Johannesburg, Afrique du Sud
Using palm-mat geotextiles on an arable soil for water erosion control in the UK
England ; Erosion control ; Experimental catchment ; Geotextile ; Shropshire ; Soil erosion ; Temperate zone ; United Kingdom ; Water erosion
and Buriti palm of South America) for soil erosion control under field conditions on arable loamy sands was investigated. Borassus buffer strip, Buriti buffer strip and Borassus completely-covered plots had similar effects in decreasing runoff voluume
and soil erosion. Although buffer strips of Borassus mats were as effective as whole plot cover of the same mats, the longevity of Borassus mats was nearly twice that of Buriti mats. Thus, use of Borassus mats as buffer strips on bare plots is highly
effective for soil erosion control.
2011
[b1] School of applied Sciences, Univ., Wolverhampton, Royaume-Uni
Since 1999, the program of “Grain for Green” has been implemented in the semi-arid Loess Plateau, China. In this study, the changes in soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks due to the vegetation restoration in the middle of Loess Plateau were estimated
at patch, hill slope transect and small watershed scale from 1998 to 2006. Soil samples were taken from field for the determination of cesium-137 and SOC contents. Vegetation cover change from 1998 to 2006 at the small watershed scale was assessed using
at multiple scales. However, soil erosion under rugged topography modified the spatial distribution of the SOC sequestration effects.
2011
[b1] State Key Lab. of Urban and Regional Ecology, Research Center for Eco-environmental Sciences, CAS, Beijing, Chine
Soil erosion rates in tropical villages : A case study from Lake Victoria Basin, Uganda
Erosion rate ; Lake ; Riparian vegetation ; Soil erosion ; Tropical zone ; Uganda ; Village ; Water erosion ; Watershed
, the relationship between soil loss rates in these zones and the slope steepness is investigated as well as the evolution of soil loss rates over medium term (i.e. 5–50 years). Finally, the soil loss rates obtained in this study are compared with those from similar
2011
[b1] Dep. of Earth and Environmental Science, K.U., Leuven, Belgique
China ; Evapotranspiration ; Forest ; Land use ; Loess ; Model ; Plant species ; Plateau ; Precipitation ; Simulation ; Slope gradient ; Soil conservation ; Soil water ; Water balance ; Water erosion ; Watershed
Precipitation, throughfall, stemflow and soil water content were measured, and interception, transpiration, evaporation, runoff, deep percolation and soil water recharge were estimated in the natural Liaotung Oak forestlands in the hill and gully
. Throughfall, stemflow and soil water content were used to calibrate the model. The simulations indicated that, interception, vegetation, transpiration and soil water evaporation were the main components of water consumption in the 4 stands, accounting
2011
[b2] Inst. of Soil and Water Conservation, Chinese Academy of Science and Ministry of Water Resources, Shaanxi, Yangling, Chine
[b1] State Key Lab. of Soil Erosion and Dryland Farming on Loess Plateau, Northwest Univ. Shaanxi, Yangling, Chine
Digital elevation model ; Geostatistics ; Isotope analysis ; Northern Ireland ; Precipitation ; Remote sensing ; Slope gradient ; Soil ; Soil erosion ; Soil properties ; Spatial distribution ; Topography ; United Kingdom
compound topographic index and the length–slope factor of the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation, account for only 3% of the variance in 137Cs activity. In contrast, soil type and land cover in combination (including their interaction) account for 20
% of the variance. In areas that received moderate fallout from Chernobyl, soil type alone accounts for a substantial proportion of the spatially correlated 137Cs activity. The AA. attribute this to each soil type having a fairly uniform radiocaesium interception
potential that differs from those of other soil types and that this potential controls the vertical migration of 137Cs.
2011
[b3] School of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Univ., Stirling, Royaume-Uni
Impacts of 22-year organic and inorganic N managements on soil organic C fractions in a maize field, northeast China
Agricultural practice ; Agropedology ; Carbon ; China ; Cultivated land ; Fertilizer ; Geochemistry ; Liaoning ; Maize ; Nitrogen ; Organic materials ; Soil properties
increase in degree of grain yield to the N and MN treatments, therefore it could be the best option for improving soil productivity and C storage in the maize cropping system.
2011
[b1] State Key Lab. of Forest and Soil Ecology, Inst. of Applied Ecology, CAS, Shenyang, Chine
[b3] Ministry of Agriculture Key Lab. of Crop Nutrition and Fertilization, Inst. of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, Chine
Agropedology ; Belgium ; Cultivated plants ; Erosion control ; Experimentation ; Rill wash ; Root system ; Soil erosion ; Soil properties ; Water erosion
Cover crops are a very effective erosion control and environmental conservation technique. When cover crops freeze at the beginning of the winter period, the above-ground biomass becomes less effective in protecting the soil from water erosion
, but roots can still play an important role in improving soil strength. Therefore, root density distribution with soil depth and the erosion-reducing effect of these cover crops during concentrated flow erosion were assessed by conducting root auger
2011
[b1] Dep. Earth and Environmental Sciences, K.U. Leuven, Heverlee, Belgique
The relationships between different forms of iron and aluminium in soils as indicators of soil-cover development on India's Cherrapunji spur (Meghalaya plateau)
To isolate the effects of precipitation and boundary condition, the AA. measured rates of soil production from bedrock and described soils on hillslopes along a semi-arid to hyperarid precipitation gradient in northern Chile. In each climate zone
the study area. The biotic-abiotic threshold also marks the precipitation rate below which bedrock erosion rates are no longer a function of soil thickness. This work shows that hillslope processes become sensitive to precipitation as life disappears
2011
[b1] Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management, University of California, Berkeley, Etats-Unis
[b2] Department of Earth and Planetary Science, University of California, Berkeley, Etats-Unis
[b3] Space Science Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley, Etats-Unis
In the experimental catchments near Draix (France), soil erosion rates have been measured in the past at the plot scale and at the catchment scale. More recently, erosion rates have been determined by means of dendrogeomorphic techniques in 3
monitored catchments of the Draix basin. The dendrogeomorphic record of point-scale soil erosion rates matches very well with soil erosion rates measured in the Draix basins. Based on the point-scale measurements and dendrogeomorphic results obtained
at the point scale, a linear regression model involving slope angle was derived and coupled to high-resolution slope maps obtained from a LiDAR-generated digital elevation model so as to generate high-resolution soil erosion maps. The results demonstrate
2011
[b2] Lab. of Dendrogeomorphology, Inst. of Geological Sciences, Univ., Berne, Suisse
[b3] Climatic Change and Climate Impacts Group, Inst. of Environmental Sciences, Univ. of Geneva, Carouge-Geneva, Suisse