Slope Erosion and Hydraulics during Thawing of the Sand-Covered Loess Plateau

Seasonal freeze–thaw processes have led to severe soil erosion in the middle and high latitudes of the world, so understanding the freeze–thaw erosion process is of great significance for soil and water conservation as well as for ecological engineering. The area affected by freeze–thaw erosion in China exceeds 13% of the national territory. However, there is little data regarding the impact of rainfall intensity and initial thaw depth on soil erosion. Here, the effects that different rainfall intensities (0.6 mm/min, 0.9 mm/min and 1.2 mm/min) and different initial thaw depths (0 cm, 2 cm, 4 cm and 6 cm) had on the soil erosion process on the loess slope were studied under simulated rainfall conditions. The results showed that the infiltration rate decrease with prolonged runoff time, and then stabilized. Runoff occurred more quickly during increasingly intense rainfall, especially when little soil had thawed. The variation in runoff and sediment yield occurred in two stages: slow growth and rapid growth. As soil thawed to greater depths, rainfall intensity had less influence on the sediment. A linear relationship existed between the cumulative runoff and the sediment yield of all treatments. (R2 > 0.92, p < 0.01). Rainfall intensity and thaw depth had interacting effects on erosion. At low rainfall intensities, the initial thaw depth played a leading role in the erosion process, but at higher rainfall intensities, rainfall intensity played a larger role. Stage II erosion amount accounted for more than 90% of the total erosion across all treatments. The results of this research provide a guide for furthering the understanding of the soil water erosion mechanism of thawing slopes.

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“…The coefficient of variation (CV) indicates the degree of data dispersion, the formula is as follows [33]:…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Interactive Effects of Rainfall Intensity and Initial Thaw Depth on Slope Erosion

Zhang

Wang

et al. 2022

Sustainability

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“…Su et al [12] analyzed the effects of thawing on the slope erosion and hydraulics in the sand-covered Loess Plateau in China. The authors conducted laboratory experiments on meltwater flow to quantify the temporal and spatial distribution of the hydraulic parameters of sandy soils concerning runoff and sediment yield under a constant flow on unfrozen and frozen slopes of variable sand thickness.…”

Section: Summary Of This Special Issuementioning

confidence: 99%

Soil Water Erosion

Centeri

2022

Water

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The purpose of this Special Issue is to provide an opportunity for researchers to publish novel results that could help landowners, land-users, farmers, politicians, and other representatives of our global society to protect, and, if possible, improve the quality and quantity of our precious soil resources. Authors were encouraged to submit papers related to new ways of mapping, showing more detailed input data, new modeling results, areas that had never been mapped before, etc. The Special Issue provides novel results on the state of soil water erosion mapping and offers insight into new or easier ways to mitigate and reverse soil degradation. Papers from this Special Issue cover a good range of the world, from India through to Pakistan, Russia, China, Syria, Iran, Ethiopia, Italy, the Czech Republic, Germany, and Hungary. Several models or parts of them were analyzed, including USLE, MUSLE, USLE-M, RUSLE, EPIC, WEPP, WaTEM/SEDEM, GULTEM, and GYNDUL. Besides soil erosion modelling, machine learning was also used in one of the articles for the evaluation of gully development. One of the main subjects of the published research was sediments, which are related to one of the most interesting questions in the topic of soil erosion: “Where is the huge amount of soil being lost going?”

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“…Many studies have been carried out on freeze-thaw tests at home and abroad, but the conclusions were often quite different or even contrary, which was mainly due to the large differences in the design of freeze-thaw conditions [10]. For example, some researchers set the freeze-thaw cycles for several hours or several weeks [28][29][30]. When the freeze-thaw cycle was set less, it is difficult to reveal the long-term effect and accumulation effect of the freeze-thaw process [27].…”

Section: Differences In Freeze-thaw Conditionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Influence Mechanism of Freeze-Thaw on Soil Erosion: A Review

Zhang

Ren

et al. 2021

Water

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As an important type of soil erosion, freeze-thaw erosion occurs primarily at high latitude and altitude. The overview on the effect of freeze-thaw on soil erosion was provided. Soil erosion was affected by freeze-thaw processes, as thawing and water erosion reinforce each other. Remote sensing provided an unprecedented approach for characterizing the timing, magnitude, and patterns of large-scale freeze-thaw and soil erosion changes. Furthermore, the essence of soil freeze-thaw was the freeze and thaw of soil moisture in the pores of soil. Freeze-thaw action mainly increased soil erodibility and made it more vulnerable to erosion by destroying soil structure, changing soil water content, bulk density, shear strength and aggregate stability, etc. However, the type and magnitude of changes of soil properties have been related to soil texture, water content, experimental conditions and the degree of exposure to freeze-thaw. The use of indoor and field experiments to further reveal the effect of freeze-thaw on soil erosion would facilitate improved forecasting, as well as prevention of soil erosion during thawing in regions with freeze-thaw cycles.

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Slope Erosion and Hydraulics during Thawing of the Sand-Covered Loess Plateau

Cited by 6 publications

References 43 publications

Interactive Effects of Rainfall Intensity and Initial Thaw Depth on Slope Erosion

Interactive Effects of Rainfall Intensity and Initial Thaw Depth on Slope Erosion

Soil Water Erosion

The Influence Mechanism of Freeze-Thaw on Soil Erosion: A Review

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