Splash detachment and transport of loess aggregate fragments by raindrop action

Fu, Yu; Li, Guanglu; Zheng, Tenghui; Li, Bai-qiao; Zhang, Teng

doi:10.1016/j.catena.2016.11.021

Cited by 58 publications

(34 citation statements)

References 33 publications

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“…The physical crusts developed on soil A are stronger than those on soil B. Although the sand‐sized aggregates in soil B can be broken down to silt and clay‐sized particles (reduction in percent sand from 76% MD to 58% ID: Table ) the greater crust strength of soil A is likely due to the higher overall proportion of silt‐sized material compared to that in soil B as silt‐rich, less stable aggregates are more likely to be broken apart by raindrop impact (Fu et al, ) and compacted to create a seal or crust.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of Cyanobacterial Soil Crusts on Surface Roughness and Splash Erosion

et al. 2018

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Soil surface roughness (SSR) modifies interactions and feedback processes between terrestrial and atmospheric systems driven by both the abiotic and biotic components of soils. This paper compares SSR response to a low-intensity multiday rainfall event for soils with and without early successional stage cyanobacteria-dominated biological soil crusts (CBCs). A rainfall simulator was used to apply 2, 5, and 2 mm of rain separated by a 24-hr period over 3 days at an intensity of 60 mm/hr. Changes in SSR were quantified using geostatistically derived indicators calculated from semivariogram analysis of high-resolution laser scans. The CBCs were stronger and splash erosion substantially less than from the physical soil crusts. Prior to rainfall treatment, soils with CBCs had greater SSR than those without. The rainfall treatments caused the physical crusted soils to increase SSR and spatial patterning due to the translocation of particles, soil loss, and the development of raindrop impact craters. Rainfall caused swelling of cyanobacterial filaments but only a slight increase in SSR, and raindrop impact cratering and splash loss were low on the soils with CBCs. There is no relationship between random roughness and splash erosion, but an increase in splash loss was associated with an increase in topographic roughness and small-scale spatial patterning. A comparison of this study with other research indicates that for rainfall events up to 100 mm, the effectiveness of CBCs in reducing soil loss is >80% regardless of the rainfall amount and intensity, which highlights their importance for landscape stabilization.Plain Language Summary Human and ecological systems rely on soils for the provision of water and nutrients, to support plant growth, for regulation of the water cycle and for the storage of carbon. The stability of soil surfaces can be controlled by the presence of crusts. Physical crusts form in the response to rainfall events causing the soil to break down and compact. Biological soil crusts are formed when cyanobacteria, fungi, algae, lichens, and mosses grow and bind the soil together. Biological soil crusts are particularly important in arid and semiarid areas where they cover up to 70% of interplant spaces. However, little is known about how the crusts control infiltration, runoff, and soil erosion rates or which is more effective at stabilizing the soil surface. In this study we use high-resolution laser scanning to characterize how the stability of the soil surface is controlled by both physical and biological crusts in response to different rainfall events. We discuss the differences in the between the two crusts and observe that biological soil crusts can reduce soil loss by greater than 80% regardless of the rainfall amount and intensity which highlights their importance for landscape stabilization.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of Cyanobacterial Soil Crusts on Surface Roughness and Splash Erosion

et al. 2018

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“…Transport distances ranged between 10 cm and 20 cm for aggregates with diameters between 0.5 mm and 1 mm and up to 35 cm for soil aggregates with diameters from 0.05 mm to 0.5 mm in a study by Legout et al [11]. Most of the splashed particles were observed within 20 cm from the soil sample in Fu et al [14] and within 35 cm in [12].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 92%

Experimental Setup for Splash Erosion Monitoring—Study of Silty Loam Splash Characteristics

et al. 2019

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An experimental laboratory setup was developed and evaluated in order to investigate detachment of soil particles by raindrop splash impact. The soil under investigation was a silty loam Cambisol, which is typical for agricultural fields in Central Europe. The setup consisted of a rainfall simulator and soil samples packed into splash cups (a plastic cylinder with a surface area of 78.5 cm2) positioned in the center of sediment collectors with an outer diameter of 45 cm. A laboratory rainfall simulator was used to simulate rainfall with a prescribed intensity and kinetic energy. Photographs of the soil’s surface before and after the experiments were taken to create digital models of relief and to calculate changes in surface roughness and the rate of soil compaction. The corresponding amount of splashed soil ranged between 10 and 1500 g m−2 h−1. We observed a linear relationship between the rainfall kinetic energy and the amount of the detached soil particles. The threshold kinetic energy necessary to initiate the detachment process was 354 J m−2 h−1. No significant relationship between rainfall kinetic energy and splashed sediment particle-size distribution was observed. The splash erosion process exhibited high variability within each repetition, suggesting a sensitivity of the process to the actual soil surface microtopography.

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“…But short increments of high sediment content existed in the early stage under rainfall intensities larger than 1.0 mm/min, which could be called the first flush effect [2], leading to the peaking values of sediment yield. The short increasing trends and fluctuations might be caused by the rainfall splashes, which could break the soil aggregates [38]. As the rainfall continued, the sediment yield would be limited by the detaching limitation after the fine mobilizable particles of the topsoils were mostly transported and the protecting effect of a mixed soilrunoff layer appeared on the surface [39].…”

Section: Runoff Sediment Yield and P Loss In Surface Flowmentioning

confidence: 99%

Characteristics of Phosphorus Loss from the Weathered Granite Slopes of Southeast China

Deng

Fei

Sun

et al. 2020

Pol. J. Environ. Stud.

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The excessive discharge of phosphorus (P) is one of the critical reasons for eutrophication that greatly influences water quality and aquatic ecosystems [1,2]. The major cause of increasing P concentrations in ground and surface waters is P loss resulting from the unreasonable application of phosphate fertilizer and the serious erosion of water and soil [3,4]. Due to the contradiction between population growth and food demand, many sloping lands have been reclaimed as cultivated lands for planting crops and vegetables [5]. The interference of artificial farming has aggravated soil erosion and loss of nutrients such as nitrogen (N) and P on the slopes, which has reduced the efficiency of Pol. AbstractThe method of artificial rainfall simulation was applied to study the effects of different slope gradients (8°, 15°) and rainfall intensities (1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5 mm/min) on the pathways of phosphorus (P) loss from the weathered granite slopes of southeast China. The results showed that the runoff yield increased with runoff time while the sediment yield first increased and then decreased. The subsurface flow showed a changing trend of single-peak curve with maximums appearing under the rainfall intensity of 1.5 mm/min. The P loss amount increased with increasing rainfall intensity and slope gradient and was mainly carried away by eroded sediment that accounted for 54.23-95.62%. The mass concentrations of TP, DP and PP in runoff decreased with runoff time. The P lost via runoff from the sloping land was mainly in the form of DP, most of which reached more than 50%. Surface flow was the dominant pathway of P loss via runoff and it presented a positive power correlation with rainfall intensity (R 2 >0.982). It was necessary to attach great importance to P loss via subsurface flow, though the total loss amount was small compared to that via surface flow and sediment.

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Splash detachment and transport of loess aggregate fragments by raindrop action

Cited by 58 publications

References 33 publications

Effects of Cyanobacterial Soil Crusts on Surface Roughness and Splash Erosion

Effects of Cyanobacterial Soil Crusts on Surface Roughness and Splash Erosion

Experimental Setup for Splash Erosion Monitoring—Study of Silty Loam Splash Characteristics

Characteristics of Phosphorus Loss from the Weathered Granite Slopes of Southeast China

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