Soils of slopes and bottomland positions of the small stream valley in the central forest reserve: Chemical properties and clay mineralogy

Pale-podzolic soils occupying slope positions in a small stream valley are more acidic and contain less pedogenic chlorites in the clay fraction than those soils occupying uplands. These characteristics are thought to be caused by more intensive leaching of matter from eluvial horizons due to intensive lateral interflow of soil water. Soddy-gleyic soils of the stream bottomland are rich in organic matter and have a slightly acidic reaction in the A1 horizon and an alkaline reaction in the calcareous subsoil. Both factors lead to accumulation of Fe_ox and Al_ox supplied to bottomland positions from uplands and slopes and those formed in situ.     

高光谱特征辨别潴育型麻沙泥田和潮沙泥田水稻土

为了快速识别和划分不同类型水稻土,该研究以江西省兴国县潴育型麻沙泥田和潴育型潮沙泥田为研究对象,以样点方差分析为基础,采用光谱重采样处理、包络线去除处理及光谱一阶微分变换3种光谱分析方法,提取有效的光谱吸收特征参数(spectral absorption feature parameter,SAFP),分析得出两土种有效光谱特征。结果表明:识别潴育型水稻土最有效的是波谷波长位置的共性参数,而区分两土种最有效的是波峰宽度、波谷宽度及波谷倾斜角特性参数。重采样光谱特征参数分析中最有效的是波峰宽度:麻沙泥田的波峰宽度为58 nm,而潮沙泥田为27 nm,麻沙泥田波形起点高,下滑速度比潮沙泥田更快,吸收宽度大;去包络线算法提取光谱吸收特征参数发现,辨别麻沙泥田与潮沙泥田最有效的是波谷宽度,前者在波长482 nm处波谷宽度为26 nm,后者在波长484 nm处波谷宽度为178 nm,潮沙泥田波谷宽度大了将近6倍,而且麻沙泥田波谷倾斜角比潮沙泥田更大,麻沙泥田趋于突变型,而潮沙泥田趋于平缓型;光谱一阶微分方法提取特征参数中区分两土种最有效的是波谷倾斜角:麻沙泥田与潮沙泥田在波段471 nm处分别为-0.00573°和0.00573°,前者相邻波谷走向为负向坡,而后者为正向坡。研究可为高光谱技术辨别不同水稻土类型提供参考。     

Effect of Land Use,Seasonality, and Hydrometeorological Conditions on the K<Superscript>+</Superscript> Concentration–Discharge Relationship During Different Types of Floods in Carpathian Foothills Catchments (Poland)

The purpose of the study was to determine the role of land use, seasonality, and hydrometeorological conditions on the relationship between stream water potassium (K⁺) concentration and discharge during different types of floods—short- and long-duration rainfall floods as well as snowmelt floods on frozen and thawed soils. The research was conducted in small catchments (agricultural, woodland, mixed-use) in the Carpathian Foothills (Poland). In the woodland catchment, lower K⁺ concentrations were noted for each given specific runoff value for summer rainfall floods versus snowmelt floods (seasonal effect). In the agricultural and mixed-use catchments, the opposite was true due to their greater ability to flush K⁺ out of the soil in the summer. In the stream draining woodland catchment, higher K⁺ concentrations occurred during the rising limb than during the falling limb of the hydrograph (clockwise hysteresis) for all flood types, except for snowmelt floods with the ground not frozen. In the agricultural catchment, clockwise hystereses were produced for short- and long-duration rainfall floods caused by high-intensity, high-volume rainfall, while anticlockwise hystereses were produced for short- and long-duration rainfall floods caused by low-intensity, low-volume rainfall as well as during snowmelt floods with the soil frozen and not frozen. In the mixed-use catchment, the hysteresis direction was also affected by different lag times for water reaching stream channels from areas with different land use. K⁺ hystereses for the woodland catchment were more narrow than those for the agricultural and mixed-use catchments due to a smaller pool of K⁺ in the woodland catchment. In all streams, the widest hystereses were produced for rainfall floods preceded by a long period without rainfall.     

Zur Frage der N-Formen im Grund- und Bachwasser aus hydromorphen Böden

N-sources in groundwater and outlet channels of hydromorphic soils NO₃- and NH₄-concentration was observed in the surface flow (1972–74) and in groundwater (1974–76) of the catchment area “Honigau” with a size of 1375 ha. During summer with low surface discharge and groundwater tables high NH₄-concentration was measured as compared to NO₃-concentration. High ammonium content during summer appears to be typical for many hydromorphic soils, as confirmed by N-content in Sphagnum peat soils and marsh soils. During winter season only a correlation exists between surface discharge and NO₃-content in the Honigau area. This correlation disappears during very high discharge levels.     

考虑坡度变换的中低分辨率地形湿度指数提取

基于中低分辨率的DEM提取地形湿度指数,对于区域土壤侵蚀因子和区域土壤侵蚀模型等研究有着重要的意义.但随着DEM分辨率的降低,坡度趋于平缓,单元栅格高程信息的改变也会影响单元汇流面积的计算,基于中低分辨率提取地形湿度指数必须考虑这两方面的影响.以1:5万数字地形图分别构TIN得到分辨率为10,20,40和60 m的DEM,进行频率和累计频率统计,以10 m分辨率DEM为参考对其它分辨率DEM做坡度变换,提出根据高分辨率DEM若干栅格的单元汇流面积的均值作为低分辨率DEM的单元汇流面积,根据这两方面对地形湿度指数进行了改正.     

The humus state of the soils of locally hydromorphic landscapes in the lower reaches of the don river

The humus state of rainfed chernozems affected by local waterlogging was studied. The total humus content in the hydromorphic chernozems increases, as well as the content of fulvic acids, whereas the content of nonhydrolyzable residue (humin) decreases. A significant increase in the portions of the third fractions of humic and fulvic acids is observed. The role of the fine silt and clay fractions in the binding of humic substances increases in the lower horizons of locally hydromorphic soils. The increase in the content of fulvic acids (fulvatization) is mainly due to their predominance in the clay fraction. The latter is specified by the significant narrowing of the C_ha-to-C_fa ratio, the lower content of the nonhydrolyzable residue, and the increased content of the clay-bound (3rd fraction) fulvic and humic acids. The composition of the humus in the fine silt fraction of the studied soils is characterized by an increased amount of humic acids of the second fraction with a decrease in the relative content of fulvic acids.     

Application of catchment scale sediment delivery model INCA-Sed to four small study catchments in Finland

The novel catchment scale erosion and sediment delivery model INCA-Sed was applied to four small study catchments in Finland. Three of these, the Mustajoki, Haarajoki and Luhdanjoki, are headwater catchments located in central Finland. The associated rivers have differing morphological characteristics varying from a ditch to a small river. Soil textures in the area are derived from moraine deposits and are largely sand and gravel. The Mustajoki and Haarajoki catchments are forested and only 10% of the area is under cultivation. In the Luhdanjoki catchment agricultural fields cover 40% of the area. The fourth study site, the Savijoki catchment, represents an intensively cultivated area in south-western Finland. Cultivated fields cover 40% of the catchment area, and they are located on clay soils along the river. The INCA-Sed model was able to capture both the correct magnitude and seasonal behaviour of suspended sediment concentrations in the rivers, as well as the correct magnitude of the sediment load derived from different land use classes. Small differences in river morphology and soil textures between the catchments have a significant influence on suspended sediment concentration in the rivers. Correct timing of suspended sediment concentration peaks is not, however, captured by the INCA-Sed model, which may be due to the stochastic nature of erosion and delivery processes at the catchment scale which are not taken into account in the parameter values used in the modelling. Parameter values were estimated from previous researches based on average process loads. The INCA-Sed model was, however, generally found to be a suitable tool for evaluating effects of land use change on erosion and sediment delivery in Finland as it correctly reproduces spatial and seasonal variations in sediment delivery, in addition to annual averages with spatial and temporal variations.     

Factors affecting streamwater chemistry in The Great Smoky Mountains,USA

The Great Smoky Mountains in the southeastern U.S. receive high total atmospheric deposition of sulphur and nitrogen (N) and contain large areas of shallow, poorly buffered soils. Results from extensive surveys conducted in October 1993 and March 1994 showed mat stream pH values were near or below 5.5 and Acid Neutralizing Capacity (ANC) was below SO μeq·L^?1 at high elevations. Mechanisms of acidification varies among stream systems in the study. We classified each study catchment into one of five water quality districts based upon within-basin elevational gradients of streamwater quality. Geologic factors, cf. the presence of calcareous or pyritic bedrock types exhibited a major influence on water quality and within-basin elevational gradients. Atmospheric deposition is an important factor affecting water quality at high elevations in all districts. Nitrate was the dominant strong acid anion in streamwater in many catchments, particularly at high elevation and especially in basins draining old growth forests. Most high elevation catchments appear to be N saturated. Continued high atmospheric loadings of N will likely spread N saturation of catchments downslope into areas where second growth forests are now maturing. Stream sulphate concentrations were lower than expected at higher elevations and may be related to the N saturation status of fliese systems.     

A soil-diagnostic key to manage saline and waterlogged catchments in the Mt Lofty Ranges, South Australia

Abstract. Dryland salinity in the Mt Lofty Ranges, South Australia has developed as a result of native vegetation being replaced with pastures that use less water. Groundwaters have risen and mobilized ions (sodium, chloride, sulphate and iron) stored within deeply weathered micaceous sandstones and schists. Salinity resulting from sodium chloride is common in agricultural catchments around Australia, but saline sulphidic soils (with sulphate and iron) have only been studied in South Australia. Salinity is also associated with waterlogging and secondary sodicity. The amelioration of dryland salinity and waterlogging involves management of whole catchments, not just the area that is currently saline. It is imperative that all processes operating in saline catchments and their interactions are clearly understood.
Salinity, waterlogging, sodicity, sulphidization and water erosion were studied in four saline sub-catchments in the Mt Lofty Ranges. Grey (bleached) and yellow mottles (iron depletions) or black and red stains (iron concentrations) develop under certain conditions of water saturation, salinization, sulphidization, sodification and water erosion in surface and subsurface horizons. The amounts of these diagnostic features were used to develop a farm planning key for managing saline catchments in the Mt Lofty Ranges. Using soil diagnostic features, soil-water processes in saline catchments are easily identified by farmers and land managers. Management options (e.g. fencing, tree planting and drainage) are then targeted to specific soils and can be easily incorporated by agricultural advisers into farm management plans. We recommend that soil diagnostic features which help predict the onset of land degradation be used in the production of land capability maps for farm planning purposes.     

Predicting Areas of 137Cs Loss and Accumulation in Upland Catchments

Anthropogenic radioisotopes with long physicalhalf-lives derived from atmospheric fallout remain inthe environment for decades after deposition. Process- and field-based studies within uplandcatchments show that radiocaesium is transported insolution as well as in particulate form. Catchmenthydrology is therefore an important control onradiocaesium transport and natural processes of soildevelopment. The topographic index, from thehydrological model TOPMODEL, has been used as a basisfor the development of a simple model for predictingradiocaesium redistribution in temperate uplandcatchments. The model is particularly suited topredicting ¹³⁷Cs redistribution within uplandenvironments as it is based on topography, which isreadily calculated from digital terrain models withingeographical information systems. A conceptual modelof radiocaesium losses on hillslopes and re-depositionon the valley floor was calibrated with atmosphericweapons testing ¹³⁷Cs inventories from soil coredata for the Raithburn catchment, Renfrewshire, U.K. The model fitted the observations well and showed thatin this catchment a topographic index value of about5.0, for 10 m grid cells, forms the threshold between¹³⁷Cs loss and accumulation. The resultsindicated that about 20% of the total atmosphericweapons testing ¹³⁷Cs deposited in the catchmenthad been transported out of the catchment over theca. 30 yr period since deposition.     

Long-term Persistence of Stream Nitrate Concentrations (Memory Effect) Inferred from Spectral Analysis and Detrended Fluctuation Analysis

Previous research in agricultural catchments showed that past inputs of nitrate continue to influence present observations and future characteristics of nitrate concentrations in stream water for a long period of time. This persistence manifests itself as a “memory effect” with a prolonged response of stream water nitrate levels to reductions of nitrate inputs on the catchment scale. The question we attempt to resolve is whether such a memory effect also exists in mountainous catchments with a snowmelt-dominated runoff regime. We analyzed long-term records (∼20 years) of nitrate-nitrogen concentrations measured in stream at three stations on the upper Váh River (Slovakia). Applying spectral analysis and detrended fluctuation analysis, we found a varying degree of persistence between the three analyzed sites. With increasing catchment area, the fluctuation scaling exponents generally increased from 0.77 to 0.93 (fluctuation exponents above 0.5 are usually considered as a proof of persistence while values close to 0.5 indicate “white” uncorrelated noise). The nitrate-nitrogen signals temporally scaled as a power-low function of frequency (1/f noise) with a strong annual seasonality. This increase in persistence might be attributable to the catchment areas upstream the sampling sites. These results have important implications for water quality management. In areas where reduction of nitrate in surface waters is imposed by legislation and regulatory measures, two catchments with different persistence properties may not respond to the same reduction of sources of nitrogen at the same rate.     

Constraints to farmers managing dryland salinity in the central wheatbelt of Western Australia

There is an increasingly well‐founded understanding of the chief drivers and constraints to widespread adoption by Australian landholders to practices to manage dryland salinity. However, each specific situation depends on a range of biophysical, social and economic factors. Such is the case in this study that examines farmers' salinity management in the Wallatin‐O'Brien catchments in the low‐medium rainfall zone of the Western Australian wheatbelt. The study involved interviews with landholders and economic modelling of representative farms and salinity management options to gain an understanding of the farmers' adoption behaviour regarding salinity management. Most landholders interviewed saw dryland salinity as a second order farm management issue, due first to the relatively slow rate of expansion of saline land within the catchments and second, because the changes in land use required to prevent further loss of land to salinity were viewed as being uneconomic. The exception to this was the minority (<15 per cent) of farmers in the catchment that have most of the saline land and have experienced most of the recent increase, and for these farmers (primarily located in the valley floor) salinity is a pressing issue. The scale and pattern of isolated outbreaks on adjacent slopes means that salinity is merely a nuisance problem for farmers who only have this type of salinity. For all farmers, a disincentive to invest in salinity management was the landholders' lack of knowledge about the proper placement, needed scale of adoption and economic viability of salinity management options. Saltland pastures, surface water management and lucerne were viewed positively, with several desirable characteristics such as ease of trialling and complementarity to existing farm practices. By contrast, engineering options such as deep drainage, where considerable investment is involved and disposal of groundwater is problematic, were rated less favourably. Bioeconomic modelling of these salinity management options generated results that largely confirmed the merits of what landholders in the catchments currently do. The findings showed that there was little economic merit in wide‐scale adoption of these salinity management options in these catchments. However, the findings did highlight the need to match salinity management options to a farm's particular circumstance, if best use of the options is to be made by the different farms in the catchments. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

金沙江干热河谷典型区段水土流失特征

以金沙江干热河谷典型区段不同处理坡面和林地、农地集水区为研究对象,采用坡面径流小区和集水区卡口站三角形薄壁堰实测法,在坡面径流小区和集水区土地利用现状调查基础上,通过降雨、径流及泥沙观测,分析金沙江干热河谷典型区段水土流失特征。结果表明:(1)不同处理坡面径流小区产流量、产沙量大小依次为坡耕地>自然坡面>水平阶整地>反坡台整地,表明反坡台和水平阶造林整地以及植被良好的自然坡面对地表径流的拦蓄和对泥沙的削减都起到较好效果;(2)大暴雨对集水区尺度产流产沙贡献值大,产流降雨量在4.8～27.6mm区间,农地集水区径流深小于林地集水区,大于27.6mm时,农地集水区径流深反超林地集水区,而产沙量不受降雨量影响,为林地集水区低于农地集水区;(3)径流小区尺度与集水区尺度雨季水土流失起止时间一致,集水区径流系数小于径流小区,集水区产沙量大于径流小区。     

Phosphorus losses from two representative small catchments in the Mediterranean part of Spain

Purpose

Information about phosphorus (P) losses from agricultural catchments in Mediterranean environments is scarce. In this work, P losses in overland flow from two representative small Mediterranean catchments, one dominated by Alfisols and the other by Vertisols, were studied.

Materials and methods

At the lowest level of each catchment, overland flow was measured and several runoff samples taken in each runoff event during two growing seasons (2001–2002 and 2002–2003). After centrifugation, total P in sediments and total and molybdate reactive P in supernatant were determined. Different chemical extraction methods were used to quantify the forms of P in soils and sediments.

Results and discussion

Total P losses in the studied catchments ranged between 0.5 and 3.2 kg ha^?1 year^?1, losses higher than 2 kg P ha^?1 being observed in one event. Phosphorus was mainly lost in the sediments, the ratio of total dissolved P to particulate P being higher in the Alfisol than in the Vertisol catchment. Phosphorus concentration in sediments from the Vertisol catchment was similar to that in the source soils, whereas sediments in the Alfisol catchment had 2.1 times more inorganic P and 9 times more organic P (OP) than the source soils. In the latter catchment, there was an enrichment in the more labile inorganic P forms in the sediments relative to the source soils, which corresponds to a relative enrichment in iron (Fe) oxides by a factor of 2.4. Alfisols had lower TP contents and exhibited lower erosion rates than Vertisols in the studied period but they posed a greater environmental risk than the latter soils because their sediments were richer in P and had a higher proportion of P in forms bound to the Fe oxides compared to the source soils—these P forms can be easily released with the onset of reducing conditions at the bottom of waterbodies.

Conclusions

A study of the P enrichment ratios and the dominant P forms in eroded sediments is therefore necessary to predict the impact of P losses from soils on the ecological quality of waterbodies.     

Annual losses of iron from moorland soils and their relation to free iron contents

The temporal pattern of iron loss from a moorland catchment was investigated by intensive stream water sampling. The total loss in 1 year was 2.11 kg ha^?1 of Fe, with a pronounced autumn maximum. Iron concentrations in stream water were strongly correlated with dissolved organic matter content, but again with seasonal variation. Free iron content measured on a number of soils in the catchment ranged from 3.1 to 8.7 kg m^?2. Assuming soil development over 10 000 years, predicted loss of iron from the catchment is comparable in quantity to the amounts of free iron in the soils.     

Possible influence of termites (Macrotermes bellicosus) on forms and composition of free sesquioxides in tropical soils

There has been less concern about soil mineralogical alteration than about soil physical, chemical and biological changes induced by termite nest-building activity. Furthermore, much less attention has been paid to free sesquioxides than to phyllosilicate minerals. In the present study, we conducted field morphological observations and selective dissolution analysis to characterize free sesquioxides in termite (Macrotermes bellicosus) mounds as compared with surrounding pedons in different toposequence positions, i.e., seasonally flooded valley bottom, hydromorphic fringe and well-drained upland sites. Distinctive redoximorphic features, such as surface yellowish layers on mound structures from the fringe site, indicate possible alteration of iron sesquioxide forms in the mounds due to the transportation of soil from reductive (aquic subsoil) to oxidative (epigeal mound) environments by the nest-building activity of M. bellicosus. On the other hand, the iron-soluble content in the dithionite-citrate-bicarbonate (DCB) system (Fe_d) was generally higher in the mound structures than at the adjacent sub-surface (Ap2) horizon at each toposequence position, while there was less difference in the content of acid ammonium oxalate (AAO) extractable iron (Fe_o) as compared to Fe_d. As a consequence, the iron activity index (Fe_d/Fe_o ratio) was found for the most part to be lower in the mound structures than in the neighboring Ap2 horizon. In addition, the content of Fe_d, AAO-soluble Al (Al_o) and DCB-extractable Al (Al_d) was significantly correlated with clay content in these soils. These findings suggest that M. bellicosus preferentially collects clay particles, probably from the clay-rich subsoils, such as the argillic horizon, which has been formed by the co-migration of phyllosilicate minerals and relatively crystalline sesquioxides. The species then likely incorporates them into the mounds, which induces an increase in the Fe_d content relative to that of Fe_o, resulting in a decreased iron activity index in the mound structures.     

Impact of no-tillage agricultural systems on sediment yield in two large catchments in Southern Brazil

Purpose

The impact of agriculture on water resources has long been a problem associated with the formation of runoff, the siltation of lakes and reservoirs, and overall depletion of water quality. In Brazil, these problems are mainly related to soil degradation by water erosion. However, studies of catchment-scale erosion are still rare particularly in grain-producing regions which have adopted conservative tillage systems for soil protection. In order to contribute to a better understanding of the impact of conservation agriculture on water resources, this study determined the runoff coefficient and sediment yield for two agricultural catchments.

Materials and methods

Hydrological and sedimentological monitoring was conducted in two catchments: the Conceicao catchment is characterized by grain production in weathered soils and a gently sloping landscape, while the Guapore catchment is characterized by heterogeneous soils and topography. Both catchments have problems associated with water erosion.

Results and discussion

The magnitudes of annual runoff coefficients and sediment yield were high, even if compared to similar agricultural regions, including a catchment with widespread adoption of no-tillage. The sediment yield was 140 t km^?2 year^?1, and the runoff coefficient was 14 % for the Conceicao catchment, while the sediment yield was 270 t km^?2 year^?1, and the runoff coefficient was 31 % for the Guapore catchment. The results indicate that problems such as gullies, soil compaction, runoff, floods, siltation, and water quality depletion associated with the misuse of agricultural areas in terms of soil conservation and water use are still evident and important even in regions with widespread adoption of no-tillage systems.

Conclusions

The magnitudes of both runoff and sediment yield clearly indicate the need to adopt complementary practices of soil conservation measures, such as mechanical runoff control.     

近50年黄河中游流域水沙过程及对退耕的响应

为明确黄河中游地区水土流失综合治理、退耕还林(草)政策的水沙效应问题,选择黄河中游风沙-丘陵过渡区、典型丘陵区以及土石山林区5条典型流域,用降雨及面积对水文站实测径流量、输沙量数据进行处理,探讨了近50a来流域水沙及其关系的演变过程。结果表明:5条流域标准化年径流量、标准化年输沙量均表现出显著减少趋势,且两者发生跃变时间基本一致。时段频率上的河流输沙量减少程度较径流量大,零输沙天数逐时段增加。植被覆盖度低的风沙-黄土丘陵过渡区流域,较植被覆盖度高的土石山林区流域,径流量和输沙量年均变化斜率大,跃变时间早。5条流域汛期径流量和输沙量的关系表明,植被覆盖度低的风沙-黄土丘陵过渡区流域的输沙量分布域较植被覆盖度高的土石山林区流域大一个数量级,其产沙动力也最强。近50a来,5条流域的水沙动力系数均呈现逐时段降低趋势。20世纪70～80年代水土流失综合治理使5条流域水沙动力系数平均降低24.5%,1999年后的退耕还林(草)工程则使其平均降低70.6%。流域水沙拟合线性关系常数项绝对值,以及流域冲淤平衡时的径流量呈现随时段减小趋势,进一步说明水土流失治理及退耕还林(草)措施对流域水沙动力关系的削弱效应。