Estimate of sediment yield in a basin without sediment data

In this study, three mathematical models for the estimate of sediment yield, due to soil and stream erosion, at the outlet of a basin are presented. Each model consists of three submodels: a rainfall-runoff submodel, a soil erosion submodel and a sediment transport submodel for streams. The rainfall-runoff and the stream sediment transport submodels are identical in the three mathematical models. The rainfall-runoff submodel that is used for the computation of the runoff in a sub-basin is a simplified water balance model for the soil root zone. For the estimate of soil erosion in a sub-basin, three different submodels are used alternatively, owing to the fact that erosion or sediment yield data are not available. The soil erosion submodels are (a) a modified form of the classical Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE, [Foster, G.R., Meyer, L.D., Onstad, C.A., 1977. A runoff erosivity factor and variable slope length exponents for soil loss estimates. Transactions of the ASAE, 20 (4), 683–687]) taking into account both the rainfall erosion and the runoff erosion, (b) the relationships of Poesen [Poesen, J., 1985. An improved splash transport model. Zeitschrift für Geomorphologie, 29, 193–211] quantifying the splash detachment, as well as the upslope and downslope splash transport, (c) the relationships of Schmidt [Schmidt, J., 1992. Predicting the sediment yield from agricultural land using a new soil erosion model. Proceedings of the 5th International Symposium on River Sedimentation. Karlsruhe, Germany, pp. 1045–1051] including the momentum flux exerted by the droplets and the momentum flux exerted by the runoff. The sediment transport submodel for streams aims to estimate the sediment yield at the outlet of a sub-basin. This quantity results by comparing the available sediment amount in the main stream of a sub-basin with the sediment transport capacity by stream flow, which is computed by the relationships of Yang and Stall [Yang, C.T., Stall, J.B., 1976. Applicability of unit stream power equation. Journal of the Hydraulics Division, ASCE, 102, 559–568]. The mathematical models were applied to the basin of Kompsatos River, in northeastern Greece, with an area of about 565 km². The whole basin was divided into 18 natural sub-basins for more precise calculations. Monthly rainfall data were available for 27 years (1966–1992); therefore, the calculations were performed on a monthly basis. The deviation between the three mean annual values of sediment yield at the basin outlet, for 27 years, resulting from the three mathematical models is relatively small.     

Assessing soil erosion after fire and rehabilitation treatments in NW Spain: Performance of rusle and revised Morgan–Morgan–Finney models

Although the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) and the revised Morgan–Morgan–Finney (MMF) are well‐known models, not much information is available as regards their suitability in predicting post‐fire soil erosion in forest soils. The lack of information is even more pronounced as regards post‐fire rehabilitation treatments. This study compared the soil erosion predicted by the RUSLE and the revised MMF model with the observed values of soil losses, for the first year following fire, in two burned areas in NW of Spain with different levels of fire severity. The applicability of both models to estimate soil losses after three rehabilitation treatments applied in a severely burned area was also tested. The MMF model presented reasonable accuracy in the predictions while the RUSLE clearly overestimated the observed erosion rates. When the R and C factors obtained by the RUSLE formulation were multiplied by 0·7 and 0.865, respectively, the efficiency of the equation improved. Both models showed their capability to be used as operational tools to help managers to determine action priorities in areas of high risk of degradation by erosion after fire. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

黄土高原径流侵蚀功率输沙模型的改进

水土流失对流域生态危害严重,输沙量模拟和预测可以为流域水土流失防治提供依据,因此精确的输沙模型是流域水土流失治理的重要工具。为了精确模拟变化环境下黄土高原年输沙量,该研究基于黄土高原19个水文站的径流和输沙数据,通过随机森林变量重要性度量方法评估年径流侵蚀功率、淤地坝指数、淤地坝相对指数、归一化植被指数、不透水地面积等因子对流域年输沙量的影响,使用非线性最小二乘法估算年输沙模型参数,对比分析不同因子组合的年输沙模型精度,提出适用性较强的黄土高原年输沙模型,据此开展年输沙量变化贡献率分析。结果表明：1）以幂函数形式构建的仅含径流侵蚀功率单因子输沙模型精度与流域面积有显著的负相关关系,相关系数为-0.505（P<0.05）,模型精度随着流域面积增大而下降,在大于7 000 km2的流域适用性较差;2）年径流侵蚀功率、淤地坝指数及不透水地面积因子组合建立的多因子年输沙模型在黄土高原适用性最佳,模型在率定期NSE平均值为0.84,RMSE平均值为0.21亿t,在验证期纳什系数平均值为0.79,均方根误差平均值为0.27亿t。3）影响研究流域年输沙量变化的因素依次是：年径流侵蚀功率、不透水地面积和淤地坝指数。研究可以为黄土高原不同区域水土流失防治和生态治理工作提供理论支撑。     

基于AnnAGNPS模型的黄土高原小流域土壤侵蚀定量评价

以位于黄土丘陵沟壑区的砖窑沟流域为试点，利用AnnAGNPS模型进行土壤侵蚀定量评价。采用流域8次径流事件监测数据进行模型检验，径流量和沉积物量的相对误差分别为10%和-10%，AnnAGNPS模型能够比较理想地模拟流域长期的径流量和沉积物量，并可应用于黄土丘陵沟壑区的径流流失和土壤侵蚀定量评价。采用2004年土地利用状况模拟分析了流域土壤侵蚀量及其空间分布，结果表明：该流域平均片蚀和细沟侵蚀强度为3508 t/(km²·a)，属中度侵蚀等级，黄土沟壑地的平均侵蚀强度最大，属极强度侵蚀等级；严重的沟道侵蚀显著增加了运移到流域出口的泥沙。     

定西黄土丘陵沟壑区不同土地利用类型水土流失研究

以坡耕地作为对照,通过自然降水条件下径流小区连续14年的观测资料,分析了人工乔、灌、草植被和自然草地的水土流失差异,揭示了不同土地利用类型小区的减水减沙效果:不同土地利用类型小区具有不同的产流、产沙量,年产流值具有显著性差异,坡耕地、牧草地和乔木林地间年产流没有显著性差异,自然草地与灌木林地间年产流也没有显著性差异;各类径流小区年产沙量具有显著性差异,牧草地与乔木林地、自然草地与灌木林地间的产沙量无显著性差异,坡耕地、牧草地和乔木林地的产沙量明显大于自然草地和灌木林地;乔木林地比自然草地、灌木林地有更高的土壤侵蚀强度及频率。在定西黄土丘陵沟壑区,控制水土流失的基本措施是保护好现有的自然植被,实行坡耕地退耕还林还草,建设人工植被应实行"灌木为主,草灌优先,草灌乔相结合"。     

Evaluating the applicability of the water erosion prediction project (WEPP) model to runoff and soil loss of sandstone reliefs in the Loess Plateau,China

Soil erosion is one of the most serious environmental issues, especially in vulnerable areas such as the Pisha sandstone regions located in the Loess Plateau (China). In these types of reliefs, long-term studies monitoring runoff and soil loss are scarce, and even more considering the efficiency of different soil management techniques applied to reduce land degradation. In this study, seven years (2014–2020) of in-situ measurements of surface runoff and soil loss for different land uses (forestland, shrubland, grassland, farmland, and bare land) in a Pisha Sandstone environment at the Loess Plateau were conducted. We applied the Water Erosion Prediction Project (WEPP) model combining the large database with the precipitation regimes. Our results showed that runoff volume coming from observed and simulated data exhibited significant differences among them depending on the different vegetation types. Runoff and soil loss were different among diverse land use types as follows: farmland > grassland > shrubland > forestland. After conducting a calibration, we found satisfactorily simulated surface runoff and sediment yield based on precipitation regimes and land uses at sandstone reliefs. Simulation performance of surface runoff was better than sediment yield. The range of standard error of the model simulation for event and annual values of runoff were 4.71 mm and 12.19 mm, respectively. The standard error for event and annual values of soil loss were 4.19 t/hm² and 21.86 t/hm². In the calibration group, R² of runoff and soil loss were 0.92 and 0.86 respectively, while Nash-Sutcliffe coefficient (E) reached 0.90 and 0.85, respectively. In the validation group, the R² for both runoff and soil loss were 0.82 and 0.56, respectively. Nash-Sutcliffe coefficient (E) were 0.77 and 0.54 for the runoff and sediment yield. We concluded that using a detailed monitoring dataset, the WEPP model could accurately simulate and predict water erosion in the hillslopes of Pisha sandstone area.     

黄丘一区径流泥沙来源研究

<正> 一、黄丘一区径流泥沙来源 黄河是驰名世界居首位的多泥沙河流,年均径流量580亿m~3,年均输沙量16亿t,每年约有4亿t的粗泥沙淤积在下游河床。黄土高原严重的水土流失,是导致黄河下游河床不断淤积抬高的主要原因。钱宁、龚时旸等学者认为:黄河中上游43万km~2的水土流失区内,河口镇至龙门区间和华县、河津、(氵状)头以上的渭、汾、洛河支流26.6万km~2的区域,是黄河泥沙的主要产区,其沙量     

Modelling soil erosion and sediment yield at a catchment scale: the case of Masinga catchment,Kenya

Development of improved soil erosion and sediment yield prediction technology is required to provide catchment stakeholders with the tools they need to evaluate the impact of various management strategies on soil loss and sediment yield in order to plan for the optimal use of the land. In this paper, a newly developed approach is presented to predict the sources of sediment reaching the stream network within Masinga, a large‐scale rural catchment in Kenya. The study applies the revised universal soil loss equation (RUSLE) and a developed hillslope sediment delivery distributed (HSDD) model embedded in a geographical information system (GIS). The HSDD model estimates the sediment delivery ratio (SDR) on a cell‐by‐cell basis using the concept of runoff travel time as a function of catchment characteristics. The model performance was verified by comparing predicted and measured plot runoff and sediment yield. The results show a fairly good relationship between predicted and measured sediment yield (R²=0·82). The predicted results show that the developed modelling approach can be used as a major tool to estimate spatial soil erosion and sediment yield at a catchment scale. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

自然降雨条件下红壤坡面有机碳的选择性迁移

依托江西水土保持生态科技园,2015年3月―8月期间,对裸地、草地、果园和湿地松人工林四种类型径流小区自然降雨条件下侵蚀过程中径流泥沙和土壤有机碳的流失特征进行了原位监测。结果表明,监测期间24场降雨下,径流系数和侵蚀模数基本上均随雨型的增大而增加。随着土地利用类型由裸地向果园、草地和林地的转换,减流效益和减沙效益依次增大。径流量和泥沙流失量最主要的影响因素分别是降雨量和径流量。裸地、草地、果园和林地四种类型坡面上,自然降雨下土壤有机碳随泥沙迁移的比例分别为64.67%、47.38%、53.94%和36.03%,碳流失强度分别达到560.3、1.98、122.5和2.66 mg m-2。径流有机碳含量与径流量之间、泥沙含碳量与泥沙量之间均呈负相关关系。裸地、果园、草地和林地四种径流小区泥沙有机碳富集比分别为1.27、1.10、0.80和0.58,即随着土壤侵蚀模数的降低,有机碳富集比也减小。泥沙有机碳富集比均随雨强的增大而减小,有机碳的选择性迁移在低强度降雨条件下表现更为明显。     

不同逆坡耕作强度对干热河谷区坡耕地水蚀的影响

为了研究不同逆坡耕作强度导致的土壤位移对坡面水蚀的影响,以金沙江干热河谷区坡面径流小区为研究对象,在径流小区5°,10°,15°坡面上,进行单宽流量为0.6 m^2/h的放水试验。在10°坡面的下坡位置设置0.05,0.10,0.20 m土层深度,分别代表连续耕作80,69,46年导致下坡位置土壤损失土层变薄情况。通过收集径流小区出口的产流量和产沙量,研究在不同坡度上的不同逆坡耕作强度导致的土壤位移对坡面产流率、产沙率、总流量和总产沙量的影响。结果表明:(1)在10°坡面,耕作年限越长,产流越快,不同耕作强度(年限)的产流率、总产流量、产沙率和总产沙量均表现46年<69年<80年的变化趋势,说明长期逆坡耕作导致的土壤位移加速了坡面水蚀的发生;(2)在耕作69年的坡面,坡度越大,产流越快。在测定坡度范围,产流率、总产流量、产沙率和总产沙量均表现出5°<10°<15°的变化趋势,即坡度的增加明显增大了坡面水蚀;(3)随耕作侵蚀强度的增大,坡面产流率与产沙率间的指数增长关系越显著,而坡度的增大弱化了水沙指数函数关系。研究成果可为揭示干热河谷区逆坡耕作强度和坡度对水蚀的作用机理提供参考。     

长江三峡花岗岩区不同地类土壤流失量研究

 研究长江三峡库区泥沙来源,并以此为依据开展水土保持工作,对于保障长江三峡水利枢纽工程安全运行和效益发挥,具有重要意义。在长江三峡花岗岩地区选定的典型小流域内,采用土壤剖面法及土壤侵蚀调查、坡面径流小区等方法,分析不同土地利用现状下的土壤物理特性及其与土壤侵蚀的关系,不同土地利用坡面及沟道的土壤侵蚀量。结果表明:研究区域不同土地利用状况土体内,土壤颗粒特性与土壤流失程度密切相关。随着土壤流失程度的增大,流域不同土地利用状况下的A层土壤颗粒粒径分选系数降低。不同土地利用状况下,土壤颗粒粒径组的对称性均较低;长江三峡花岗岩区的泥沙,主要来源于坡面土壤侵蚀;坡面侵蚀的泥沙主要来源于坡耕地,25°以上陡坡耕地侵蚀的泥沙量,约占坡面产沙总量的50%。     

桂西北喀斯特峰丛不同土地利用方式坡面产流产沙特征

由于缺乏长期定位观测资料,西南喀斯特山区坡地水土流失规律一直不明确,严重影响了该区石漠化综合治理和水土流失防治工作的成效和进程。该文基于13个大型径流小区(宽20m、投影面积>1000m2)5a(2006-2010年)的定位观测资料,分析了桂西北喀斯特峰丛洼地不同利用方式坡面降雨产流规律和地表侵蚀产沙特征。结果表明:观测期内年降雨量为1300～2000mm,无论平水年还是丰水年,不同利用方式坡面次降雨径流系数<5%,地表产流很少,降雨几乎全部入渗。不同利用方式地表侵蚀产沙模数虽有较大差异,但土壤侵蚀以微度(<30t/(km2a))为主,部分甚至只有0～5t/(km2a)。植被类型、土地利用方式对坡面降雨产流的影响较小,但人为干扰会增加地表侵蚀产沙量。该文为喀斯特坡地植被恢复重建和水土流失防治提供参考。     

不同土地利用方式下赤红壤坡面土壤侵蚀特征

为探究降雨和土地利用对南方赤红壤坡面侵蚀特征的影响,通过天然降雨观测试验,定量分析不同土地利用方式(坡耕地、果园、人工草地和撂荒地)下坡面径流和侵蚀泥沙特征,探讨降雨类型及土地利用对坡面侵蚀产沙的影响以及降雨特征参数与坡面水沙指标间的关系。结果表明:(1)2018年研究区降雨主要集中在5—9月,且每月降雨量主要由一场或几场暴雨及大暴雨组成;(2)坡耕地坡面年径流量和年侵蚀量均最大,分别是果园、人工草地以及撂荒地处理下的3.4,8.0,6.0倍和340.5,1605.3,1720.3倍;(2)次降雨下,坡面径流量在年内表现为前期平稳,后期波动增加,侵蚀量表现为前期波动较大,后期变化相对平稳,且侵蚀产沙主要集中在前期;(3)不同土地利用方式下,暴雨及大暴雨产生的径流量均占年径流量的75%以上,坡耕地、果园、人工草地以及撂荒地处理下由暴雨和大暴雨产生的侵蚀量分别占年侵蚀量的99.1%,71.8%,52.3%和51.6%;(4)降雨量和最大30min降雨强度是影响赤红壤坡面侵蚀最重要的降雨特征参数,降雨历时和植被覆盖度均显著影响果园、人工草地及撂荒地坡面径流量。研究结果有助于明晰南方赤红壤区不同土地利用现状土壤侵蚀特征,为区域水土保持提供参考依据。     

Soil management for Alfisols in the semiarid tropics: erosion, enrichment ratios and runoff

Abstract. Continuous cultivation of soils of the semiarid tropics has led to significant land degradation. Soil erosion and nutrient loss caused by high runoff volumes have reduced crop yields and contributed to offsite damage. We compared a number of soil management practices (tillage, mulch and perennial/annual rotational based systems) for their potential to improve crop production and land resource protection in an Alfisol of the semiarid tropics of India. Runoff and soil erosion were monitored and surface soil and sediment were analysed for nitrogen and carbon to determine enrichment ratios. Amelioration of soils with organic additions (farmyard manure, rice straw) or rotating perennial pasture with annual crops increased soil carbon and nitrogen contents and reduced runoff, soil erosion and nutrient loss. Soil erosion totalled less than 7 t ha^–1, but enrichment ratios were often greater than 2 resulting in up to 27 kg N ha^–1 and 178 kg C ha^–1 being lost in sediment. Up to an extra 250 mm of water per year infiltrated the soil with organic additions and was available for crop water use or percolation to groundwater. The results show that there are good opportunities for reducing degradation and increasing productivity on farms.     

不同雨强和坡度下侵蚀性风化花岗岩母质坡地产流产沙特征

为研究解决南方侵蚀性风化花岗岩地区的水土流失问题,该文采用室内人工模拟降雨方法研究了不同降雨强度(30,60,90,120,150 mm/h)和不同坡度(5°,8°,15°,25°)条件下的风化花岗岩残积坡地的土壤侵蚀过程。结果表明:1)坡面径流的初始产流产沙时间都随着坡度和雨强的增大而提前;2)坡面径流量与坡度之间不呈简单的正相关关系,径流系数随雨强的变化呈现指数相关关系,入渗率在雨强为30~120 mm/h之间在坡度8°左右出现极大值;3)侵蚀产沙量随坡度和雨强的增大而增大,其与坡度之间的关系可以用幂函数表示,决定系数均达到0.815,与雨强之间为指数函数关系,决定系数均达到0.889以上;4)水力侵蚀对泥沙具有分选性,径流侵蚀挟带泥沙中的粉粒、黏粒以及细砂粒含量较多;5)坡度和雨强对于侵蚀产沙量的综合影响可以用线性相关方程来比较准确地描述,对产沙量的影响权重排序为:含沙量雨强径流系数坡度。     

Temporal Variations of Flow–sediment Relationships in a Highly Erodible Catchment of the Loess Plateau,China

The flow–sediment relationship is important to understand the soil erosion and land degradation processes in severe eroded areas. This study researches on variations of streamflow, sediment load, and flow–sediment relationship on multi‐temporal scales (annual, flood season and, monthly scales) in a highly erodible catchment of Chinese Loess Plateau. The results demonstrated that the streamflow, sediment load, sediment concentration, runoff coefficient, and sediment coefficient all experienced evident reductions, and the decrease in the middle and downstream stations was more significant compared with the upstream stations. The land use changes and implementation of soil and water conservation measures played major role for the streamflow and sediment load reductions with respect to precipitation change, and the runoff coefficient and sediment coefficient linearly decreased with the percentage of conservation measure area. The runoff‐sediment yield relationship on annual, flood season, and monthly scales could be generally characterized by the linear function, and the slopes during the post‐change period was lower than those during the pre‐change period of sediment load. The sediment concentration–streamflow discharge relationship represented consistent form over the entire study period, and the logarithmic function was appropriate to describe the relationships on the three timescales. The decrease of sediment concentration contributed greatest (60·7%) to sediment reduction compared with runoff productivity of rainfall (30·2%) and precipitation (9·1%). Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

基于GIS和RUSLE的黄土高原小流域土壤侵蚀评估

对基于上坡汇流面积的坡长因子算法进行改进,提出考虑上坡土地利用/覆盖对汇流影响的坡长因子算法,运用GIS和RUSLE评估黄土高原四面窑沟流域的土壤侵蚀强度及其与环境因素的关系。结果表明,流域多年平均侵蚀强度 4 399.79 t/(km2·a),属中度侵蚀;侵蚀强度和侵蚀量均随坡度增加而显著增加,80.59%的侵蚀量来源于占流域总面积59.06%的25°以上坡度带;不同坡向的侵蚀强度表现为正阳坡＞半阳坡＞半阴坡＞正阴坡,其中,占总面积45.07%的阳坡产生56.50%的侵蚀量;不同土地利用类型中,占总面积57.07%的草地产生96.37%的侵蚀量,成为目前流域内主要侵蚀产沙源。研究为应用修正通用土壤流失方程在黄土高原进行侵蚀评估提供技术范例,为该区侵蚀防治和水土资源利用提供有益参考。     

Estimate of sediment yield in a basin without sediment data

In this study, three mathematical models for the estimate of sediment yield, due to soil and stream erosion, at the outlet of a basin are presented. Each model consists of three submodels: a rainfall-runoff submodel, a soil erosion submodel and a sediment transport submodel for streams. The rainfall-runoff and the stream sediment transport submodels are identical in the three mathematical models. The rainfall-runoff submodel that is used for the computation of the runoff in a sub-basin is a simplified water balance model for the soil root zone. For the estimate of soil erosion in a sub-basin, three different submodels are used alternatively, owing to the fact that erosion or sediment yield data are not available. The soil erosion submodels are (a) a modified form of the classical Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE, [Foster, G.R., Meyer, L.D., Onstad, C.A., 1977. A runoff erosivity factor and variable slope length exponents for soil loss estimates. Transactions of the ASAE, 20 (4), 683–687]) taking into account both the rainfall erosion and the runoff erosion, (b) the relationships of Poesen [Poesen, J., 1985. An improved splash transport model. Zeitschrift für Geomorphologie, 29, 193–211] quantifying the splash detachment, as well as the upslope and downslope splash transport, (c) the relationships of Schmidt [Schmidt, J., 1992. Predicting the sediment yield from agricultural land using a new soil erosion model. Proceedings of the 5th International Symposium on River Sedimentation. Karlsruhe, Germany, pp. 1045–1051] including the momentum flux exerted by the droplets and the momentum flux exerted by the runoff. The sediment transport submodel for streams aims to estimate the sediment yield at the outlet of a sub-basin. This quantity results by comparing the available sediment amount in the main stream of a sub-basin with the sediment transport capacity by stream flow, which is computed by the relationships of Yang and Stall [Yang, C.T., Stall, J.B., 1976. Applicability of unit stream power equation. Journal of the Hydraulics Division, ASCE, 102, 559–568]. The mathematical models were applied to the basin of Kompsatos River, in northeastern Greece, with an area of about 565 km². The whole basin was divided into 18 natural sub-basins for more precise calculations. Monthly rainfall data were available for 27 years (1966–1992); therefore, the calculations were performed on a monthly basis. The deviation between the three mean annual values of sediment yield at the basin outlet, for 27 years, resulting from the three mathematical models is relatively small.     

大别山南麓裸地小区径流泥沙过程对降雨特征的响应

作为水土流失重点预防保护区,大别山南麓裸地坡面水土流失严重,为探究该区典型裸地坡面径流泥沙对降雨的响应,利用自动化径流泥沙监测设备对裸地径流小区的降雨—径流-泥沙过程进行监测。以2020年全年侵蚀性降雨数据为基础,依据降雨峰值时序划分雨型,分析了4种雨型的累计产流产沙特征和次降雨的径流泥沙特征,并建立了累计产流产沙的最优函数模型。结果表明:(1)大别山南麓降雨事件的I₃₀是影响降雨事件的泥沙量和径流系数的重要因素;前期集中型和中期集中型降雨事件的泥沙量与前48 h内的降雨量呈显著正相关。(2)不同雨型下产流产沙过程有显著差异,但径流泥沙指标的差异不显著。不同雨型下累计产流产沙的最优模型为Logistic模型。(3)不同雨型下,雨强、产流率和产沙率的变化趋势和峰值出现规律存在一致性,也存在产沙产流过程滞后于雨强变化过程的现象,产沙滞后多出现在前期集中型降雨,产流滞后多出现在中期集中型和后期集中型降雨。研究结果揭示了降雨-产流-产沙相互关系,对该区域坡面水土流失防治具有一定的科学指导意义。     

The effects of cover crops and conventional tillage on soil and runoff loss in vineyards and olive groves in several Mediterranean countries

Cover crops (CC) in vineyards and olive groves provide an alternative to conventional tillage (CT) for land management. Runoff, sediment and nutrient loss from six sites in France, Spain and Portugal were compared over 3–4 yr. In general, runoff loss was not significantly reduced by the CC alternatives: average annual runoff coefficients ranged from 4.9 to 22.8% in CT compared with 1.9–25% in the CC alternatives. However, at two sites, reductions in average annual runoff coefficients were greater for CC: 17.2 and 10.4% in CT, 6.1 and 1.9% in CC. Nutrient loss in runoff followed a similar pattern to runoff, as did pesticide loss on the one site; reductions occurred when runoff losses were significantly reduced by CC. The lack of differences at the other sites is thought to be due to a combination of soil conditions at the surface (compaction and capping) and sub‐surface (low‐permeability horizons close to the surface). In contrast, CC always resulted in reductions in soil erosion loss, plus similar reductions in nutrients and organic matter (OM) associated with sediment. Soil erosion loss ranged from 1.4 to 90 t/ha/yr in CT compared with 0.04–42.7 t/ha/yr in CC. Overall, reductions in runoff and associated nutrient and pesticide loss from vineyards and olives occurred with the introduction of CCs only when soil permeability was sufficiently high to reduce runoff. In contrast, reduction in soil erosion and associated nutrients and OM occurred even when the amount of runoff was not reduced. In the most extreme encountered situations (highly erodible soils in vulnerable landscape positions and subject to highly erosive rainfall), additional conservation measures are needed to prevent unsustainable soil loss.