Time and scale of gully erosion in the Jedliczny Dol gully system, south-east Poland

Key catchments of the Roztocze loess area in south-east Poland have a great potential of revealing the history of long-term soil erosion and changes in land use. The knowledge of how and when soil erosion took place in the past helps one understand the impact of land use changes on the landscapes [Bork, H.-R., 1989. Soil erosion during the past Millennium in Central Europe and its significance within the geomorphodynamics of the Holocene. Catena 15, 121–131]. The Jedliczny Dol gully system near the town Zwierzyniec in south-east Poland was investigated by using detailed field stratigraphy and radiocarbon dating of charcoal and wood.In connection with new settlements which were established between the 14th and 16th centuries, arable land was cultivated and forests were used much more intensively. As a consequence, the loess soils were strongly eroded during heavy rainfalls. Up to 4 m of colluvial sediments were deposited in the gully system during the 15th and/or 16th centuries. The thickness of the colluvial sediments indicate severe erosion which might be related to excessive timber exploitation for the local glass and iron production. With the foundation of the so-called Ordinariat Zamoyski at the end of the 16th century, some parts of the area were presumably reforested. High pressure on the land at the beginning of the 19th century enabled a second main phase of gulling before 1900.Since 1890 at the latest, almost the whole catchment is used as a forest, however, concentrated runoff on compacted forest roads can still be high after heavy rainfalls.In loess areas soil erosion caused by intensive land use, triggered by heavy rainfalls, can change the landscape drastically. These changes will continue to influence how catchments react, even if land use gets less intensive again. This knowledge should be considered regarding future, sustainable land use and recent changes in land use in the south-eastern Polish loess regions.     

Estimating the rate and consequences of gully development,a case study of umbulo catchment in Southern Ethiopia

In southern Ethiopia wide and deep gullies are common features, significantly affecting farmers' livelihoods. Little action is being taken to address the problem despite farmers being knowledgeable about erosion and its control measures. A study was conduced to investigate the nature and rate of gully development in Umbulo catchment, southern Ethiopia, based on interviews with farmers and field measurements. The results indicated a rapid, down slope development of gullies over the last 30 years with average rate of soil loss from 11 to 30 t ha⁻¹ y⁻¹. The critical period of development of the gully system was estimated to be between 1974 and 1985, but since then the gully system has enlarged both in depth and width. Wide channels with deep, nearly vertical walls are typical. The trigger for gully initiation is believed to have been human, but the soil properties may have played an important role. Under the current situation agricultural production is unsustainable unless the gullies are controlled using integrated measures at the catchment scale. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

陕北黄土区退耕前（1976—1997）坡面切沟发育特征

以陕北黄土区坊塌流域内7条大切沟及其谷缘上的小切沟为研究对象,通过Arc GIS和MATLAB从基于1976、1997年1:10000比例尺地形图生成的数字高程模型(DEM)上提取沟沿线,进而获得1976、1997年大切沟的面积、周长和大切沟上小切沟沟头前进距离,并结合当时的土地利用图和植被覆盖图,定量研究了退耕前陕北黄土区切沟发育的速率,以及土地利用类型和植被覆盖度对切沟发育的影响.结果显示:在1976-1997年间,7条大切沟的面积、周长增长率分别为11.01%~180.46%和8.07%~86.75%,大切沟上小切沟沟头年均前进速率为0.26~0.84m;由溯源侵蚀导致的小切沟沟头前进是研究区内大切沟上的主要侵蚀方式,大切沟沟谷拓宽和形成新的小切沟分别是对大切沟的面积和周长增长具有较高贡献率的侵蚀方式;林草覆盖能控制切沟发育,集水区内覆盖度大于65%的植被能更加有效地控制大切沟内以沟谷拓宽为主的、多过程、多部位的综合切沟侵蚀,覆盖度大于45%的植被能更加有效地控制大切沟上小切沟沟头的溯源侵蚀.研究表明基于GIS技术和不同年份的地形图,可以确定切沟侵蚀的方式及速率,实现对切沟发育的动态监测.     

Land use change and gully formation over the last 200 years in a hilly catchment

Gully erosion can be widely observed on cultivated hillslopes in Hungary. Loose sediments covering two thirds of the total area of the country are prone to gully erosion.A detailed study of gully formation was carried out in the Rakaca catchment (58 km²), northeastern Hungary. The objectives include (1) a detailed survey of the present gullies, (2) an explanation of differences in gully distribution within the catchment, (3) clarification of the role of influencing factors like slope gradient, vegetation cover and soil type and (4) a study of changes of gully distribution and development in time over the last 200 years based on the comparison of topographic maps.The present gully distribution was first surveyed by applying 1:10 000 topographic maps and aerial photographs. The total length of the network is 70.9 km, i.e. 1.22 km/km². Distribution inhomogeneities within the catchment can well be explained by differences in slope gradient and vegetation cover.The rate of increase of the gully length per unit area (1 km²) calculated for different time periods shows the following trends: (1) until 1860, when more than 50% of the catchment was forested, it was 5 m year⁻¹ km⁻²; (2) between 1860 and 1920, when forest area dropped to almost 25% and agricultural land use was extended to slopes steeper than 25%, it still remained at roughly 5 m year⁻¹ km⁻²; (3) after 1920, with 24–25% forest cover and with the extension of farming activity to the steepest slopes, it reached 10 m year⁻¹ km⁻².It could be shown that gully erosion on cultivated slopes leads to the development of gully systems in 50–60 years even if slope gradient is below 12%.To prevent further development of gully systems, it is suggested that at least 30% of the area should be forested and slopes steeper than 17% should not be cultivated at all.     

Identification of vulnerable areas for gully erosion under different scenarios of land abandonment in Southeast Spain

Abandonment of agricultural land is one of the main changes in Mediterranean land use. To mitigate runoff and erosion from abandoned land, it is necessary to identify locations that are vulnerable to erosion as a result of land abandonment. The objective of our study was to identify vulnerable areas for gully erosion using different scenarios of land abandonment in Southeast Spain. The study area was the Carcavo basin, a semi-arid catchment in the province of Murcia (Southeast Spain). A preliminary field survey confirmed the assumption that abandoned fields have more gully erosion compared to cultivated fields. This can be explained by the quicker concentration of runoff on abandoned land due to crust formation and reduced surface storage capacity. Next we simulated the spatial dynamics of land abandonment with a spatially explicit land use change model for the period 2004 to 2015 for four different land use change scenarios. The results of the simulation were used to identify vulnerable areas for gully erosion by a simple GIS-model based on the controlling factors of gully erosion. The potentially vulnerable areas for gully erosion increased for the different scenarios ranging from 18 ha to 176 ha. Most of the vulnerable areas are located around channel heads or along channel walls. The combination of more gully erosion on abandoned fields and an expected increase of land abandonment are potentially a big problem in relation to land degradation and reservoir sedimentation. The identification of vulnerable areas enables soil conservationists and engineers to mitigate gully erosion by applying preventive conservation practices.     

黄土丘陵沟壑区坡沟系统切沟侵蚀数值模拟

切沟侵蚀过程既是侵蚀输沙发生变化过程,也是其侵蚀地貌的发展演变过程,为了说明切沟形态随时空演化过程,应用质量守恒原理和理论分析方法,论述切沟侵蚀过程与形态发育模型实现的原理和过程,建立切沟侵蚀输沙微分方程、下切方程,并进行数值模拟.通过模拟计算,得到不同时刻和不同坡长下的切沟底部高程变化数据;经过与坡沟系统模型试验观测结果进行比较检验,沟深平均相对误差在15％以内,取得了较高的模拟精度.这表明建立的模型合理,模拟结果与实际切沟下切的动态变化过程相符,可以用于模拟切沟下切发育过程.     

1970－2021年典型黑土区侵蚀沟损毁耕地速度与发育阶段

黑土区侵蚀沟损毁耕地,威胁粮食生产,研究侵蚀沟发展速度与发育现状,对揭示侵蚀沟发育机理和保护黑土地具有重要意义。为研究近50年侵蚀沟损毁耕地速度和发育特征,分别在典型黑土区3个纬度带选取坡度约为1%、2%和3%的9个共计约378 km²的典型黑土农田单元,并利用1970年、2011年和2021年卫星影像结合无人机和地面测量的结果进行计算与统计。结果表明,侵蚀沟数量在3个历史时期持续增加,剔除因治理而消失的311条,实际增加了958条,北部嫩江增加速度高于中部海伦和南部巴彦,而同一纬度区大坡度（3%）比小坡度（1%和2%）农田单元内侵蚀沟数量增长更快。人为治理和更高强度耕种导致侵蚀沟面积降低（1970－2011年）然后再增加（2011－2021年）的V型走势,但由侵蚀沟发育而实际损毁耕地的面积持续扩张,近10年年均损毁耕地面积0.1%,3个区域的损毁速度相近。从南往北3个区域侵蚀沟起始发育时间分别是1920s、1940s和1950s,与开垦时间先后顺序一致。典型黑土区侵蚀沟经历了谷底沟发育、沟系形成、多样化发育3个阶段,其中嫩江处在第二阶段,而海伦和巴彦处在第三阶段,即老沟、新沟、次生沟、浅沟多样化发育阶段。人为治理和促进侵蚀沟发育的较量,决定典型黑土区侵蚀沟的发育走势。研究为典型黑土区侵蚀沟防治提供科学依据。     

Factors controlling gully development: Comparing continuous and discontinuous gullies

Gully erosion is a degradation process affecting soils in many parts of the World. Despite the complexity of a series of collective factors across different spatial scales, previous research has not yet explicitly quantified factor dominance between different sized gullies. This factorial analysis quantifies the differences in factor dominance between continuous gullies (cgs) and discontinuous gullies (dgs). First, gullies (totaling 5273 ha) visible from SPOT 5 imagery were mapped for a catchment (nearly 5000 km²) located in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. Eleven important factors were integrated into a geographical information system including topographical variables, parent material‐soil associations and land use–cover interactions. These were utilized in a zonal approach in order to determine the extent factors differ between cgs and dgs. Factors leading to the development of cgs are gentle footslopes in zones of saturation along drainage paths with a large contributing area, erodible duplex soils derived from mudstones and poor vegetation cover due to overgrazing. Compared to cgs conditions, more dgs occur on rolling slopes where the surface becomes less frequently saturated with a smaller contributing area, soils are more stable and shallow. Factorial analysis further illustrates that differences in factor dominance between the two groups of gullies is most apparent for soil factors. A combination of overgrazing and susceptible mudstones proves to be key factors that consistently determine the development of cgs and dgs. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Loess erosion in relation to land-use changes in the ganspoel catchment,central Belgium

This paper examines the changes of land uses and landscape patterns in the Ganspoel Catchment, central Belgium, using aerial photography interpretation (photographs taken in 1947, 1969 and 1986). The comparison of land cover areal changes and a transition matrix were used to assess land-use changes in time and space. The size, fractal dimension and elongation index of patches were quantified for landscape pattern analysis. Grassland increased and farmland decreased in the study area from the 1940s to the 1980s. Forest increased from 1947 to 1969 and decreased from 1969 to 1986. About 49 per cent of the study area experienced changes of land use between 1947 and 1969, and about 36 per cent between 1969 and 1986. The landscape of the study area is more fragmented than it was in the 1940s. Patches have generally increased in number and decreased in size, although the landscape was most fragmented in 1969; fractal dimension of patches are lower, indicating less complex shapes. From 1969 to 1986, 59 per cent of the area of change was on 0–3 degree slopes, and from 1969 to 1986 6.7 per cent was on >8 degree slopes. Changing land uses and landscape patterns may have important ecological implications.     

Effect of joint structure and slope direction on the development of collapsing gully in tuffaceous sandstone area in South China

This study focuses on the collapsing gullies in tuffaceous sandstone area and investigates the slope direction and morphological characteristics of the main and branch gullies. Furthermore, we assess the structural characteristics of the rock joints within this area, including their strike, dip direction and dip angle. The results show that there are 405 collapsing gullies in the study area. The slope directions associated with collapsing gullies and the directions of the main gullies largely fall within the ranges of NE20°-NE90°, SE90°-SE160°, SW240°-SW270°, and NW270°-NW290°. The collapsing gullies include 1103 branch gullies in total, most of which have directions that fall within the ranges of NE20°-NE40°, NE50°-NE70°, NW280°-NW300°, and NW330°-NW350°. The joints in the bedrock are directional and regional, and they can be divided into two main groups. The number of southward dip directions is greater than the number of northward dip directions, and most of the measured dip angles are greater than 60°. The mean dip angle is greatest for joints with measured strike values of NW280°-NW290°, with a value of 85.2°. The development of collapse gullies is affected by both the slope direction and joints. The slope direction determines the direction of the main gullies, with a correlation coefficient of 0.809 (P<0.01). The branch gullies are mainly affected by joints, with a correlation coefficient of 0.876 (P<0.01). The joint structure also influences the degree of development of the collapsing gullies, and the average depth of the gullies that parallel the dominant joint orientation is significantly larger than that of gullies with other directions. Moreover, the average depth of the gullies associated with the dip angle of 85.2° measured relative to the joint strike is 6.89 m, which is significantly greater than that associated with lower dip angles. The dip angles of joints have an important effect on the infiltration of water, and high dip angles accelerate the erosion associated with collapsing gullies.     

Study of ephemeral gully erosion in a small upland catchment on the Inner-Mongolian Plateau

Ephemeral gully erosion is an important soil erosion process on the Inner-Mongolia Plateau in North China, and although its damage is very intense, little research on the area has been published. In this paper, a global positioning system (GPS) is used to measure the morphology of ephemeral gullies in a small catchment, the Inner-Mongolia Autonomous Region. First, this paper presents the characteristics of ephemeral gullies and soil loss due to ephemeral gully erosion. The network of ephemeral gullies takes on the shapes of tree branches, and there are 16 hole-ephemeral gullies in the middle of the ephemeral gullies. An average gully length of about 19.6 m ha⁻¹ and an average soil loss of 8.8 m³ ha⁻¹ due to ephemeral gully erosion were measured. Second, soil erosion influences crop production in cropland and combinations of vegetation in fallow. The difference between vegetation in the middle of ephemeral gullies and in other places is very obvious. Third, this paper discusses hole-ephemeral gullies that are holes locating in the middle of ephemeral gullies whose widths and depths are more than 0.5 m (Fig. 6) for the first time. The relationship between local hill slope gradient S (m m⁻¹) and upslope contributing area A (ha) can be expressed as S = 0.064A^−0.375 and may be a key indicator for determining the position of existing hole-ephemeral gully heads and for predicting where hole-ephemeral gullies could form in the small watershed on the Inner-Mongolian Plateau.     

The effectiveness of loose rock check dams for gully control in Tigray, northern Ethiopia

Abstract. Over the last two decades, large gully control programmes have been established in Ethiopia. Based on detailed observations and measurements of 400 check dams in the highlands near Hagere Selam (Tigray, northern Ethiopian Highlands), the effectiveness of the check dam technique was assessed. In this study, catchment area, slope gradient, technical characteristics and the presence of smectite clays are the main factors controlling dam stability. Simple and logistic regression techniques were used to analyse the data. The frequent collapse of dams (39% after two years) is strongly associated with drainage area ( A ) and slope gradient of the soil surface near the gully ( S ), the product of these factors ( S × A ) being a proxy for runoff energy. Good functioning dams have a spillway, apron, concave plan form (when looking downslope) and are built at vertical intervals and with heights that result in a negative slope gradient of the line connecting the spillway and the foot of the upstream dam. Therefore, a reverse slope of this line is recommended. Furthermore, if large cracks are present in smectite-rich soils, the construction of check dams can lead to piping and concentrated flow bypassing the dam. Given that the collapse of some check dams seems inevitable where catchment areas are large or there are steep slopes, it is necessary to repair dams as soon as partial collapse starts and to complement this gully control technique with biological control measures.     

基于RS和GIS的黄土丘陵沟壑区浅沟侵蚀地形特征研究

为了解黄土高原浅沟侵蚀地形特征,基于Qucickbird高分辨率遥感影像和数字高程模型,提取了坡面浅沟及其地形参数,并对浅沟侵蚀的地形特征参数和分布规律进行了统计分析,结果表明：黄土丘陵沟壑区,坡面坡度、长度、坡向以及上坡长度是影响坡面浅沟数量的主要地形要素,而浅沟侵蚀地形特征主要由坡面坡度、坡面长度、上坡长度和汇流面积共同决定;坡面长度与浅沟平均长度呈显著线性关系,坡面坡度与浅沟频度、浅沟坡度与其上坡长度间则均满足二次曲线;发生浅沟侵蚀的上限与下限临界坡度分别介于26～27°和15～20°,临界坡长介于50～80 m;由浅沟坡度的正弦值与汇流面积确定出浅沟分布的临界曲线;阳向坡面的平均浅沟长度小于阴向坡面。基于RS和GIS技术能有效确定浅沟侵蚀地形特征,为黄土区坡面水土流失治理提供了技术支撑。     

Land degradation,soil conservation and the sediment load of the Yellow River,China: Review and assessment

Ninety per cent of the sediment load of the Yellow River, the world's muddiest river, comes from the loess plateau region in the middle course of the river. Control of this sediment supply is essential to avoid the danger of flooding in the lower reaches on the South China Plain. Since 1971, sediment loads entering the lower reaches have decreased, by 20 per cent as a result of lower precipitation, and by 27 per cent through soil conservation works and reservoir construction. Reductions in erosion can be obtained by restraining the formation of overland flow through promotion of an effective vegetation cover and elimination of the soil surface cover to encourage infiltration. Reservoir operation is a key to control of sediment movement through tributaries and along the main river. Water demands often conflict with sediment control, and, as a consequence, reservoir operation systems have changed several times in the past decade. The possibility of a further reduction in the sediment load of the Yellow River exists, but much depends on how rapidly control of grazing and deforestation leads to the establishment of plant cover on the loess plateau.     

土壤理化及力学性质对干热河谷台地边坡沟蚀发育的影响

金沙江干热河谷土地整理台地边坡沟蚀发育严重,水土流失强烈,高投入的土地整理工程效益难以发挥,严重威胁着该区的生态安全和社会经济发展。为查明干热河谷土地整理台地边坡沟蚀发育关键影响因子、防治台地边坡沟蚀发育,该研究采用野外实地测量法和实验室测定的方法,研究了干热河谷土地整理台地边坡的沟蚀发育形态特征,系统分析了土壤理化性质和力学性质对台地边坡沟蚀发育形态特征的影响。结果表明:1)非毛管孔隙度是影响台地边坡沟蚀发育形态特征的主要指标,但非毛管孔隙度对台地边坡沟蚀发育宽度、深度、截面积、密度以及割裂度的影响形式和影响程度有较大差异。2)抗剪强度仅对台地边坡沟道深度和截面积影响显著,而对沟道宽度、密度和割裂度的影响甚微。3)分散率对台地边坡沟道宽度和割裂度的影响较为明显,对沟道深度、截面积和密度无显著影响。4)沟道宽度和密度均主要受非毛管孔隙度控制,割裂度受分散率的影响最大,但沟道深度和沟道截面积受土壤性质的影响相对较弱。     

根系密度对黄土塬沟头溯源侵蚀产沙和形态演化过程的影响

为明确根系密度对黄土塬沟壑区沟头溯源侵蚀产沙和形态演化过程的影响,采用野外"人工模拟降雨+放水冲刷"试验方法,以裸地试验小区(CK)为对照,研究冰草根系密度试验小区(株行距:20 cm×20 cm,C1;15 cm×15 cm,C2;10 cm×10 cm,C3)的沟头溯源侵蚀产沙过程、沟头溯源距离、沟道下切深度及发育面积等特征。结果表明:1)与对照小区相比,草被小区(C1~C3)产沙量分别降低64.32%、70.31%、69.92%;冰草株行距为15 cm×15 cm时,减沙效益最大。2)对照小区沟头溯源侵蚀过程主要包括沟口形成、贴壁流侵蚀、跌水侵蚀和沟岸崩塌等;而草被小区沟头溯源侵蚀则由贴壁流侵蚀、跌水侵蚀和根土复合体崩塌导致,崩塌是草地沟头溯源的主要原因;各根系密度下沟头溯源距离与时间均呈极显著幂函数关系;与对照相比,草被小区沟头溯源距离缩短75.61%~78.87%。3)对照小区侵蚀沟纵断面呈阶梯形,存在缓冲平台,沟头近似矩形;草被小区则呈梯形和圆弧状。与对照相比,草被小区沟道平均下切深度加深1.64~1.92倍;沟道面积随根系密度增加而缩小,草被小区沟道面积较裸地缩小68.0%~74.0%。结果可为该区"固沟保塬"工作的实施提供科学参考。     

黄土丘陵沟壑区沟道农业生产功能空间演变特征及其启示

基于5期遥感影像和实地调研数据,定量分析黄土高原延安碾庄流域1985－2018 年乡村转型发展进程中农业生产功能时空演变规律。结果表明：1）沟道农业生产功能定量诊断体系和监测模型可有效识别沟道农业生产功能空间格局以及经济社会与资源生态多重导向的多元演化路径。2）研究区沟道农业功能空间由传统向现代生产主导功能转向,2012 年为沟道生产功能转型拐点。沟道传统农业生产功能特征为“小幅扩增-相对平稳-急剧缩减”,沟道现代农业生产功能演变则呈现“相对平稳-小幅扩增-急剧增加”的阶段特征,且功能多样性不断增加。3）整体上沟道传统农业生产功能空间范围和强度值呈减少趋势,现代沟道农业生产为主的功能空间不断扩张,主导方向发生转变;局部微观上传统农业生产功能以流域城镇所在地为中心呈同心带状缩减。4）新时期黄土丘陵沟壑区沟道农业高质量发展的核心目标在于推进“四转”,全面构建“三循环”模式,推进形成黄土高原产业内循环及其与黄河流域双循环互促共进发展的新格局,深入探究优化农业生产方式和创新经营管理模式的新动能、新途径。研究结果提供了黄土高原典型流域农业功能转型微观案例,对区域土地资源优化配置及乡村转型高质量发展具有启示意义。     

陕北黄土区植被恢复对切沟发育速率的影响

切沟是黄土高原常见的地貌形态,是流域产沙的主要来源,而植被常被看作抑制切沟发育的关键因子,为探究退耕还林(草)工程以来切沟发育速率的特征,本研究使用吴起研究区间隔6年的2期同时相QuickBird影像和分辨率为5m的DEM,应用GIS技术分析研究区内的切沟发育速率及其影响因子.结果表明:2007-2013年研究区内小流域的年均切沟面积变化比例均＜0.5％,其中无淤地坝小流域的年均切沟面积变化比例为0.13％,淤地坝小流域的年均切沟面积变化比例为0.12％;相关分析表明:在该研究区内沟间地的植被覆盖度是影响切沟发育的最主要影响因子;通过对30个无淤地坝小流域的年均切沟面积变化比例和植被覆盖度做非线性回归(R2 =0.713)可得,当植被覆盖度＞0.6时,其抑制切沟发育的效果最明显;方差分析表明:其他影响因子值(植被覆盖度和地貌因子)相近的条件下,有无淤地坝的6组小流域切沟发育速率无显著差异.总之,沟间地植被覆盖度是影响切沟发育的主要影响因子,而淤地坝对发育在沟缘线上的切沟无显著影响,促进植被恢复有利于抑制切沟发育.     

Accuracy of methods for field assessment of rill and ephemeral gully erosion

To properly assess soil erosion in agricultural areas, it is necessary to determine precisely the volume of ephemeral gullies and rills in the field by using direct measurement procedures. However, little information is available on the accuracy of the different methods used. The main purpose of this paper is to provide information for a suitable assessment of rill and ephemeral gully erosion with such direct measurement methods. To achieve this objective: a) the measurement errors associated to three methods used for field assessment of channel cross sectional areas are explored; b) the influence of the number of cross sections used per unit channel length on the assessment accuracy, is analysed and; c) the effect of the channel size and shape on measurement errors is examined. The three methods considered to determine the cross sectional areas were: the micro-topographic profile meter (1); the detailed measurement of section characteristic lengths with a tape (2); and the measurement of cross section width and depth with a tape (3). Five reaches of different ephemeral gully types 14.0 or 30.0 m long and a set of six 20.4 to 29.4 m long rill reaches were selected. On each gully reach, the cross sectional areas were measured using the three above mentioned methods, with a separation (s) between cross sections of 1 m. For rills, the cross sectional areas were measured with methods 1 and 3, with s = 2 m. Then, the corresponding total erosion volumes were computed. The volume calculated with method 1 with s = 1 m for gullies and s = 2 m for rills was taken as the reference method. For each channel, and for each one of the possible combinations of s and measurement method (m), the relative measurement error and the absolute value of the relative measurement error (E_sm^r and |E_sm^r|), defined with respect to the reference one, was calculated. |E_sm^r| much higher than 10% were obtained very easily, even for small s values and for apparently quasi prismatic channels. Channel size and shape had a great influence on measurement errors. In fact, the selection of the more suitable method for a certain gully shape and size seemed to be much more important than s, at least when s < 10 m. Method 1 always provided the most precise measurements, and its results were the less dependent on s. However, s must be < 5 m to guarantee an error smaller than 10%. Method 2 is not recommended, because it is difficult, time consuming and can lead to large errors. Method 3 seems to be enough for small, wide and shallow gullies, and for small rills, but only if s is shorter than 5 m. Results obtained after the analysis of rill measurement errors were similar to those of gullies. The analysis of E_sm^r and |E_sm^r| when calculating channel volumes using a unique representative cross section highlighted the importance of correctly selecting the adequate cross section. Due to the high error values that this method can entail, it is not considered as advisable whenever accurate erosion measurements are pursued.     

松嫩典型黑土区耕地切沟密度分布特征及影响因子

东北黑土区是中国重要的商品粮生产基地,该地区耕地切沟侵蚀严重威胁农业生产及生态环境。为掌握松嫩典型黑土区耕地切沟密度分布特征及影响因子,基于全国土壤侵蚀普查的998块抽样调查单元和1∶1 万地形图,以及2018年Google高分遥感影像目视解译提取调查单元内所有切沟,采用地理探测器分析切沟密度空间分布的影响因子,分析松嫩典型黑土区耕地切沟密度的空间分布规律。结果表明：1）35.64%的耕地调查单元有切沟发育,切沟线密度变化在0.18～17.48 km/km2,面密度变化在425.95～91 921.34 m2/km2。2）地形和降水（P<0.05）显著影响松嫩典型黑土区耕地切沟密度,坡度是影响耕地切沟密度空间分布最重要的环境因子。3）依据切沟线密度划分,松嫩典型黑土区东部的黑土带耕地切沟侵蚀严重,轻度侵蚀以上面积占比35.87%,强烈侵蚀以上（切沟线密度≥2 km/km2）面积占比33.33%,剧烈侵蚀面积占比27.94%。黑钙土带有6.65%的面积遭受剧烈切沟侵蚀,星落分布于黑钙土带的边缘。系统抽样与高分辨率遥感相结合的方法能够在一定程度上揭示松嫩典型黑土区耕地切沟密度的空间分布规律,相比于全面普查,抽样调查效率更高,可为黑土区的切沟治理及黑土地保护利用提供参考。