Assessment of soil erosion hazard in Kilie catchment,East Shoa,Ethiopia

This paper reports on a field study conducted in Kilie catchment, East Shoa Zone, Ethiopia to assess the rate of soil erosion by employing a soil loss prediction model (Universal Soil Loss Equation) integrated with in remote sensing and geographical information systems (RS/GIS), environment and gully measurement techniques. The final soil erosion risk map was produced after multiplication of the six factors involved in the USLE and RS/GIS. Gully measurement showed that the erosion rate is higher for the upland areas than the lowlands due to inappropriate soil and water conservation measures, free grazing by animals and conversion of hillside areas into farmlands. About 97·04 per cent of the study catchment falls within a range of 0–10 t ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹ sheet/rill erosion rate. We found that 2·17 per cent of the study area in the uplands has a soil erosion rate falling between 10 and 20 t ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹. About 0·8 per cent of the study area in the uplands is hit by severe sheet/rill erosion rate within the range of 20–60 t ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹. Gully erosion extent in the study area was evaluated through gully measurement and quantification methods. Gully density of 67 m ha⁻¹ was recorded in the catchment. The gully to plot area ratio was found to be 0·14 on average. Hence, in the upland areas, sustainable land management practices are required in order to reduce the rate of soil erosion. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Monitoring of soil erosion and assessment for contribution of sediments to rivers in a typical watershed of the Upper Yangtze River Basin

An assessment of the effectiveness of soil conservation practices is very important for watershed management, but the measurement over a small area does not necessarily represent the truth over a large area. Monitoring of soil erosion and analysis of sediment delivery were carried out in the Lizixi watershed (which is typical of the Upper Yangtze Basin, China), using remote sensing and a geographic information system (GIS). Land‐use and land‐cover maps were prepared by an interpretation of 1986 and 1999 images from SPOT and Landsat TM. Slope‐gradient maps were created from digital elevation model (DEM), while merged images of SPOT and Landsat TM were used to obtain land‐use information. The area of soil erosion was classified by an integration of slope gradients, land‐use types and vegetation cover rates, and soil erosion rates and their changes were calculated in a grid‐based analysis using an Erdas GIS. The change in sediment delivery ratio was estimated based on the changes in soil erosion rates from both monitoring and the truth survey. There was a reduction in soil erosion rate of 4·22 per cent during a 13‐year period after soil conservation practices were adopted in the Lizixi watershed. The amount of sediments transported into rivers has decreased by 51·08 per cent during the same period due to an integrated application of biological and engineering measures. The comparison of soil erosion severity between pre‐conservation and post‐conservation revealed that soil loss has been obviously diminished and the measures were quite effective. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

PROJECTED CHANGES IN SOIL ORGANIC CARBON STOCKS UPON ADOPTION OF RECOMMENDED SOIL AND WATER CONSERVATION PRACTICES IN THE UPPER TANA RIVER CATCHMENT,KENYA

Large areas in the Upper Tana river catchment, Kenya, have been over‐exploited, resulting in soil erosion, nutrient depletion and loss of soil organic matter (SOM). This study focuses on sections of the catchment earmarked as being most promising for implementing Green Water Credits, an incentive mechanism to help farmers invest in land and soil management activities that affect all fresh water resources at source. Such management practices can also help restore SOM levels towards their natural level. Opportunities to increase soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks, for two broadly defined land use types (croplands and plantation crops, with moderate input levels), are calculated using a simple empirical model, using three scenarios for the proportion of suitable land that may be treated with these practices (low = 40 per cent, medium = 60 per cent, high = 80 per cent). For the medium scenario, corresponding to implementation on ~348 000 ha in the basin, the eco‐technologically possible SOC gains are estimated at 4·8 to 9·3 × 10⁶ tonnes (Mg) CO₂ over the next 20 years. Assuming a conservative price of US$10 per tonne CO₂‐equivalent on the carbon offset market, this would correspond to ~US$48–93 million over a 20‐year period of sustained green water management. This would imply a projected (potential) payment of some US$7–13 ha⁻¹ to farmers annually; this sum would be in addition to incentives that are being put in place for implementing green water management practices and also in addition to the benefits that farmers would realize from the impact on production of these practices themselves. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Soil erosion assessment of Lake Alemaya catchment,Ethiopia

Land degradation due to soil erosion is the major problem facing Ethiopia today. In the Lake Alemaya catchment soil erosion is caused by the intense rainfall, steep topography, and poor vegetation cover coupled with cultivation of steep lands, and inadequate conservation practices. Sediment from the catchment has affected the storage capacity of Lake Alemaya. This study has integrated the Agricultural Non‐point Source Pollution Model (AGNPS) and the technique of the Gographic Information System (GIS) to quantify soil erosion in the Lake Alemaya catchment. After application of the AGNPS, it appears that 66 per cent of the catchment has a soil erosion rate of 10 to more than 80 t ha⁻¹ y⁻¹. The annual soil loss is estimated at 31 t ha⁻¹, which is more than the permissible value of 1–16 t ha⁻¹ for different agro‐ecological zones of Ethiopia. The sediment yield of the catchment is about 10 148 ton with a delivery ratio of 6·82 per cent. Therefore, an effective management plan is needed for the conservation and rehabilitation of the catchment and to maintain the storage capacity of Lake Alemaya. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Mapping soil erosion risk in Rondônia,Brazilian Amazonia: using RUSLE,remote sensing and GIS

This article discusses research in which the authors applied the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE), remote sensing, and geographical information system (GIS) to the maping of soil erosion risk in Brazilian Amazonia. Soil map and soil survey data were used to develop the soil erodibility factor (K), and a digital elevation model image was used to generate the topographic factor (LS). The cover‐management factor (C) was developed based on vegetation, shade, and soil fraction images derived from spectral mixture analysis of a Landsat Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus image. Assuming the same climatic conditions and no support practice in the study area, the rainfall–runoff erosivity (R) and the support practice (P) factors were not used. The majority of the study area has K values of less than 0·2, LS values of less than 2·5, and C values of less than 0·25. A soil erosion risk map with five classes (very low, low, medium, medium‐high, and high) was produced based on the simplified RUSLE within the GIS environment, and was linked to land use and land cover (LULC) image to explore relationships between soil erosion risk and LULC distribution. The results indicate that most successional and mature forests are in very low and low erosion risk areas, while agroforestry and pasture are usually associated with medium to high risk areas. This research implies that remote sensing and GIS provide promising tools for evaluating and mapping soil erosion risk in Amazonia. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A FUZZY RULE BASE APPROACH FOR DEVELOPING A SOIL PROTECTION INDEX MAP: A CASE STUDY in the UPPER AWASH BASIN,ETHIOPIAN HIGHLANDS

Land use practices and vegetation cover distribution are considered to be the most important dynamic factors that influence the land degradation or the soil erosion of a region. In this study, a Soil Protection Index (SPI) is defined as a function of land use practices and intensity of vegetation cover. This index is used to map the relative degree of protection of topsoil from being eroded by external effects such as rainfall and overland flow. A fuzzy rule‐based model integrated within ArcGIS® has been set‐up and tested with the aim to develop SPI maps. The amount of vegetation cover distribution, that is, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index as proxy parameter and Land Use–Land Cover map are chosen as fuzzy input parameters for the SPI as the desired system output. The approach was tested in the Upper Awash basin in Ethiopia. The output SPI map was qualitatively evaluated against the expert‐defined land degradation risk class, and it was found that locations that are mapped with ‘low and very low’ SPI classes at different time periods of the year have a high potential land degradation risk. Furthermore, socio‐economic data (‘population and livestock densities’) and environmental parameters (‘altitude and soil erodibility’) for the region are used to correlate with the SPI map as an indirect method of evaluation. It is found that population and livestock density explained 68 per cent of the spatial distribution pattern of predicted SPI and an adjusted R‐squared value of 0·681 (p < 0·05) was obtained. It was also found that the SPI distribution over the region for two different time periods, that is, January and July 2001, correlated positively (R² = 0·41 and R² = 0·51) with the soil erodibility of the region. The transferability and applicability of the model for different environmental settings or landscapes were tested by mapping the SPI of Italy. This SPI map of Italy was compared with the soil erosion map of Italy produced by the European Soil Bureau. It can be concluded that the SPI map reflects the potential land degradation risk distribution of the case‐study region. Results show that a fuzzy rule‐based model can provide useful preliminary information even without detailed and precise data information for developing appropriate strategies for land degradation assessment vital for sustainable land use management. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

ASSESSING THE PERFORMANCE OF A SPATIALLY DISTRIBUTED SOIL EROSION AND SEDIMENT DELIVERY MODEL (WATEM/SEDEM) IN NORTHERN ETHIOPIA

Most regional‐scale soil erosion models are spatially lumped and hence have limited application to practical problems such as the evaluation of the spatial variability of soil erosion and sediment delivery within a catchment. Therefore, the objectives of this study were as follows: (i) to calibrate and assess the performance of a spatially distributed WATEM/SEDEM model in predicting absolute sediment yield and specific sediment yield from 12 catchments in Tigray (Ethiopia) by using two different sediment transport capacity equations (original and modified) and (ii) to assess the performance of WATEM/SEDEM for the identification of critical sediment source areas needed for targeting catchment management. The performance of the two model versions for sediment yield was found promising for the 12 catchments. For both versions, model performance for the nine catchments with limited gully erosion was clearly better than the performance obtained when including the three catchments with significant gully erosion. Moreover, there is no significant difference (alpha 5 per cent) between the performances of the two model versions. Cultivated lands were found to be on average five times more prone to erosion than bush–shrub lands. The predicted soil loss values in most parts of Gindae catchment are generally high as compared with the soil formation rates. This emphasises the importance of implementing appropriate soil and water conservation measures in critical sediment source areas prioritising the steepest part of the catchment (i.e. areas with slope >50 per cent). The applicability of the WATEM/SEDEM model to environments where gully erosion is important requires the incorporation of permanent gully and bank gully erosion in the model structure. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Combining pedometrics,remote sensing and field observations for assessing soil loss in challenging drylands: A case study of Northwestern Somalia

Soil loss is a major concern for land managers due to its influence on biomass production, surface water quality and landscape beauty. In Somalia, the risk of soil loss is accelerated by the removal of vegetation, bad land use practices and negative impacts of urbanization. The political upheavals and consequent insecurity in the country are major limitations for detailed database and research in soil loss. This study tested opportunities in pedometrics, remote sensing, limited field data collection and the revised universal soil loss equation (RUSLE) to model the risk of soil loss in northwestern Somalia. The approach successfully predicted the risk of soil loss with accuracy of 79 per cent. It also showed that RUSLE is only relatively accurate and stable in identifying areas with low risk of soil loss and therefore is useful in modelling early warning signs of erosion. About 24 per cent of northwestern Somalia was depicted to have no significant human‐induced soil loss while 68 per cent of the region is in threat of soil loss if no action is taken against the removal of vegetation, land use practices and policies on land tenure systems. About 8 per cent of the area is at high risk of soil loss due to negative effects of urbanization and lack of proper management of steep slopes. It is anticipated that this approach can be integrated in the assessment of soil erosion in areas with poor database. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

EFFECT OF SOIL BUNDS ON RUNOFF,SOIL AND NUTRIENT LOSSES,AND CROP YIELD IN THE CENTRAL HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA

The effects of soil bunds on runoff, losses of soil and nutrients, and crop yield are rarely documented in the Central Highlands of Ethiopia. A field experiment was set up consisting of three treatments: (i) barley‐cultivated land protected with graded soil bunds (Sb); (ii) fallow land (F); and (iii) barley‐cultivated land without soil bund (Bc). For 3 years (2007–2009), the effect of soil bunds on runoff, losses of soil and nutrients, and crop productivity was studied. Daily runoff and soil and nutrient losses were measured for each treatment using standard procedures while barley yield was recorded from the cultivated plots. The results showed that Sb brought about significant reduction in runoff and soil losses. Plots with Sb reduced the average annual runoff by 28 per cent and the average annual soil loss by 47 per cent. Consequently, Sb reduced losses of soil nutrients and organic carbon. However, the absolute losses were still high. This implies the need for supplementing Sb with biological and agronomic land management measures to further control soil erosion. Despite these positive impacts on soil quality, Sb do not increase crop yield. Calculated on a per‐hectare basis, Sb even reduce crop yield by about 7 per cent as compared with control plots, which is entirely explained by the reduction of the cultivable area by 8·6 per cent due to the soil bunds. Suitable measures are needed to compensate the yield losses caused by the construction of soil bunds, which would convince farmers to construct these land management measures that have long‐term beneficial effects on erosion control. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Effects of field reorganisation on the spatial variability of runoff and erosion rates in vineyards of Northeastern Spain

This study analyses the spatial variability of runoff and erosion rates in vineyards due to mechanisation works. Runoff samples were collected at three positions in two plots after 33 erosive events in three years (2001, 2003, 2004) with different rainfall patterns. Three replications were considered at each position. Soil properties were evaluated in order to analyse its relationship with runoff and erosion rates. Runoff and erosion rates were, on average, higher in the levelled plot (HD), ranging between 8·4 and 34·3 per cent, than in the non‐levelled plot (LD) ranging between 8·2 and 24·1 per cent. Mean sediment concentration in runoff ranged between 6 and 8 g L⁻¹ in the HD plot and about 4·6 g L⁻¹ in the LD plot, but with high differences within the plot. In the HD plot, runoff‐rainfall rates were significantly higher (at 95 per cent level) in the upper part of the slope and decreased along the slope, while in the LD plot, differences in runoff rates were not significant and similar to those observed in the less disturbed areas of the HD plot. The higher susceptibility to soil sealing in areas where the original topsoil was removed conditioned runoff rates. In the lower part of the HD plot runoff rates were, on average, 20 per cent lower than in the upper part of the slope. In those positions runoff rates up to 79 per cent were recorded. Organic matter content and water retention capacity at different potentials are the soil characteristics related to the differences on runoff and erosion rates in the resulting soils. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Modelling Soil Detachment of Different Management Practices in the Red Soil Region of China

Soil erosion from cropland is a primary cause of soil degradation in the hilly red soil region of China. Soil characteristics and the resistance of soil to erosion agents can be improved with appropriate management practices. In this study, hydraulic flume experiments were conducted to investigate the effects of five management practices [manure fertilizer (PM), straw mulch cover (PC), peanut–orange intercropping (PO), peanut–radish rotation (PR) and traditional farrow peanut (PF)] on soil detachment. Based on the results, three conservation management practices (PC, PM and PO) increased the resistance of soil to concentrated flow erosion. The rill erodibility of different treatments was ranked as follows: PC (0·001 s m⁻¹) < PM (0·004 s m⁻¹) < PO (0·007 s m⁻¹) < PF (0·01 s m⁻¹) < PR (0·027 s m⁻¹). The rill erodibility was affected by soil organic content, aggregate stability and bulk density. The soil detachment rate was closely correlated with the flow discharge and slope gradient, and power functions for these two factors were developed to evaluate soil detachment rates. Additionally, the shear stress, stream power and unit stream power were compared when estimating the soil detachment rate. The power functions of stream power and shear stress were equivalent, and both are recommended to predict detachment rates. Local soil conservation can benefit from the results of this study with improved predictions of erosion on croplands in the red soil region of China. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Integration of modified universal soil loss equation (MUSLE) into a gis framework to assess soil erosion risk

Soil erosion is an important economic and environmental concern throughout the world. In order to assess soil erosion risk and conserve water and soil resources, soil erosion modeling at the watershed scale is urgently needed. This study integrated the Modified Universal Soil Loss Equation (MUSLE) in a Geographic Information System (GIS) framework in the form of a tool called ArcMUSLE, an extension of ArcGIS® software, to assist soil and water conservation agencies in soil erosion risk assessment and prioritization of critical areas for soil erosion control practices. With widely available spatial data, this tool can be applied to determine curve numbers, to estimate runoff, peak flow, and soil loss for a rainfall event within a watershed. An application example for a watershed in Black Hawk County, Iowa, USA, is presented. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

USING THE 137Cs TECHNIQUE TO STUDY THE EFFECT OF SOIL REDISTRIBUTION ON SOIL ORGANIC CARBON AND TOTAL NITROGEN STOCKS IN AN AGRICULTURAL CATCHMENT OF NORTHEAST CHINA

Soil organic carbon (SOC) and total nitrogen (TN) stocks can be affected by soil erosion and this is of great significance in relation to global environmental concern about environmental change. This study investigated the spatial patterns of ¹³⁷Cs, SOC and TN as well as their relationships for an agricultural catchment and presents a budget analysis of the redistributions of SOC and TN for the period 1954–2010. ¹³⁷Cs, SOC and TN inventories were found to be significantly correlated, and the application of the¹³⁷Cs technique proved to be useful for evaluating SOC and TN dynamics in the Luvic Phaeozem soil typical of the Chinese black soil region. Spatial patterns of soil, SOC and TN were greatly influenced by shelterbelts/windbreaks within the study catchment. Higher ¹³⁷Cs, SOC and TN stocks were generally found upwind of the shelterbelts and at the study catchment outlet, whereas lower stocks of ¹³⁷Cs, SOC and TN occurred behind the shelterbelts (i.e. in the lee). The total net losses of SOC and TN over the past 56 years were approximately 152 and 11 t respectively, with 47 and 38 per cent of the eroded SOC and TN in soils redeposited within the study catchment, respectively. Based on the relationships of soil, SOC and TN in the investigated catchment, erosion‐induced SOC and TN losses per year are around 1·2 × 10⁶ and 0·1 × 10⁶ t for the typical black soil region of Northeast China. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Spatial Estimation of Soil Erosion Risk by Land‐cover Change in the Andes OF Southern Ecuador

Ecuador has the highest deforestation rate in South America, causing large‐scale soil erosion. Inter‐Andean watersheds are especially affected by a rapid increase of the population leading to the conversion of large areas of montane forest into pasture and cropland. In this study, we estimate soil erosion risk in a small mixed land‐use watershed in the southern Andes of Ecuador. Soil loss was estimated at a spatial resolution of 30 m, using the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) where the RUSLE factors were estimated on the basis of limited public available data. Land‐cover maps for 1976, 2008 and 2040 were created assuming increasing deforestation rates over the ensuing decades. Greater erosion rates are estimated for succession areas with agricultural cropland and pasture with maximum values of 936 Mg ha⁻¹ y⁻¹, where slopes and precipitation amounts are the greatest. Under natural forest vegetation, the estimated soil erosion rates are negligible (1·5 to 40 Mg ha⁻¹ y⁻¹) even at steep slopes and higher elevations where rainfall amounts and intensities are generally higher. When the entire watershed has undergone substantial deforestation in 2040, erosion values may reach 2,021 Mg ha⁻¹ y⁻¹. Vegetation cover is the most important factor for potential soil erosion. Secondary factors are related to rainfall (R‐factor) and topography (LS factors). Although the spatial predictions of potential soil erosion have only limited meaning for erosion risk, this method provides an important screening tool for land management and assessment of land‐cover change. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Throughfall,runoff and soil erosion after prescribed burning in gorse shrubland in Galicia (NW Spain)

The first‐year effect of two different prescribed burning treatments on throughfall, runoff and soil erosion was evaluated in gorse shrubland (Ulex europaeus L.) in Galicia (NW Spain). The treatments compared were: intense burn, light burn and control (no burn). Accumulated annual throughfall represented between the 81 and 87 per cent of total rainfall in intensely burned and lightly burned areas, respectively, whereas in the unburnt areas it was 60 per cent. No significant differences between burning treatments were found for the annual throughfall. However, runoff was significantly greater in intensely burned plots (1·5‐times) than in lightly burned plots. Burning also resulted in a significant increase in runoff (between 2·5 and 1·7‐times, respectively) compared with controls. Total soil losses were small in all treatments, but the intense burn caused significantly greater soil erosion (5·8‐times) compared with the unburned areas. Soil losses after the light burn did not significantly differ from the control although they were higher (2·3‐times). The relationships obtained between erosion and several rainfall parameters were significantly different in burned areas compared to the control. The same response was observed for runoff. Annual erosion losses showed a strong dependence on percentage of bare soil even for small values of this variable. Litter thickness was also a very important variable influencing on erosion rates. This study indicated that by combining ignition techniques and high litter moisture content to maintain the percentage of bare soil below 85 per cent, soil erosion was low. Nevertheless, this result was constrained by the low rainfall that occurred during the study. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A conditional GIS‐interpolation‐based model for mapping soil‐water erosion processes in Lebanon

Soil erosion by water is a major cause of landscape degradation in Mediterranean environments, including Lebanon. This paper proposes a conditional decision‐rule interpolation‐based model to predict the distribution of multiple erosion processes (i.e. sheet, mass and linear) in a representative area of Lebanon from the measured erosion signs in the field (root exposure, earth pillars, soil etching and drift and linear channels). First, erosion proxies were derived from the structural OASIS classification of Landsat thematic mapper (TM) imageries combined with the addition of several thematic erosion maps (slope gradient, aspect and curvature, drainage density, vegetal cover, soil infiltration and erodibility and rock infiltration/movement) under a geographic information systems (GIS) environment. Second, erosion signs were measured in the field, and interpolated by the statistical moments (means and variance) in the defined erosion proxies, thus producing quantitative erosion maps (t ha⁻¹) at a scale of 1:100 000. Seven decision rules were then generated and applied on these maps in order to produce the overall decisive erosion map reflecting all existing erosion processes, that is, equality (ER), dominance (DOR), bimodality (BR), masking (MR), aggravating (AR), dependence (DER) and independence (IR). The produced erosion maps are divided into seven classes ranging between 0 and more than 1·8 t ha⁻¹ for sheet erosion, and 0 and more than 10·5 t ha⁻¹ for mass and linear erosion. They are fairly matching with coincidences values equal to 43 per cent (sheet/linear), 48 per cent (sheet/mass) and 49 per cent (linear/mass). The overall accuracies of these maps were estimated to be 76 per cent (sheet erosion), 78 per cent (mass erosion) and 78·5 per cent (linear erosion). The overall decisive erosion map with 15 classes corresponds well to land management needs. The model used is relatively simple, and may also be applied to other areas. It is particularly useful when GIS database on factors influencing erosion is limited. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

基于GIS的黄土高原不同植被区土壤侵蚀研究

在对黄土高原植被进行分区的基础上,利用地理信息系统技术和景观生态学方法对黄土高原植被区空间数据和土壤侵蚀空间数据进行了空间叠加分析。结果表明,黄土高原被划分为森林植被区、森林草原植被区、温性草原植被区和荒漠半荒漠植被区。在森林植被区,黄土高原土壤侵蚀主要以水蚀为主,轻度以上的侵蚀百分比为41.92%,水蚀土壤侵蚀指数比温性草原植被区和荒漠半荒漠植被区的水蚀土壤侵蚀指数大,为346.90。在森林草原植被区,黄土高原土壤侵蚀主要以水蚀为主,轻度以上的侵蚀百分比为70.45%,水蚀土壤侵蚀指数均比其他植被区的水蚀土壤侵蚀指数大,为449.40,水蚀最为严重。在温性草原植被区,黄土高原土壤侵蚀主要以水-风混合侵蚀为主,风蚀微度-水蚀剧烈的百分比最大,为33.01%,水-风混合侵蚀土壤侵蚀指数均比其他植被区的水-风混合侵蚀土壤侵蚀指数大,为633.45,水-风混合侵蚀最为严重。在荒漠半荒漠植被区,黄土高原土壤侵蚀主要以风蚀为主,轻度以上的侵蚀百分比为99.65%,风蚀土壤侵蚀指数均比其他植被区的风蚀土壤侵蚀指数大,为589.78,风蚀最为严重。黄土高原的土壤侵蚀表现出明显的地带性分异规律。     

基于RS/GIS和RUSLE的华北平原土壤侵蚀现状分析

对华北平原的土壤侵蚀状况进行分析,可为粮食主产区的生态保护及土壤侵蚀防治提供重要依据。在GIS技术支持下,利用遥感影像解译资料、数字高程模型(DEM)及土壤、降雨等数据,对修正土壤流失方程(RUSLE)中的各因子进行了量化,实现了对华北平原土壤侵蚀量的估算,并对结果进行土壤侵蚀强度分级。分析结果表明,华北平原多年平均土壤侵蚀模数为2 674.26t/(km2.a),最大值可达8 302.11t/(km2.a),总体上属中度侵蚀。发生轻度以下侵蚀面积占总面积的82.94%,表明华北平原的水土流失在总体上得到了较好的控制。但仍有占总面积7.33%的区域属于较强以上的侵蚀等级,说明局部水土流失严重,尤以沿太行山、燕山、泰山和大别山的低山丘陵地带的土石山区最为严重,是华北平原土壤侵蚀治理的重点地区。     

Surface runoff and soil erosion estimation using the SWAT model in the Keleta Watershed,Ethiopia

This study evaluates surface runoff generation and soil erosion rates for a small watershed (the Keleta Watershed) in the Awash River basin of Ethiopia by using the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model. Calibration and validation of the model was performed on monthly basis, and it could simulate surface runoff and soil erosion to a good level of accuracy. The simulated surface runoff closely matched with observed data (derived by hydrograph separation). Surface runoff generation was generally high in parts of the watershed characterized by heavy clay soils with low infiltration capacity, agricultural land use and slope gradients of over 25 per cent. The estimated soil loss rates were also realistic compared to what can be observed in the field and results from previous studies. The long‐term average soil loss was estimated at 4·3 t ha⁻¹ y⁻¹; most of the area of the watershed (∼80 per cent) was predicted to suffer from a low or moderate erosion risk (<8 t ha⁻¹ y⁻¹), and only in ∼1·2 per cent of the watershed was soil erosion estimated to exceed 12 t ha⁻¹ y⁻¹. Expectedly, estimated soil loss was significantly correlated with measured rainfall and simulated surface runoff. Based on the estimated soil loss rates, the watershed was divided into four priority categories for conservation intervention. The study demonstrates that the SWAT model provides a useful tool for soil erosion assessment from watersheds and facilitates planning for a sustainable land management in Ethiopia. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

基于GIS的湟水河(西宁段)流域土壤侵蚀危险性评价

以湟水河流域（西宁段）为研究区,根据研究区地理与生态特点,选择降雨侵蚀力、坡度、土壤可蚀性、植被覆盖度作为土壤侵蚀危险性的评价指标,在ArcGIS支持下生成单因子危险性分布图,在此基础上基于ArcGIS的空间叠加分析功能,对土壤侵蚀危险性进行综合评价。结果表明:研究区域内土壤侵蚀中度和高度危险区域占大部分,达到71.4%;轻度危险区域和不敏感区域较少,分别为1.37%和27.08%;极危险区面积仅占0.15%。但是,对土壤侵蚀危险性较高的地方主要集中在人口密度较大的区域,主要为环西宁市区和湟水河河谷区域。