Hillslope runoff and erosion on duplex soils in grazing lands in semi-arid central Queensland. II. Simple models for suspended and bedload sediment

Soil Research ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 49 (2) ◽  
pp. 118 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. M. Silburn
Keyword(s):  
Suspended Sediment ◽  
Sediment Concentration ◽  
Bare Soil ◽  
Measured Parameter ◽  
Cover Factor ◽  
Bedload Sediment ◽  
Grazing Lands ◽  
Parameter Values ◽  
Soil Losses ◽  
Simple Models

The use of simple models of soil erosion which represent the main effects of management in grazing lands in northern Australia is limited by a lack of measured parameter values. In particular, parameters are needed for erosion models (sediment concentration v. cover equations) used in daily soil-water balance models. For this research, we specifically avoided equations that use rainfall and runoff rates (e.g. peak flow), as current daily models are limited in their ability to estimate these rates. The resulting models will therefore give poor estimates of soil losses for individual events, but should give good estimates of long-term average erosion and management influences. Runoff and erosion data were available for 7 years on 12 hillslope plots with cover of 10–80%, with and without grazing, with and without tree canopy cover, on a variety of soils according to various soil classification systems. Soils were grouped into those derived from sandstone (SS), mudstone (MS), and eroded mudstone (MSe). These data were used to determine two parameters, i.e. (i) efficiency of entrainment for bare soil and (ii) a cover factor, for simple models of bedload and suspended sediment concentrations. Methods used to fit parameters affected the results; optimising to obtain the minimum sum of squares of errors in soil losses gave better results than fitting an exponential equation to sediment concentration–cover data. The use of a linear slope factor in the sediment concentration models was confirmed with data from plots with slopes 4–8%. Parameters for the bedload sediment concentration model were the same for SS, MS, and MSe soils. Parameters for the suspended sediment concentration model were the same for SS and MS soils, but the MSe soil had a greater efficiency of entrainment for bare soil (about double). The sediment concentration–cover relationships and fitted cover factors were different for suspended and bedload sediment. Thus, the resulting modelled proportion of sediment as suspended load changed with cover, from ~0.3 for bare soil to 0.9 at 80% cover, mimicking the measured data. The cover factor was lower than published values for cultivated soils, indicating less reduction in sediment concentration with greater cover. A compilation of parameter values for the sediment concentration model from published and unpublished sources in grazing and cropping lands is provided.

Hillslope runoff and erosion on duplex soils in grazing lands in semi-arid central Queensland. I. Influences of cover, slope, and soil

Soil Research ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 49 (2) ◽  
pp. 105 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. M. Silburn ◽  
C. Carroll ◽  
C. A. A. Ciesiolka ◽  
R. C. deVoil ◽  
P. Burger
Keyword(s):  
Soil Erosion ◽  
Suspended Sediment ◽  
Surface Soil ◽  
Bare Soil ◽  
Suspended Load ◽  
Total Soil ◽  
Tree Canopy Cover ◽  
Grazing Lands ◽  
Semi Arid ◽  
Soil Losses

Many soils in semi-arid grazing lands develop low pasture cover or bare areas (scalds) under heavy grazing and have a low tolerance to soil erosion, due to low total water-holding capacity and concentration of nutrients in the soil surface. Runoff and erosion was measured for 7 years on 12 hillslope plots with cover (pasture plus litter) ranging from 10 to 80%, slopes from 4 to 8%, with and without grazing, with and without tree canopy cover, on a variety of soils. Soils were grouped into those derived from sandstone (SS), mudstone (MS), and eroded mudstone (MSe). One plot with low cover had a grass filter at the outlet. Runoff was strongly influenced by surface cover and was high with low cover (200–300 mm/year or 30–50% of rainfall). Runoff averaged 35 mm/year or 5.9% of rainfall with >50% cover. All soils fitted the same runoff–cover relationship. The grass filter had no effect on runoff and suspended load, but did reduce bedload. Grass pasture cover and tree litter cover were equally effective in controlling runoff and erosion. Total, bedload, and suspended load sediment concentrations increased linearly with slope in the range 4–8% for plots with low cover, and decreased exponentially with greater cover. Total and bedload sediment–cover relationships were similar for SS, MS, and MSe. However, plots on MSe had higher suspended sediment losses and thus slightly higher total soil losses. For all soils, erosion resulted in low sediment concentrations due to the hard-set surface soil, but total soil losses were high due to the large volumes of runoff generated. Concentration–cover relationships were different for bedload and suspended sediment. Consequently, suspended sediment was 20–40% of total soil loss for bare soil, and increased with cover to about 80% with cover >80%. The proportion of suspended sediment for bare soil was similar to the proportion of dispersed silt plus clay in the surface soil. About 90% of suspended sediment was fine-sized (<0.053 mm). Bedload was mainly coarse and fine sands, which were enriched compared with the surface soil. Grazing in semi-arid pastures should be managed to maintain >50% ground cover to avoid excessive runoff and soil erosion, and degradation of soil productivity, and to maintain good off-site water quality.

Neural networks approached for modelling river suspended sediment concentration due to tropical storms

2013 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 457-466
Keyword(s):  
Neural Network ◽  
Neural Networks ◽  
Suspended Sediment ◽  
Suspended Sediment Concentration ◽  
Time Series Data ◽  
Water Discharge ◽  
Sediment Concentration ◽  
Series Data ◽  
Generalized Regression Neural Network ◽  
Event Based

Artificial neural networks are one of the advanced technologies employed in hydrology modelling. This paper investigates the potential of two algorithm networks, the feed forward backpropagation (BP) and generalized regression neural network (GRNN) in comparison with the classical regression for modelling the event-based suspended sediment concentration at Jiasian diversion weir in Southern Taiwan. For this study, the hourly time series data comprised of water discharge, turbidity and suspended sediment concentration during the storm events in the year of 2002 are taken into account in the models. The statistical performances comparison showed that both BP and GRNN are superior to the classical regression in the weir sediment modelling. Additionally, the turbidity was found to be a dominant input variable over the water discharge for suspended sediment concentration estimation. Statistically, both neural network models can be successfully applied for the event-based suspended sediment concentration modelling in the weir studied herein when few data are available.

APPLICATION OF ACOUSTIC METHODS IN RESEARCHES OF THE BOTTOM SEDIMENT DYNAMICS

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Б. Дивинский ◽  
B. Divinskiy ◽  
И. Грюне ◽  
I. Gryune ◽  
Р. Косьян ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Suspended Sediment ◽  
Sediment Concentration ◽  
Irregular Waves ◽  
Single Frequency ◽  
Contactless Measurement ◽  
Measurement Means ◽  
Uniform Field ◽  
Wave Flume ◽  
Acoustic Methods ◽  
Back Scattering

Acoustic methods belong to contactless measurement means, possess high spatial and time resolution. Thus, the use of multifrequency allows directly profile both concentration and granulometric structure of the suspended substances. In 2008 in the Big Wave Flume (Hanover, Germany) by efforts of the Russian and German scientists there have been carried out the experiment on studying the bottom material suspension laws under the influence of irregular waves. The Aquascat 1000 acoustic back scattering sensor (ABS) manufactured by British company Aquatec (www.aquatecsubsea.com), equipped by a three-frequency transmitter with frequencies 1,0, 2,0 and 3,84 MHz, has been set on distance of 0,75 m from the bottom and 111 m from wave generator at the total depth of 3,2 m. Several dozen series of measurements at various parameters of surface waves have been carried out. The general picture of suspension is so that the external dynamic influence (currents, wave movements, turbulence, gravitation forces) creates a non-uniform field (gradient) of the suspended particles and in most cases due to this the average size of particles undergoes to the spatial-time variations. For this reason while defining the mass concentration of suspended sediment, using the single frequency transmitter there is necessity for numerous definition of the suspension granulometric structure what by isn’t always possible. If two and more frequencies are used the observed results comparison can give the information on average diameters of particles and on that basis the calculation of suspended sediment concentration is possibleLet's emphasize the basic advantages of back scattering acoustic gauges usage: – Obtaining the particles sizes and concentration distribution profiles is possible; – The initial granulometric structure of bottom sediments can be unknown (at use of several frequencies). The following can be referred to some lacks of the device: – The system should be calibrated in laboratory conditions; – In a positive feedback conditions the iterative computing process can converge to zero or to infinity. In this case experiments with a variation of carrier frequencies chosen for the analysis allow partially solve the problem (say experiments with different frequencies pairs, as 2/1 of MHz or 4/2 MHz).

scholarly journals Suspended sediment concentration field quantified from a calibrated MultiBeam EchoSounder

2021 ◽  
Vol 180 ◽  
pp. 108107
Author(s):  
Guillaume Fromant ◽  
Nicolas Le Dantec ◽  
Yannick Perrot ◽  
France Floc'h ◽  
Anne Lebourges-Dhaussy ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Suspended Sediment ◽  
Suspended Sediment Concentration ◽  
Concentration Field ◽  
Sediment Concentration ◽  
Multibeam Echosounder

scholarly journals Insights on the Impacts of Hydroclimatic Extremes and Anthropogenic Activities on Sediment Yield of a River Basin

Earth ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 32-50
Author(s):  
Rocky Talchabhadel ◽  
Jeeban Panthi ◽  
Sanjib Sharma ◽  
Ganesh R. Ghimire ◽  
Rupesh Baniya ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Suspended Sediment ◽  
River Basin ◽  
Extreme Precipitation ◽  
Suspended Sediment Concentration ◽  
Anthropogenic Activities ◽  
Sediment Concentration ◽  
Sediment Flux ◽  
Mountain River ◽  
Ecological Processes ◽  
Precipitation Indices

Streamflow and sediment flux variations in a mountain river basin directly affect the downstream biodiversity and ecological processes. Precipitation is expected to be one of the main drivers of these variations in the Himalayas. However, such relations have not been explored for the mountain river basin, Nepal. This paper explores the variation in streamflow and sediment flux from 2006 to 2019 in central Nepal’s Kali Gandaki River basin and correlates them to precipitation indices computed from 77 stations across the basin. Nine precipitation indices and four other ratio-based indices are used for comparison. Percentage contributions of maximum 1-day, consecutive 3-day, 5-day and 7-day precipitation to the annual precipitation provide information on the severity of precipitation extremeness. We found that maximum suspended sediment concentration had a significant positive correlation with the maximum consecutive 3-day precipitation. In contrast, average suspended sediment concentration had significant positive correlations with all ratio-based precipitation indices. The existing sediment erosion trend, driven by the amount, intensity, and frequency of extreme precipitation, demands urgency in sediment source management on the Nepal Himalaya’s mountain slopes. The increment in extreme sediment transports partially resulted from anthropogenic interventions, especially landslides triggered by poorly-constructed roads, and the changing nature of extreme precipitation driven by climate variability.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document