scholarly journals Phosphorus Loss through Overland Flow and Interflow from Bare Weathered Granite Slopes in Southeast China

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (17) ◽  
pp. 4644 ◽  
Author(s):  
Deng ◽  
Fei ◽  
Sun ◽  
Zhang ◽  
Fan ◽  
...  

Phosphorus (P) is the key limiting factor for eutrophication, and the mechanism of P loss from hillslopes is complex. Few attempts have been made to study the processes of P loss through overland flow and interflow from bare weathered granite slopes in Southeast China. Therefore, artificial rainfall simulations were performed to evaluate P loss from bare weathered granite slopes with different slope angles (5°, 8°, 15°, 25°) and different rainfall intensities (1.5, 2.0, 2.5 mm/min). The results show that overland flow increased with rainfall intensity, while it declined with slope angle. Interflow exhibited a single-peak curve with time of runoff. The interflow accounted for 28.53–89.12% of the total runoff yield, and the percentage declined with rainfall intensity and increased with slope angle. Both total phosphorus (TP) concentration (CTP) and TP load (LTP) in overland flow increased with rainfall intensity, and the percentages of LTP in each rainfall event ranged from 51% to 92%. CTP in overland flow distinctly fluctuated, with the maximum appearing on the 25° slope, while the maximum in interflow was observed on the 5° slope. LTP in overland flow was the highest on the 8° slope, and was significantly affected by runoff yield and rainfall intensity (p < 0.01). LTP in interflow was small and was significantly affected by rainfall intensity (p < 0.01). Runoff P was mainly lost through overland flow, dominantly in the form of particulate phosphorus (PP), and P loss through interflow was an important supplementation, mainly in the form of dissolved phosphorus (DP). These results provide underlying insights and scientific background for the control of P loss in bare weathered granite areas.

1999 ◽  
Vol 39 (12) ◽  
pp. 41-45 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. I. Fraser ◽  
T. R. Harrod ◽  
P. M. Haygarth

Soil erosion, in the form of transported suspended sediment in overland flow, is often associated with high rates of particulate phosphorus (PP) (total P&gt;0.45 μm) transfer from land to watercourses. Particulate P may provide a long-term source of P for aquatic biota. Twenty-two sites for winter overland flow monitoring were selected in south-west England within fields ranging from 0.2–3.8 ha on conventionally-managed arable land. Fields were situated on highly porous, light textured soils, lacking impermeable horizons and often overlying major aquifers. Long arable use and modern cultivation methods result in these soils capping under rain impact. Overland flow was observed when rainfall intensity approached the modest rate of 0.8 mm hr−1 on land at or near to field capacity. Low intensity rainfall (&lt;2 mm hr−1) produced mean suspended sediment losses of 14 kg ha−1 hr−1, with associated PP transfer rates of 16 g ha−1 hr−1. In high intensity rainfall (&gt;9 mm hr−1) mean PP losses of 319 g ha−1 hr−1 leaving the field were observed. As might be expected, there was a good relationship between PP and suspended sediment transfer in overland flow leaving the sites. The capacity of light soils to cap when in arable use, combined with heavy or prolonged rainfall, resulted in substantial discharges, soil erosion and associated PP transfer. Storms with heavy rain, typically of only a few hours duration, were characterised by considerable losses of PP. Such events, with return periods of once or twice a winter, may account for a significant proportion of total annual P transfer from agricultural soils under arable crops. However, contributions from less intense rain with much longer duration (around 100 hours per winter in many arable districts of the UK) are also demonstrated here.


2017 ◽  
Vol 21 (6) ◽  
pp. 3221-3229 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark A. Nearing ◽  
Viktor O. Polyakov ◽  
Mary H. Nichols ◽  
Mariano Hernandez ◽  
Li Li ◽  
...  

Abstract. Slope–velocity equilibrium is hypothesized as a state that evolves naturally over time due to the interaction between overland flow and surface morphology, wherein steeper areas develop a relative increase in physical and hydraulic roughness such that flow velocity is a unique function of overland flow rate independent of slope gradient. This study tests this hypothesis under controlled conditions. Artificial rainfall was applied to 2 m by 6 m plots at 5, 12, and 20 % slope gradients. A series of simulations were made with two replications for each treatment with measurements of runoff rate, velocity, rock cover, and surface roughness. Velocities measured at the end of each experiment were a unique function of discharge rates, independent of slope gradient or rainfall intensity. Physical surface roughness was greater at steeper slopes. The data clearly showed that there was no unique hydraulic coefficient for a given slope, surface condition, or rainfall rate, with hydraulic roughness greater at steeper slopes and lower intensities. This study supports the hypothesis of slope–velocity equilibrium, implying that use of hydraulic equations, such as Chezy and Manning, in hillslope-scale runoff models is problematic because the coefficients vary with both slope and rainfall intensity.


2013 ◽  
Vol 353-356 ◽  
pp. 1011-1014
Author(s):  
Yan Su ◽  
Jun Bing Qiu ◽  
Yue Ting Du

A landslide model test under the artificial rainfall was built according to the rainfll-induced landslide in Fujian mountainous area. The rainfall intensity, the slope types (mainly on vegetation coverage) and the grade of side slope were the main factors in the test. The rainfall threshold of rainfall-induced landslide on shallow bedrock was obtained from the test. The relationship between the cumulative precipitation and slope angle and slope surface types was analyzed from the orthogonal experiment by multiple regression analysis. Results show that most slope failures are caused by the infiltration of rainwater. Conclusion show that when the slope angle and vegetation cover are given, critical hazard threshold can be predicted, and the corresponding landslide sliding time can be gained by combining with the rainfall intensity.


2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark A. Nearing ◽  
Viktor O. Polyakov ◽  
Mary H. Nichols ◽  
Mariano Hernandez ◽  
Li Li ◽  
...  

Abstract. Slope–velocity–equilibrium is hypothesized as a state that evolves naturally over time due to the interaction between overland flow and surface morphology, wherein steeper areas develop a relative increase in physical and hydraulic roughness such that flow velocity is a unique function of overland flow rate independent of slope gradient. This study tests this hypothesis under controlled conditions. Artificial rainfall was applied to 2 m by 6 m plots at 5 %, 12 %, and 20 % slope gradients. A series of simulations were made for each treatment with measurements of runoff rate, velocity, rock cover, and surface roughness. Velocities measured at the end of each experiment were a unique function of discharge rates, independent of slope gradient or rainfall intensity. Physical surface roughness was greater at steeper slopes. The data clearly showed that there was not a unique hydraulic coefficient for a given slope, surface condition, or rainfall rate, with hydraulic roughness greater at steeper slopes and lower intensities. This study supports the hypothesis of slope–velocity–equilibrium, implying that use of hydraulic equations, such as Chezy and Manning, in hillslope scale runoff models is problematic because the coefficients vary with both slope and rainfall intensity.


2021 ◽  
Vol 71 (2) ◽  
pp. 135-150
Author(s):  
Mounia Boussaadi ◽  
Liatim Mouzai

Soil erosion depends on a number of factors including rainfall intensity, density of plant cover, and area cover. The objective of this study is to investigate the impact of these factors on flow velocity, overland flow regimes, sediment concentration, and absolute soil detachment. The soil used in this study was sandy remolded agricultural soil. The soil is packed in a tray of 1 m2 fixed on a slope of 3%; five different intensities were simulated under different vegetation cover (density and area). The results indicated that the overland flow velocity with vegetation cover was best described by polynomial function. The mean flow velocity varied from 0.021 to 1.244 m/s. Overland flow regime is subcritical and laminar. However, there are significant relationships between the vegetation cover density and sediment concentration and absolute soil detachment. The sediment concentration ranged from 1.38 to 5.65 kg/m3 whereas the absolute soil detachment ranged from 0.021?10-3 to 1.244?10-3 kg/m2/s. Finally, the vegetation cover presented a good protector to soil sediment from erosion.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Justin Johnson ◽  
Jason Williams ◽  
Phillip Guertin ◽  
Steven Archer ◽  
Philip Heilman ◽  
...  

&lt;p&gt;Shrub encroachment of semiarid grasslands is influenced by connected runoff and erosion patterns that preferentially accumulate resources under vegetated patches (canopy microsites) and deplete interspaces. Soil loss from dryland hillslopes results when areas of bare ground become structurally and functionally connected through overland flow. Although these patterns have been well-described, uncertainty remains regarding how these feedbacks respond to restoration practices. This study compared the structure and hydrologic function of a shrub-encroached semiarid grassland treated five years prior with the herbicide, tebuthiuron, to that of an adjacent untreated grassland. Through a series of hydrologic experiments conducted at increasing spatial scales, vegetation and soil structural patterns were related to runoff and erosion responses. At a fine scale (0.5 m&lt;sup&gt;2&lt;/sup&gt;), rainfall simulations (120 mm&amp;#183;h&lt;sup&gt;-1&lt;/sup&gt; rainfall intensity; 45 min) showed herbicided shrub canopy microsites had greater infiltration capacities (105 and 71 mm&amp;#183;h&lt;sup&gt;-1&lt;/sup&gt; terminal infiltration rates) and were less susceptible to splash-sheet erosion (3 and 26 g sediment yield) than untreated shrub canopy microsites, while interspaces were statistically comparable between study sites. Concentrated flow simulations at a coarse scale (~9 m&lt;sup&gt;2&lt;/sup&gt;) revealed that gaps between the bases of vegetation (i.e. basal gaps) &gt; 2 m&lt;sup&gt;&lt;/sup&gt;were positively related to both concentrated flow runoff (r = 0.72, p = 0.008) and sediment yield (r = 0.70, p = 0.012). Modeled hillslope-scale (50 m&lt;sup&gt;2&lt;/sup&gt;) runoff and erosion (120 mm&amp;#183;h&lt;sup&gt;-1&lt;/sup&gt; rainfall intensity; 45 min) indicated less soil loss in the tebuthiuron-treated site (1.78 Mg&amp;#183;ha&lt;sup&gt;-1&lt;/sup&gt; tebuthiuron; 3.19 Mg&amp;#183;ha&lt;sup&gt;-1&lt;/sup&gt; untreated), even though runoff was similar between sites. Our results suggest interspaces in shrub-encroached grasslands continue to be runoff sources following herbicide-induced shrub mortality and may be indicators of runoff responses at larger spatial scales. In contrast, sediment sources are limited post-treatment due to lesser sediment detachment from sheet-splash and concentrated flow processes. Reduced sediment supplies provide evidence that connectivity feedbacks that sustain a shrub-dominant ecological state may have been dampened post-treatment. Our study also highlights the utility of simple measures of structural connectivity, such as basal gaps, as an indicator of hillslope susceptibility to increased runoff and erosion.&lt;/p&gt;


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ke Liang ◽  
Binghui He

&lt;p&gt;Severe soil erosion occurs in southwestern China owing to the large expanses of human disturbance and sloping land. This field monitoring study was conducted during the rainy season to record the rainfall events, runoff, sediment yield, nitrogen, and phosphorous loss in 20-, 40-, and 60-m plots under conditions of artificial disturbance or natural restoration on a 15&amp;#176; slope in the purple soil area of southwestern China. The concentrations and loss amounts of total nitrogen (TN), total dissolved nitrogen (TDN), ammonium-nitrogen (NH4-N) and nitrate-nitrogen (NO&lt;sub&gt;3&lt;/sub&gt;-N), total phosphorus (TP), total dissolved phosphorus (TDP) and orthophosphate (PO&lt;sub&gt;4&lt;/sub&gt;-P) were comparatively determined. The highest N concentration was observed in long duration and soft rainfall events across all plots. The highest P concentration in artificial disturbed plots was found in long duration and intensive rainfall events while it was recordeds for measured variables were dominantly recorded under the long duration and lowest soft rainfall events in naturally restored plots intensity., while The the highest loss amounts for N and P in different forms for these variablesalmostmostly appeared under high rainfall intensity. Land disturbances differed orthophosphate PO&lt;sub&gt;4&lt;/sub&gt;-P concentration in 20--m plot and and loss amounts of of measured variables N and P with different forms across in all plots. Plot lengths differed total dissolved phosphorus TDP concentration in natural restored plot and loss amounts of total dissolved nitrogenTDN and orthophosphate PO&lt;sub&gt;4&lt;/sub&gt;-P in artificially disturbed plots. Naturally restoration reduced loss amounts of total nitrogen and total phosphorus by 69.4%62.14-79.05% and 79.28-83.43% TN, 68.8% TDN, 71.2% NH&lt;sub&gt;4&lt;/sub&gt;-N, 74.3% NO&lt;sub&gt;3&lt;/sub&gt;-N, 81.5% TP, 71.9% TDP and 70.0% PO&lt;sub&gt;4&lt;/sub&gt;-P loss amounts comparedrelative to artificial disturbance, respectively. There were significant interrelationships among N and P concentrations in different forms in two land disturbance plots, while nitrate-NO&lt;sub&gt;3&lt;/sub&gt;-nitrogenN concentration hadwas significantly negatively negative correlatedion with rainfall intensity and runoff rate in artificialally disturbanceed plots. Rainfall intensity was logarithmically correlated with TN, NO&lt;sub&gt;3&lt;/sub&gt;-N concentrations in artificially disturbed plots and with NO&lt;sub&gt;3&lt;/sub&gt;-N concentration in naturally restored plots. Runoff rate was logarithmically correlated with TN, TDN and NO&lt;sub&gt;3&lt;/sub&gt;-N concentrations in artificially disturbed plots. Our results highlight the effects of land disturbance and plot length on nutrient losses in sloping land.&lt;/p&gt;


Water ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 950 ◽  
Author(s):  
Theo van Asch ◽  
Bin Yu ◽  
Wei Hu

Many studies which try to analyze conditions for debris flow development ignore the type of initiation. Therefore, this paper deals with the following questions: What type of hydro-mechanical triggering mechanisms for debris flows can we distinguish in upstream channels of debris flow prone gullies? Which are the main parameters controlling the type and temporal sequence of these triggering processes, and what is their influence on the meteorological thresholds for debris flow initiation? A series of laboratory experiments were carried out in a flume 8 m long and with a width of 0.3 m to detect the conditions for different types of triggering mechanisms. The flume experiments show a sequence of hydrological processes triggering debris flows, namely erosion and transport by intensive overland flow and by infiltrating water causing failure of channel bed material. On the basis of these experiments, an integrated hydro-mechanical model was developed, which describes Hortonian and saturation overland flow, maximum sediment transport, through flow and failure of bed material. The model was calibrated and validated using process indicator values measured during the experiments in the flume. Virtual model simulations carried out in a schematic hypothetical source area of a catchment show that slope angle and hydraulic conductivity of the bed material determine the type and sequence of these triggering processes. It was also clearly demonstrated that the type of hydrological triggering process and the influencing geometrical and hydro-mechanical parameters may have a great influence on rainfall intensity-duration threshold curves for the start of debris flows.


Soil Research ◽  
1983 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 109 ◽  
Author(s):  
MJ Singer ◽  
PH Walker

The 20-100 mm portion of a yellow podzolic soil (Albaqualf) from the Ginninderra Experiment Station (A.C.T.) was used in a rainfall simulator and flume facility to elucidate the interactions between raindrop impact, overland water flow and straw cover as they affect soil erosion. A replicated factorial design compared soil loss in splash and runoff from 50 and 100 mm h-1 rainfall, the equivalent of 100 mm h-1 overland flow, and 50 and 100 mm h-1 rainfall plus the equivalent of 100 mm h-' overland flow, all at 0, 40 and 80% straw cover on a 9% slope. As rainfall intensity increased, soil loss in splash and runoff increased. Within cover levels, the effect of added overland flow was to decrease splash but to increase total soil loss. This is due to an interaction between raindrops and runoff which produces a powerful detaching and transporting mechanism within the flow known as rain-flow transportation. Airsplash is reduced, in part, because of the changes in splash characteristics which accompany changes in depths of runoff water. Rain-flow transportation accounted for at least 64% of soil transport in the experiment and airsplash accounted for no more than 25% of soil transport The effects of rainfall, overland flow and cover treatments, rather than being additive, were found to correlate with a natural log transform of the soil loss data.


2016 ◽  
Vol 73 (12) ◽  
pp. 2953-2958 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. E. Andersen ◽  
J. Windolf ◽  
B. Kronvang

Abstract We investigated leaching of dissolved phosphorus (P) from 45 tile-drains representing animal husbandry farms in all regions of Denmark. Leaching of P via tile-drains exhibits a high degree of spatial heterogeneity with a low concentration in the majority of tile-drains and few tile-drains (15% in our investigation) having high to very high concentration of dissolved P. The share of dissolved organic P (DOP) was high (up to 96%). Leaching of DOP has hitherto been a somewhat overlooked P loss pathway in Danish soils and the mechanisms of mobilization and transport of DOP needs more investigation. We found a high correlation between Olsen-P and water extractable P. Water extractable P is regarded as an indicator of risk of loss of dissolved P. Our findings indicate that Olsen-P, which is measured routinely in Danish agricultural soils, may be a useful proxy for the P leaching potential of soils. However, we found no straight-forward correlation between leaching potential of the top soil layer (expressed as either degree of P saturation, Olsen-P or water extractable P) and the measured concentration of dissolved P in the tile-drain. This underlines that not only the source of P but also the P loss pathway must be taken into account when evaluating the risk of P loss.


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