scholarly journals Rainfall Erosivity in Soil Erosion Processes

Water ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 722
Author(s):  
Gianni Bellocchi ◽  
Nazzareno Diodato
Keyword(s):  
Soil Erosion ◽  
Construction Projects ◽  
Water Resource Management ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Rainfall Erosivity ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
Environmental Consequences ◽  
Erosion Processes ◽  
Natural Rainfall ◽  
Raindrop Energy

Regional studies on the erosive power of rainfall patterns are still limited and the actual impacts that may follow on erosional and sedimentation processes are poorly understood. Given the several interrelated challenges of environmental management, it is also not always unclear what is relevant for the development of adaptive and integrated approaches facilitating sustainable water resource management. This editorial introduces the Special Issue entitled “Rainfall Erosivity in Soil Erosion Processes”, which offers options to fill some of these gaps. Three studies performed in China and Central Asia (by Duulatov et al., Water 2019, 11, 897, Xu et al., 2019, 11, 2429, Gu et al. 2020, 12, 200) show that the erosion potential of rainfall is increasing in this region, driving social, economic, and environmental consequences. In the same region (the Weibei Plateau in China), Fu et al. (Water 2019, 11, 1514) assessed the effect of raindrop energy on the splash distance and particle size distribution of aggregate splash erosion. In the Mediterranean, updated estimates of current and future rainfall erosivity for Greece are provided by Vantas et al. (Water 2020, 12, 687), while Diodato and Bellocchi (Water 2019, 11, 2306) reconstructed and investigated seasonal net erosion in an Italian catchment using parsimonious modelling. Then, this Special Issue includes two technologically oriented articles by Ricks at al. The first (Water 2019, 11, 2386) evaluated a large-scale rainfall simulator design to simulate rainfall with characteristics similar to natural rainfall. The data provided contribute to the information that may be useful for the government’s decision making when considering landscape changes caused by variations in the intensity of a rainfall event. The second article (Water 2020, 12, 515) illustrated a laboratory-scale test of mulching methods to protect against the discharge of sediment-laden stormwater from active construction sites (e.g., highway construction projects).

scholarly journals Set-up and calibration of a portable small scale rainfall simulator for assessing soil erosion processes at interrill scale

2017 ◽  
Vol 43 (1) ◽  
pp. 63 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. J. Zemke
Keyword(s):  
Soil Erosion ◽  
Kinetic Energy ◽  
Rainfall Intensity ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Rainfall Erosivity ◽  
Fall Velocity ◽  
Rainfall Simulator ◽  
Spatial Homogeneity ◽  
Erosion Processes ◽  
Natural Rainfall

A portable rainfall simulator was built for assessing runoff and soil erosion processes at interrill scale. Within this study, requirements and constraints of the rainfall simulator are identified and discussed. The focus lies on the calibration of the simulator with regard to spatial rainfall homogeneity, rainfall intensity, drop size, drop fall velocity and rainfall kinetic energy. These parameters were obtained using different methods including a Laser Precipitation Monitor. A detailed presentation of the operational characteristics is given. The presented rainfall simulator setup featured a rainfall intensity of 45.4 mm·h-1 with a spatial homogeneity of 80.4% based on a plot area of 0.64 m². Because of the comparatively low drop height (2 m), the diameter-dependent terminal fall velocity (1.87 m·s-1) was lower than benchmark values for natural rainfall. This conditioned also a reduced rainfall kinetic energy (4.6 J·m-2·mm-1) compared to natural rainfall with same intensity. These shortfalls, a common phenomenon concerning portable rainfall simulators, represented the best possible trade-off between all relevant rainfall parameters obtained with the given simulator setup. Field experiments proved that the rainfall erosivity was constant and replicable.

scholarly journals Estimation of rainfall erosivity based on WRF-derived raindrop size distributions

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qiang Dai ◽  
Jingxuan Zhu ◽  
Shuliang Zhang ◽  
Shaonan Zhu ◽  
Dawei Han ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soil Erosion ◽  
Water Conservation ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Weather Prediction ◽  
Wrf Model ◽  
Analysis Data ◽  
Potential Effect ◽  
Rainfall Erosivity ◽  
Size Distributions ◽  
Raindrop Size

Abstract. Soil erosion can cause various ecological problems, such as land degradation, soil fertility loss, and river siltation. Rainfall is the primary water-driving force for soil erosion and its potential effect on soil erosion is reflected by rainfall erosivity that relates to the raindrop kinetic energy (KE). As it is difficult to observe large-scale dynamic characteristics of raindrops, all the current rainfall erosivity models use the function based on rainfall amount to represent the raindrops KE. With the development of global atmospheric re-analysis data, numerical weather prediction (NWP) techniques become a promising way to estimate rainfall KE directly at regional and global scales with high spatial and temporal resolutions. This study proposed a novel method for large-scale and long-term rainfall erosivity investigations based on the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model, avoiding errors caused by inappropriate rainfall–energy relationships and large-scale interpolation. We adopted three microphysical parameterizations schemes (Morrison, WDM6, and Thompson aerosol-aware [TAA]) to obtain raindrop size distributions, rainfall KE and rainfall erosivity, with validation by two disdrometers and 304 rain gauges around the United Kingdom. Among the three WRF schemes, TAA had the best performance compared with the disdrometers at a monthly scale. The results revealed that high rainfall erosivity occurred in the west coast area at the whole country scale during 2013–2017. The proposed methodology makes a significant contribution to improving large-scale soil erosion estimation and for better understanding microphysical rainfall–soil interactions to support the rational formulation of soil and water conservation planning.

scholarly journals Estimation of rainfall erosivity based on WRF-derived raindrop size distributions

2020 ◽  
Vol 24 (11) ◽  
pp. 5407-5422
Author(s):  
Qiang Dai ◽  
Jingxuan Zhu ◽  
Shuliang Zhang ◽  
Shaonan Zhu ◽  
Dawei Han ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soil Erosion ◽  
Kinetic Energy ◽  
Water Conservation ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Weather Prediction ◽  
Wrf Model ◽  
Analysis Data ◽  
Rainfall Erosivity ◽  
Size Distributions ◽  
Raindrop Size

Abstract. Soil erosion can cause various ecological problems, such as land degradation, soil fertility loss, and river siltation. Rainfall is the primary water-driven force for soil erosion, and its potential effect on soil erosion is reflected by rainfall erosivity that relates to the raindrop kinetic energy. As it is difficult to observe large-scale dynamic characteristics of raindrops, all the current rainfall erosivity models use the function based on rainfall amount to represent the raindrops' kinetic energy. With the development of global atmospheric re-analysis data, numerical weather prediction techniques become a promising way to estimate rainfall kinetic energy directly at regional and global scales with high spatial and temporal resolutions. This study proposed a novel method for large-scale and long-term rainfall erosivity investigations based on the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model, avoiding errors caused by inappropriate rainfall–energy relationships and large-scale interpolation. We adopted three microphysical parameterizations schemes (Morrison, WDM6, and Thompson aerosol-aware) to obtain raindrop size distributions, rainfall kinetic energy, and rainfall erosivity, with validation by two disdrometers and 304 rain gauges around the United Kingdom. Among the three WRF schemes, Thompson aerosol-aware had the best performance compared with the disdrometers at a monthly scale. The results revealed that high rainfall erosivity occurred in the west coast area at the whole country scale during 2013–2017. The proposed methodology makes a significant contribution to improving large-scale soil erosion estimation and for better understanding microphysical rainfall–soil interactions to support the rational formulation of soil and water conservation planning.

Towards large-scale monitoring of soil erosion in Africa: Accounting for the dynamics of rainfall erosivity

2014 ◽  
Vol 115 ◽  
pp. 33-43 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anton Vrieling ◽  
Joost C.B. Hoedjes ◽  
Marijn van der Velde
Keyword(s):  
Soil Erosion ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Rainfall Erosivity

scholarly journals Soil erosion risk assessment: a case study of the Jos Plateau, Nigeria

2021 ◽  
pp. 109-117
Author(s):  
Ayodele Owonubi
Keyword(s):  
Soil Erosion ◽  
Vegetation Index ◽  
Vegetation Coverage ◽  
Anthropogenic Factors ◽  
Rainfall Erosivity ◽  
Entire Area ◽  
Jos Plateau ◽  
Erosion Rates ◽  
Erosion Processes ◽  
Soil Erosion Rates

Soil erosion is a treat to global food security. The objective of this study was to evaluate factors influencing erosion on the arable lands of the Jos Plateau; and to estimate the extent of soil erosion in the area. Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE) model was used to evaluate soil erosion processes in the study area. This was facilitated with the aid of Geographic Information System Both for Interpolation and Geospatial analysis. Soil data from field survey was the primary source of data for analysis of soil erodibility. Topographic factor was determined from 90-meter elevation data. Rainfall erosivity was determined from rainfall data at 1 kilometer resolution. Whereas vegetation cover factor was determined from Normalized Difference Vegetation Index. Results of the study indicate that rainfall erosivity values were remarkably high and have mean values of 5117MJ.mm/ ha.h.y. Analysis of percent areal coverage indicate that the entire area had 52, 34, 7, and 7% low, moderate, high and very high topographic factors respectively. Further analysis indicate that anthropogenic factors had severely affected vegetation coverage of the Jos plateau, especially on the arable lands. Furthermore, during this research, the mean annual actual and potential soil erosion rates were estimated spatially over the Jos Plateau area. Soil erosion rates were far more than tolerable rates thereby affecting soil fertility and productivity.

scholarly journals Detailed Analysis of Spatial–Temporal Variability of Rainfall Erosivity and Erosivity Density in the Central and Southern Pannonian Basin

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (23) ◽  
pp. 13355
Author(s):  
Tanja Micić Ponjiger ◽  
Tin Lukić ◽  
Biljana Basarin ◽  
Maja Jokić ◽  
Robert L. Wilby ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Temporal Variability ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Pannonian Basin ◽  
Temporal Trends ◽  
Mitigation Measures ◽  
Annual Rainfall ◽  
Rainfall Erosivity ◽  
Erosion Risk ◽  
Erosion Processes ◽  
Starting Point

Estimation of rainfall erosivity (RE) and erosivity density (ED) is essential for understanding the complex relationships between hydrological and soil erosion processes. The main objective of this study is to assess the spatial–temporal trends and variability of the RE and ED in the central and southern Pannonian Basin by using station observations and gridded datasets. To assess RE and ED, precipitation data for 14 meteorological stations, 225 grid points. and an erosion model consisting of daily, monthly, seasonal, and annual rainfall for the period of 1961–2014 were used. Annual RE and ED based on station data match spatially variable patterns of precipitation, with higher values in the southwest (2100 MJ·mm·ha−1·h−1) and southeast (1650 MJ·mm·ha−1·h−1) of the study area, but minimal values in the northern part (700 MJ·mm·ha−1·h−1). On the other hand, gridded datasets display more detailed RE and ED spatial–temporal variability, with the values ranging from 250 to 2800 MJ·mm·ha−1·h−1. The identified trends are showing increasing values of RE (ranging between 0.20 and 21.17 MJ·mm·ha−1·h−1) and ED (ranging between 0.01 and 0.03 MJ·ha−1·h−1) at the annual level. This tendency is also observed for autumn RE (from 5.55 to 0.37 MJ·mm·ha−1·h−1) and ED (from 0.05 to 0.01 MJ·ha−1·h−1), as for spring RE (from 1.00 to 0.01 MJ·mm·ha−1·h−1) and ED (from 0.04 to 0.01 MJ·ha−1·h−1), due to the influence of the large-scale processes of climate variability, with North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) being the most prominent. These increases may cause a transition to a higher erosive class in the future, thus raising concerns about this type of hydro-meteorological hazard in this part of the Pannonian Basin. The present analysis identifies seasons and places of greatest erosion risk, which is the starting point for implementing suitable mitigation measures at local to regional scales.

scholarly journals Which quality indicators reflect the most sensitive changes in the soil properties of the surface horizons affected by the erosion processes?

2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (No. 2) ◽  
pp. 116-124
Author(s):  
Petra Bíla ◽  
Bořivoj Šarapatka ◽  
Ondřej Horňák ◽  
Jaroslava Novotná ◽  
Martin Brtnický
Keyword(s):  
Czech Republic ◽  
Soil Erosion ◽  
Soil Properties ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Arable Land ◽  
The Czech Republic ◽  
Erosion Processes ◽  
Physical Chemical

Soil erosion, especially water erosion, is one of the most widespread types of soil degradation, not only worldwide, but also within the Czech Republic, where it endangers more than a half of the agricultural land. In addition to farming, the landscape structure has a significant impact on soil erosion in the conditions under study, where, especially in the post-war period, the collectivisation of large-scale arable land was accompanied by the abolition of the associated landscape elements. The agricultural production area of South Moravia is one of the most endangered areas in the Czech Republic, therefore, it was selected for our research, whose main objective was to verify the sensitivity of the selected physical, chemical and biochemical characteristics to identify the changes in the soil properties in the erosion processes at the identified erosion areas. The testing was carried out within a period of 5 years in 60 locations with Chernozems with cultivated corn. To assess the quality of the soil properties, indicators of soil quality from the physical, chemical and biological – biochemical groups were selected. The results of the analyses and the subsequent statistical evaluation showed that the chemical characteristics, especially those related to the quantity and quality of the organic matter, were the most sensitive to the changes in the soil properties. From the biochemical indicators, some enzymes, particularly dehydrogenase and acid phosphatase, reacted sensitively. The physical characteristics were not significantly affected by the erosion processes.

scholarly journals Large-Scale Soil Erosion Estimation Considering Vegetation Growth Cycle

Land ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 473
Author(s):  
Hanchen Zhuang ◽  
Yixin Wang ◽  
Hang Liu ◽  
Sijia Wang ◽  
Wanqiu Zhang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soil Erosion ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Growth Cycle ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Vegetation Coverage ◽  
Rainfall Erosivity ◽  
Entire Surface ◽  
Vegetation Growth ◽  
Weather Patterns ◽  
Two Factors

The Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) was used to predict the potential soil erosion; it simply multiplies rainfall erosivity and land cover management factors; it does not consider the dynamics of these two factors during a given year or the effect of vegetation growth cycle on soil erosion estimates. This study developed a new method that considers the vegetation growth cycle in different periods of the year by matching monthly rainfall erosivity and a management factor using the entire surface of China as the study area. The data were input into the original equation, and the two methods to estimate soil erosion were compared. Finally, patterns and mechanisms of the influence of vegetation growth cycle on RUSLE estimations under different climatic conditions were obtained. The results show that vegetation coverage inhibits the effect of rainfall on soil erosion potential, which is related to the average and coefficient of variation of cover-management factor and the average of rainfall erosivity due to the significant variations in weather patterns in winter and summer in China. This article discusses the influence of the vegetation growth cycle on the estimation of large-scale soil erosion, which is a key to having a better estimation.

scholarly journals Soil erosion in an avalanche release site (Valle d'Aosta: Italy): towards a winter factor for RUSLE in the Alps

2014 ◽  
Vol 14 (7) ◽  
pp. 1761-1771 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Stanchi ◽  
M. Freppaz ◽  
E. Ceaglio ◽  
M. Maggioni ◽  
K. Meusburger ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soil Erosion ◽  
Snow Cover ◽  
Soil Loss ◽  
Release Site ◽  
Rainfall Erosivity ◽  
Mountain Areas ◽  
Empirical Prediction ◽  
Erosion Rates ◽  
Erosion Processes

Abstract. Soil erosion in Alpine areas is mainly related to extreme topographic and weather conditions. Although different methods of assessing soil erosion exist, the knowledge of erosive forces of the snow cover needs more investigation in order to allow soil erosion modeling in areas where the snow lays on the ground for several months. This study aims to assess whether the RUSLE (Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation) empirical prediction model, which gives an estimation of water erosion in t ha yr−1 obtained from a combination of five factors (rainfall erosivity, soil erodibility, topography, soil cover, protection practices) can be applied to mountain areas by introducing a winter factor (W), which should account for the soil erosion occurring in winter time by the snow cover. The W factor is calculated from the ratio of Ceasium-137 (137Cs) to RUSLE erosion rates. Ceasium-137 is another possible way of assessing soil erosion rates in the field. In contrast to RUSLE, it not only provides water-induced erosion but integrates all erosion agents involved. Thus, we hypothesize that in mountain areas the difference between the two approaches is related to the soil erosion by snow. In this study we compared 137Cs-based measurement of soil redistribution and soil loss estimated with RUSLE in a mountain slope affected by avalanches, in order to assess the relative importance of winter erosion processes such as snow gliding and full-depth avalanches. Three subareas were considered: DS, avalanche defense structures, RA, release area, and TA, track area, characterized by different prevalent winter processes. The RUSLE estimates and the 137Cs redistribution gave significantly different results. The resulting ranges of W evidenced relevant differences in the role of winter erosion in the considered subareas, and the application of an avalanche simulation model corroborated these findings. Thus, the higher rates obtained with the 137Cs method confirmed the relevant role of winter soil erosion. Despite the limited sample size (11 points), the inclusion of a W factor in RUSLE seems promising for the improvement of soil erosion estimates in Alpine environments affected by snow movements.

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