Quantitative study on influences of terraced field construction and check-dam siltation on soil erosion

• Published in: Journal of geographical sciences Vol. 22; no. 5; pp. 946 - 960
• Main Authors: Gao, Haidong, Li, Zhanbin, Li, Peng, Jia, Lianlian, Zhang, Xiang
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Heidelberg SP Science Press 01.10.2012; Springer Nature B.V; Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, CAS and Ministry of Water Resources, Yangling 712100, Shaanxi,China%Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, CAS and Ministry of Water Resources, Yangling 712100, Shaanxi,China; Key Lab of Northwest Water Resources and Environment Ecology of Ministry of Education, Xi'an University of Technology, Xi'an 710048, China%Key Lab of Northwest Water Resources and Environment Ecology of Ministry of Education, Xi'an University of Technology, Xi'an 710048, China%Upper and Middle Yellow River Bureau, Yellow River Conservancy Commission of the Ministry of Water Resources, Xi'an 710021, China
• Subjects: Agricultural land; Asia; Bgi / Prodig; Check dams; China; Earth and Environmental Science; Geographical Information Systems/Cartography; Geography; Grasslands; Gullies; Nature Conservation; Physical Geography; Quantitative research; Remote Sensing/Photogrammetry; Soil erosion; Water conservation; Watersheds; 分水岭; 土壤侵蚀模数; 梯田建设; 泥沙淤积; 流域模型; 淤地坝; 通用土壤流失方程; 黄土高原丘陵沟壑区; China; Shaanxi; China, People's Rep., Loess Plateau; succession; soil-and-water conservation; Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation; the Loess Plateau; Human impact; Loess; Plateau; Soil erosion; Slope gradient; Erodibility; Gully erosion; Dam; Soil properties; Watershed; Soil water; Model; Hydraulic works; Terrace cultivation; Quantitative analysis
• ISSN: 1009-637X; 1861-9568
• DOI: 10.1007/s11442-012-0975-5

To study the influences of terraced field construction and check-dam siltation on soil erosion of a watershed, we built a simplified watershed model for the Loess Plateau hilly-gully region including terraced fields, slope farmlands, steep-slope grasslands, and dam farmlands and defined three states of watershed （i.e., pioneer, intermediate, and climax stages, respec- tively）. Then, the watershed soil erosion moduli at various stages were studied by using a revised universal soil loss equation. Our results show that the pioneer and climax stages are the extreme states of watershed soil-and-water conservation and control; in the pioneer stage the soil erosion modulus was 299.56 t.ha-l.a 1 above the edge of gully, 136.64 t.ha-La-1 below the edge of gully, and 229.74 t.ha-~.a-~ on average; in the climax stage, the soil erosion modulus was 39.10 t.ha .a-1 above the edge of gully, 1.10 t.ha-La-1 below the edge of gully, and 22.81 t-ha-La-1 on average; in the intermediate stage, the soil erosion modulus above the edge of gully exhibited an exponential decline along with the increase in terraced field area percentage, while the soil erosion modulus below the edge of gully exhibited a linear decline along with the increase in siltation height.