Exploring Soil Particle Size Fraction and Spatial Redistribution of ¹³⁷Cs in Sloping Landscapes with Different Lynchet Heights of Terracing Hedgerows in the Remote Mountain Region of Southwestern China

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

Some English composition suggestion are included in file. 

Check equation line 203 to see check if Cl is Sl, 

Fig 7 is really important

Line 288 - does eluviation - illuviation play a role?

Comments for author File: Comments.pdf

Author Response

Respond to reviewers and editors：

I have carefully revised the whole manuscript. The revised manuscript with all changes had already clearly marked. Marked blue with deleted line (A) means deleted contents, marked yellow with red (A) means added contents.

Reviewer 1:

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

1. Some English composition suggestion are included in file. 

I have revised the composition suggestions in file.

2. Check equation line 203 to see check if Cl is Sl, 

I have checked the equation and use C_l as the clay content（<0.002mm）and deleted S_l.

3. Fig 7 is really important, Line 288 - does eluviation - illuviation play a role?

I have added the content: Meanwhile , as the existed of the lynchets of the terracing hedgerow, the eluviation - illuviation also played an important role along the whole sloping cultivated lands.

Reviewer 2 Report

Dear Authors

Thanks for preparing good manuscript.

please pay attention to the following comments.

Where did not take reference site into consideration? How far from your study area?

Support your work with field photos of soil increment sampling.

L 444-9: Relation between k and Cs- 137 in different soil depth or location?

L 466-9: How do you interpret K spatial behavior along slope?

Please cite reference bellow.

Hosseinalizadeh, M., Ahmadi, H., Feiznia, S., Rivaz, F., & Naseri, S. (2017). Multivariate geostatistical analysis of fallout radionuclides activity measured by in-situ gamma-ray spectrometry: case study: loessial paired sub-catchments in northeast Iran. Quaternary International, 429, 108-118.‏

 

Author Response

Respond to reviewers and editors：

I have carefully revised the whole manuscript. The revised manuscript with all changes had already clearly marked. Marked blue with deleted line (A) means deleted contents, marked yellow with red (A) means added contents.

Reviewer 2:

Dear Authors

Thanks for preparing good manuscript.

please pay attention to the following comments.

1. Why did not take reference site into consideration?

I did not take the reference site as the study site, because this reference site was a natural Pinus massoniana woodland on the top of the sloping land. It is a natural Pinus massoniana woodland existed for more than 50 years, and fewer human activities were carried out. which was chosen to be considered the site of the ¹³⁷Cs reference inventory and calculated the values of ¹³⁷Cs of other study sites. But in my study sites, all sloping lands were cultivated by the farmers and interrupted by the artificial activities, which were not suitable to be considered as the reference site. This is why I did not take reference site as the study site.

2. How far from your study area?

Our study area is located in the soil and water conservation station in Zhongxian county (30°24′53″N, 108°10′25″E), Chongqing city, located in the remote mountain region of the southwestern China.

3. Support your work with field photos of soil increment sampling.

The photos below could reflect the field work of soil samplings.  

  

4. L 444-9: Relation between k and Cs- 137 in different soil depth or location?

In the section of 4.4, I only analysis the relation between K value and 137Cs inventory. The values of k and Cs- 137 are the whole sloping locations.

5. L 466-9: How do you interpret K spatial behavior along slope?

The soil particles were transported with soil erosion on the sloping lands. The fine particles were easier to erosion and move down to the lower slope positions than the silt and sand particles. on the top of the slope position, the composition of soil particles were mainly silt and sand, while at the lower sloping position, the clay of the soil particles were deposited. Meanwhile, from the function of the k values, we gained the correlation between k value and the soil particle sizes of different sloping position. So, we could get the K values were decreased from the top slope to the slope toe.

6. Please cite reference bellow.

Hosseinalizadeh, M., Ahmadi, H., Feiznia, S., Rivaz, F., & Naseri, S. (2017). Multivariate geostatistical analysis of fallout radionuclides activity measured by in-situ gamma-ray spectrometry: case study: loessial paired sub-catchments in northeast Iran. Quaternary International, 429, 108-118.

I have cited the above reference in the manuscript. 

Reviewer 3 Report

Comments to Authors: the manuscript needs to be improved in many ways, not only the English language.

-Revise spelling and grammar in the whole manuscript.

-The objective must be incorporated in the Abstract.

-Rewrite objective 2.

-Fig. 1: Try to improve it. The two figures from GIS do not incorporate new information. Try to eliminate the one placed on the right.

-Section 2.4. The value of soil erodibility factor (K) needs more details to be mentioned. Please try to improve this section.

-Lines 239-241: “After investigating the whole watershed of the study sites, a natural Pinus massoniana woodland on the top of the sloping land was chosen to be considered the site of the 137Cs reference inventory. The natural Pinus massoniana woodland existed for more than 50 years, and fewer human activities were carried out.” Please describe what was before the Pinus woodland. And also, please described the main characteristics of this forest nowadays: mean distance between trees, mean height, mean Diameter at Breast Height (DBH), etc.

-Fig. 4, Fig. 5 anf Fig. 9: improve size, it is too small to read

Author Response

Respond to reviewers and editors：

I have carefully revised the whole manuscript. The revised manuscript with all changes had already clearly marked. Marked blue with deleted line (A) means deleted contents, marked yellow with red (A) means added contents.

Reviewer 3:

Comments to Authors: the manuscript needs to be improved in many ways, not only the English language.

1. Revise spelling and grammar in the whole manuscript.

I have revised the spelling and grammar of the whole manuscript.

2. The objective must be incorporated in the Abstract.

I have added the sentence “The objective of this study was to exploring soil particle size fraction and spatial redistribution of ¹³⁷Cs in sloping landscapes with different lynchet height of terracing hedgerows.” in the abstract.

3. Rewrite objective 2.

I have rewrite the objective 2 ” to illustrate the distribution characteristics of soil particle size fraction and spatial redistribution of ¹³⁷Cs in sloping landscapes with different lynchet height of terracing hedgerows.”

4. 1: Try to improve it. The two figures from GIS do not incorporate new information. Try to eliminate the one placed on the right.

I have removed the fig. 1.

5. Section 4. The value of soil erodibility factor (K) needs more details to be mentioned.Please try to improve this section.

I have added the contents of the value of soil erodibility factor (K) in the revised manusecript.

6. Lines 239-241: “After investigating the whole watershed of the study sites, a natural Pinus massoniana woodland on the top of the sloping land was chosen to be considered the site of the 137Cs reference inventory. The natural Pinus massoniana woodland existed for more than 50 years, and fewer human activities were carried out.” Please describe what was before the Pinus woodland. And also, please described the main characteristics of this forest nowadays: mean distance between trees, mean height, mean Diameter at Breast Height (DBH), etc.

In the study area, the Pinus woodland was belonged to the climax vegetation succession community. Before the Pinus woodland, it was the shrub community- perennial herb community-annual herb community. And the main characteristics of this forest nowadays: mean distance between trees ranged from 1.0m*1.5m to 1.7m*1.7m. mean height was 8.5 -12.0m, mean Diameter at Breast Height (DBH) was 11-13cm.

 

7. Fig. 4, Fig. 5 and Fig. 9: improve size, it is too small to read

I have improved the size of Fig. 4, Fig. 5 anf Fig. 9.

Reviewer 4 Report

The paper presents an interesting study but the style of writing makes it hard to read. The sentences are too long and there are repetitions in the paper. It should be rewritten and carefully proofread.

Miner comments can be found in the text.

Comments for author File: Comments.pdf

Author Response

Respond to reviewers and editors：

I have carefully revised the whole manuscript. The revised manuscript with all changes had already clearly marked. Marked blue with deleted line (A) means deleted contents, marked yellow with red (A) means added contents.

Reviewer 4:

1. The paper presents an interesting study but the style of writing makes it hard to read. The sentences are too long and there are repetitions in the paper. It should be rewritten and carefully proofread.

I have carefully checked the grammars and structures of the sentences. Also shorten some long sentences in the paper.

2. Miner comments can be found in the text.

I have revised all the notes in the text.

Other revised contents were all listed in the revised manuscript.

Round 2

Reviewer 3 Report

Thank you for the changes done.

The manuscript was improved, but I still recommend to work on the Conclusions, and to ask a native English speaker to revise the whole text before the publication, since there are still some mistakes that must be corrected.

Author Response

Reviewer：

Thank you for the changes done.

The manuscript was improved, but I still recommend to work on the Conclusions, and to ask a native English speaker to revise the whole text before the publication, since there are still some mistakes that must be corrected.

（1）I have revised the conclusion of the manuscript. The revised conclusions were as follows:

5. Conclusions

• As the fine soil particles interception effects of the existed lynchets of terracing hedgerows of the whole sloping landscape, A part of the fine particle size mainly Mainly, the fine particle size sediments ranged from <0.002 mm to 0.02 mm were intercepted by the lynchets. and Then intercepted and deposited in the front of the lynchets of terracing hedgerows.
• And as the effective soil loss reduction of the existed lynchets of the slope land, the The values of the ¹³⁷Cs levels were was transferred increased from the upper to the lower edge of the slope toe. along with the eroded soil from the upper to the lower edge of the slope toe.
• Also, the The K values were decreased from the top slope to the slope toe. Meanwhile, the existed correlation between the K value of soil erodibility and the value of the ¹³⁷Cs level inventory could be described as the logarithmic function. So, the indices of the K value and the¹³⁷Cs level These two indices could be better reflect reflected the soil erosion of the sloping lands.
• Through the investigating the spatial patterns of soil erosion of different slope positions with the lynchets of terracing hedgerows of the whole sloping landscape, the The effects of lynchets is were essential to reduce soil loss and it was were considered as an effectively land use management processes soil and water conservation measurement to control soil erosion of the sloping lands. And Also to allow sustainable cultivation of the purple soils in the remote mountain regions of southwestern China and in the similar regions.

（2）And the concrete revised contents are showed in the revised manuscript, the deleted content was noted with the deleted line and blue color. The new revised contents were noted in yellow color.

（3）Also, I have asked a native English speaker to help me to revised the whole text. And I revised the mistakes.

Author Response File: Author Response.docx