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Mechanism and Simulation of Water Erosion and Nutrient Loss on Hillslopes

A special issue of Water (ISSN 2073-4441). This special issue belongs to the section "Water Erosion and Sediment Transport".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 September 2024) | Viewed by 1786

Special Issue Editors

School of Water Resources and Hydropower Engineering, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
Interests: soil erosion; nutrient loss, terraced sloped cropland; soil and water conservation; subsurface drainage for salinity control

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Guest Editor
College of Hydraulic Science and Engineering, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China
Interests: soil erosion; nutrient loss, soil crust; nitrogen and phosphorus loss; hydraulic dynamics; soil and water conservation

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Soil erosion is a global issue, and severe soil erosion leads to the loss of nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium from the soil, resulting in a decline in soil fertility, reduction in soil quality, and increased agricultural non-point source pollution of water environments. Moreover, surface soil erosion alters soil texture and accelerates desertification in arid regions. Therefore, nutrient loss through soil erosion is not only an agricultural problem, but also an ecological and environmental concern. Soil nutrient loss on hillslopes is a complex physical–chemical process influenced by various factors, including rainfall characteristics, soil properties, land surface conditions, and the properties of involved chemical substances. To effectively predict and control the migration of soil nutrients in tandem with surface runoff, it is necessary to analyze and study this complex process.

This Special Issue, titled “Mechanism and Simulation of Water Erosion and Nutrient Loss on Hillslopes”, aims to provide an overview of studies that assess various nutrient loss processes using qualitative and quantitative approaches. Potential areas of interest include, but are not limited to, topics such as numerical simulations, conceptual models, experimental studies, and future predictions of nutrient loss on hillslopes.

Dr. Chang Ao
Dr. Weiming Xing
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • hillslope
  • soil nutrients
  • surface runoff
  • soil loss
  • hydrological simulation
  • dynamic mechanisms
  • simulation models
  • nutrient loss control

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

19 pages, 10731 KiB  
Article
Characteristics of Soil Physical Properties and Spatial Distribution of Soil Erosion on Ridge-Slope Farmland in the Black Soil Areas of Northeast China
by Siyu Wei, Yu Fu, Binhui Liu, Yanling Zhang, Shuai Shao and Xiaoya Zhang
Water 2024, 16(16), 2353; https://doi.org/10.3390/w16162353 - 22 Aug 2024
Viewed by 451
Abstract
To explore the spatial distribution characteristics of soil physical properties and soil erosion in sloping farmland with ridges in the black soil areas of northeast China, sloping farmland with ridges built with woven bags (RW) along the contour lines was selected as the [...] Read more.
To explore the spatial distribution characteristics of soil physical properties and soil erosion in sloping farmland with ridges in the black soil areas of northeast China, sloping farmland with ridges built with woven bags (RW) along the contour lines was selected as the research object, and another sloping farmland was selected as the control (CK). Soil samples were collected from both RW and CK at uniform spatial intervals to measure key indicators of soil properties in the surface layer (0–15 cm), including soil water-holding capacity, soil structure, and annual average soil loss (A). The results showed that: (i) RW exhibited a significantly higher overall field water-holding capacity compared to CK, with soil moisture characteristics more evenly distributed spatially. Soil bulk weight, fractal dimension, and soil aggregate destruction in RW were reduced by 1.09%, 0.65%, and 4.61%, respectively, compared to CK. Additionally, soil total porosity, capillary porosity, mean weight diameter (MWD), and geometric mean diameter (GWD) were more evenly distributed spatially in RW. (ii) On the up-slope, soil water content and DR>0.25 in RW had a higher increase than those of CK. On the mid-slope, soil field water-holding capacity, capillary porosity, MWD, and GWD in RW had a higher increase than those in CK. On the down-slope, RW had a 7.67–10.79% increase in soil water content, saturated water-holding capacity, field water-holding capacity, and capillary water-holding capacity compared to CK, with total soil porosity and soil capillary porosity increasing by 2.84% and 15.51%, respectively. (iii) Annual average soil loss (A) of RW was reduced by 61.85–99.64% compared to CK, based on the China Soil Loss Equation (CSLE). (vi) Soil water-holding capacity and soil structure characteristics of RW showed benefits compared to CK, with the benefits ranging from 1.01 to 1.09, while the benefit of A reached 2.46. This study is significant for understanding the spatial distribution of soil erosion on sloped farmland in black soil areas and for the effective application of soil and water conservation measures. Full article
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18 pages, 3122 KiB  
Article
Responses of Soil and Ammonia Nitrogen Loss Rates to Hydraulic Parameters under Different Slope Gradients and Rainfall Intensities
by Hao Yang, Chenchen Wei, Guanghui Sun, Xueqing Tao, Yitong Wang and Weimin Xing
Water 2024, 16(2), 230; https://doi.org/10.3390/w16020230 - 9 Jan 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 989
Abstract
Soil erosion and the consequent loss of nutrients have consistently been significant factors contributing to land degradation and nonpoint source pollution. While runoff serves as the primary carrier for nutrient loss, the hydraulic processes governing the mechanisms of nutrient loss remain not entirely [...] Read more.
Soil erosion and the consequent loss of nutrients have consistently been significant factors contributing to land degradation and nonpoint source pollution. While runoff serves as the primary carrier for nutrient loss, the hydraulic processes governing the mechanisms of nutrient loss remain not entirely clear. This paper aims to investigate the impacts of rainfall intensity and the slope gradient on hydraulic parameters, soil loss rates, and ammonia nitrogen loss rates, with the objective of determining the optimal hydraulic parameters for more accurate predictions of soil erosion and nutrient loss rates. A series of simulated rainfall experiments with three rainfall intensities (25, 50, and 75 mm min−1) and four slope gradients (8.7%, 17.6%, 26.8%, and 36.4%) were conducted on a 5 m × 10 m slope. The results indicated that the flow velocity, shear stress, stream power, unit stream power, and unit energy all increased with the increase in slope gradient or rainfall intensity. The water depth decreased with an increase in the slope gradient but increased with an increase in the rainfall intensity. Laminar flow occurred in all experiments (Reynolds number < 500). Only the overland flow under a 25 mm h−1 rainfall intensity and 8.7% slope gradient was subcritical flow (Froude number < 1). Hydraulic parameters, the soil loss rate, and ammonia nitrogen loss rate could be all expressed as the product of rainfall intensity and slope power function, with R2 ranging from 0.949 to 0.997. The average soil loss rate and process soil erosion rate could both be fitted using the power function of hydraulic parameters, with the optimal fitting parameter being stream power (R2 = 0.980 and 0.909). The average ammonia nitrogen loss rate exhibited a linear relationship with the hydraulic parameters, and the optimal fitting parameter was also stream power (R2 = 0.933). However, there were relatively low correlations between hydrodynamic parameters and the ammonia nitrogen loss rate (R2 = 0.450–0587). Our results contribute to a deeper understanding of the hydraulic processes involved in nutrient loss. Full article
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