Abstract
The method of indoor artificial rainfall simulations was applied to compare the characteristics of runoff and sediment yield under different slope gradients (5°, 8°, 15°, and 25°) and rainfall intensities (30, 60, 90, 120, and 150 mm/h) for two kinds of different hillslopes with weathered granite and with exposed soils respectively from the laterite layer (L-soil) and sand layer (S-soil). The results show that the distribution of runoff yield significantly varied with soil types as the surface flow was predominant for L-soil while interflow was the main runoff form for S-soil. Both surface flow and sediment yield of L-soil was more than that of S-soil, and the changing trends for L-soil were more regular. The relationships between surface flow, sediment yield, and rainfall intensity can be expressed by power functions (R2 > 0.68). Interflow was positively related to slope gradient and displayed a single peak curve with the prolongation of runoff time. For S-soil, the surface flow increased with increasing slope gradient under light rainfall intensities but showed a decreasing trend under heavy rainfall intensities. Surface flow for L-soil showed a decreasing trend with increasing slope gradient under all rainfall intensities. The combined effects of slope gradient and rainfall intensity on runoff and sediment yield could be accurately described by linear correlation equations (R2 > 0.59). The impact of rainfall intensity on surface flow and sediment yield was much greater than that of slope gradient. Slope gradient presented a more significant effect on interflow. The eroded sediment consisted of a relatively higher content of clay, silt, and fine sand, which was approximately 1.26 times greater than the original soils. There was a grading limit of particle size (0.25 mm) for sediment transport. These results not only demonstrate the effects of rainfall intensity and slope gradient on sloping runoff and sediment yield but also provide valuable information for loss prediction and conservation of soil and water.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Aksoy H, Eris E, Tayfur G (2017) Empirical sediment transport models based on indoor rainfall simulator and erosion flume experimental data. Land Degrad Dev 28:1320–1328. https://doi.org/10.1002/ldr.2555
An J, Zheng F, Lu J, Li G (2012) Investigating the role of raindrop impact on hydrodynamic mechanism of soil erosion under simulated rainfall conditions. Soil Sci 177:517–526. https://doi.org/10.1097/SS.0b013e3182639de1
An J, Liu Q (2017) Soil aggregate breakdown in response to wetting rate during the inter-rill and rill stages of erosion in a contour ridge system. Catena 157:241–249. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.catena.2017.05.027
Anache JAA, Wendland EC, Oliveira PTS, Flanagan DC, Nearing MA (2017) Runoff and soil erosion plot-scale studies under natural rainfall: a meta-analysis of the Brazilian experience. Catena 152:29–39. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.catena.2017.01.003
Calvo-Cases A, Boix-Fayos C, Imeson AC (2003) Runoff generation, sediment movement and soil water behaviour on calcareous (limestone) slopes of some Mediterranean environments in Southeast Spain. Geomorphology 50:269–291. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0169-555X(02)00218-0
Chen X, Cai Q, Zheng M, Li J (2011) Empirical soil erosion model for single rainstorm in Chabagou drainage basin. Prog Geogr 30:325–329. https://doi.org/10.11820/dlkxjz.2011.03.010
Chen H, Zhang X, Abla M, Lü D, Yan R, Ren Q, Ren Z, Yang Y, Zhao W, Lin P, Liu B, Yang X (2018) Effects of vegetation and rainfall types on surface runoff and soil erosion on steep slopes on the Loess Plateau, China. Catena 170:141–149. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.catena.2018.06.006
Cheng Q, Cai Q, Ma W (2008) Comparative study on rain splash erosion of representative soils in China. Chinese Geogr Sci 18:155–161. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11769-008-0155-9
Defersha MB, Melesse AM (2012) Effect of rainfall intensity, slope and antecedent moisture content on sediment concentration and sediment enrichment ratio. Catena. 90:47–52. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.catena.2011.11.002
Deng L, Fei K, Sun T, Zhang L, Fan X, Ni L (2019) Characteristics of runoff processes and nitrogen loss via surface flow and interflow from weathered granite slopes of Southeast China. J Mt Sci-Engl 16:1048–1064. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11629-018-5253-2
Ding W, Huang C (2017) Effects of soil surface roughness on interrill erosion processes and sediment particle size distribution. Geomorphology 295:801–810. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2017.08.033
Ferreira CSS, Keizer JJ, Santos LMB, Serpa D, Silva V, Cerqueira M, Ferreira AJD, Abrantes N (2018) Runoff, sediment and nutrient exports from a Mediterranean vineyard under integrated production: an experiment at plot scale. Agric Ecosyst Environ 256:184–193. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2018.01.015
Fu B, Zhao W, Chen L, Zhang Q, Lü Y, Gulinck H, Poesen J (2005) Assessment of soil erosion at large watershed scale using RUSLE and GIS: a case study in the Loess Plateau of China. Land Degrad Dev 16:73–85. https://doi.org/10.1002/ldr.646
Fu X, Zhang L, Wang X (2016) The effect of slope length on sediment yield by rainfall impact under different land use types. Water Resour+ 43:478–485. https://doi.org/10.1134/S0097807816030052
Grismer ME (2012) Erosion modelling for land management in the Tahoe basin, USA: scaling from plots to forest catchments. Hydrolog Sci J 57:878–900. https://doi.org/10.1080/02626667.2012.685170
Guo X, Li T, He B, He X, Yao Y (2017) Effects of land disturbance on runoff and sediment yield after natural rainfall events in southwestern China. Environ Sci Pollut Res 24:9259–9268. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-017-8558-8
Guo Z, Ma M, Cai C, Wu Y (2018) Combined effects of simulated rainfall and overland flow on sediment and solute transport in hillslope erosion. J Soils Sediments 18:1120–1132. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11368-017-1868-0
Hall KK, Evanshen BG, Maier KJ, Scheuerman PR (2014) Application of multivariate statistical methodology to model factors influencing fate and transport of fecal pollution in surface waters. J Environ Qual 43:358–370. https://doi.org/10.2134/jeq2013.05.0190
Huang J, Wu P, Zhao X (2013) Effects of rainfall intensity, underlying surface and slope gradient on soil infiltration under simulated rainfall experiments. Catena 104:93–102. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.catena.2012.10.013
Kefi M, Yoshino K, Setiawan Y, Zayani K, Boufaroua M (2011) Assessment of the effects of vegetation on soil erosion risk by water: a case of study of the Batta watershed in Tunisia. Environ Earth Sci 64:707–719. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-010-0891-x
Kinnell PIA (2005) Raindrop-impact-induced erosion processes and prediction: a review. Hydrol Process 19:2815–2844. https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.5788
Kinnell PIA (2006) Simulations demonstrating interaction between coarse and fine sediment loads in rain-impacted flow. Earth Surf Proc Land 31:355–367. https://doi.org/10.1002/esp.1249
Leguédois S, Planchon O, Legout C, Bissonnais YL (2005) Splash projection distance for aggregated soils. Soil Sci Soc Am J 69 (1):30–37. https://doi.org/10.2136/sssaj2005.0030
Lenka NK, Satapathy KK, Lal R, Singh RK, Singh NAK, Agrawal PK, Choudhury P, Rathore A (2017) Weed strip management for minimizing soil erosion and enhancing productivity in the sloping lands of north-eastern India. Soil Till Res 170:104–113. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.still.2017.03.012
Lin J, Huang Y, Zhao G, Jiang F, Wang MK, Ge H (2017) Flow-driven soil erosion processes and the size selectivity of eroded sediment on steep slopes using colluvial deposits in a permanent gully. Catena 157:47–57. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.catena.2017.05.015
Liu D, She D, Yu S, Shao G, Chen D (2015) Rainfall intensity and slope gradient effects on sediment losses and splash from a saline-sodic soil under coastal reclamation. Catena 128:54–62. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.catena.2015.01.022
Liu Y, Yang J, Hu J,Tang C, Zheng H (2016) Characteristics of the surface-subsurface flow generation and sediment yield to the rainfall regime and land-cover by long-term in-situ observation in the red soil region, southern China. J Hydrol 539:457–467. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2016.05.058
Liu X (2018) Benggang erosion landform and research progress in a global perspective. Prog Geogr 37:342–351. (In Chinese). https://doi.org/10.18306/dlkxjz.2018.03.005
Lu J, Zheng F, Li G, Bian F, An J (2016) The effects of raindrop impact and runoff detachment on hillslope soil erosion and soil aggregate loss in the Mollisol region of Northeast China. Soil Till Res 161:79–85. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.still.2016.04.002
Ma R, Li Z, Cai C, Wang J (2014) The dynamic response of splash erosion to aggregate mechanical breakdown through rainfall simulation events in Ultisols (subtropical China). Catena 121:279–287. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.catena.2014.05.028
Mahmoodabadi M, Sajjadi SA (2016) Effects of rain intensity, slope gradient and particle size distribution on the relative contributions of splash and wash loads to rain-induced erosion. Geomorphology 253:159–167. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2015.10.010
Meyer LD, Harmon WC, Mcdowell LL (1980) Sediment sizes eroded from crop row sideslopes. Transactions of the ASAE 23:891–898. https://doi.org/10.13031/2013.34682
Michel E, Majdalani S, Di-Pietro L (2014) A novel conceptual framework for long-term leaching of autochthonous soil particles during transient flow. Eur J Soil Sci 65:336–347. https://doi.org/10.1111/ejss.12135
Navas A, Machin J, Soto J (2005) Assessing soil erosion in a Pyrenean mountain catchment using GIS and fallout Cs-137. Agric Ecosyst Environ 105:493–506. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2004.07.005
Parsons AJ, Stromberg S, Greener M (1998) Sediment-transport competence of rain-impacted interrill overland flow. Earth Surf Proc Land 23:365–375. https://doi.org/10.1002/(SICI)1096-9837(199804)23:4<365::AID-ESP851>3.0.CO;2-6
Recanatesi F, Ripa MN, Leone A, Luigi P, Luca S (2013) Land use, climate and transport of nutrients: evidence emerging from the lake vicocase study. Environ Manag 52:503–513. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-013-0060-6
Ribolzi O, Patin J, Bresson LM, Latsachack KO, Mouche E, Sengtaheuanghoung O, Silvera N, Thiébaux JP, Valentin C (2011) Impact of slope gradient on soil surface features and infiltration on steep slopes in northern Laos. Geomorphology 127:53–63. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2010.12.004
Rodrigo Comino J, Ruiz Sinoga JD, Senciales Gonzalez JM, Guerra-Merchán A, Seeger M, Ries JB (2016) High variability of soil erosion and hydrological processes in Mediterranean hillslope vineyards (Montes de Malaga, Spain). Catena 145:274–284. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.catena.2016.06.012
Romkens M, Helming K, Prasad SN (2002) Soil erosion under different rainfall intensities, surface roughness, and soil water regimes. Catena 46:103–123. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0341-8162(01)00161-8
Sadeghi SH, Harchegani MK, Asadi H (2017) Variability of particle size distributions of upward/downward splashed materials in different rainfall intensities and slopes. Geoderma 290:100–106. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoderma.2016.12.007
Saedi T, Shorafa M, Gorji M, Khalili Moghadam B (2016) Indirect and direct effects of soil properties on soil splash erosion rate in calcareous soils of the central Zagross, Iran: a laboratory study. Geoderma 271:1–9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoderma.2016.02.008
Shi Z, Fang N, Wu F, Wang L, Yue B, Wu G (2012) Soil erosion processes and sediment sorting associated with transport mechanisms on steep slopes. J Hydrol 454:123–130. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2012.06.004
Shi P, Van Oost K, Schulin R (2017) Dynamics of soil fragment size distribution under successive rainfalls and its implication to size-selective sediment transport and deposition. Geoderma 308:104–111. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoderma.2017.08.038
Sirjani E, Mahmoodabadi M (2014) Effects of sheet flow rate and slope gradient on sediment load. Arab J Geosci 7:203–210. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-012-0728-x
Su Z, Zhang J, Qin F, Nie X (2012) Landform change due to soil redistribution by intense tillage based on high-resolution DEMs. Geomorphology 175:190–198. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2012.07.009
Sun W, Shao Q, Liu J, Zhai J (2014) Assessing the effects of land use and topography on soil erosion on the Loess Plateau in China. Catena 121:151–163. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.catena.2014.05.009
Sun Z, Lotz T, Chang N (2017) Assessing the long-term effects of land use changes on runoff patterns and food production in a large lake watershed with policy implications. J Environ Manag 204(1):92–101. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2017.08.043
Vermang J, Demeyer V, Cornelis WM, Gabriels D (2009) Aggregate stability and erosion response to antecedent water content of a loess soil. Soil Sci Soc Am J 73(3):718–726. https://doi.org/10.2136/sssaj2007.0134
Wang X, Cai Q, He J, Chen X (2008) Effect of stratified characteristics of granite weathered crust on soil erosion and its control measures. Subtropical Soil and Water Conservation 20(2):20–24. (In Chinese). https://doi.org/10.3969/j.issn.1002-2651.2008.02.006
Wang G, Wu B, Zhang L, Jiang H, Xu Z (2014) Role of soil erodibility in affecting available nitrogen and phosphorus losses under simulated rainfall. J Hydrol 514:180–191. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2014.04.028
Wang Y, Fan J, Cao L, Liang Y (2016) Infiltration and runoff generation under various cropping patterns in the red soil region of China. Land Degrad Dev 27:83–91. https://doi.org/10.1002/ldr.2460
Wu X, Wei Y, Wang J, Xia J, Cai C, Wu L, Fu Z, Wei Z (2017) Effects of erosion degree and rainfall intensity on erosion processes for Ultisols derived from quaternary red clay. Agric Ecosyst Environ 249:226–236. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2017.08.023
Wu L, Qiao S, Peng M, Ma X (2018) Coupling loss characteristics of runoff-sediment-adsorbed and dissolved nitrogen and phosphorus on bare loess slope. Environ Sci Pollut R 25(14):14018–14031. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-018-1619-9
Xie M, Zhang Z, Zhang P et al (2018) Law of nitrate transfer and loss in purple sloping farmland and its numerical simulation. Trans Chin Soc Agric Eng (Trans CSAE) 34(19):147–154. (In Chinese). https://doi.org/10.11975/j.issn.1002-6819.2018.19.019
Xing H, Huang Y, Chen X, Luo BL, Mi HX (2018) Comparative study of soil erodibility and critical shear stress between loess and purple soils. J Hydrol 558:625–631. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2018.01.060
Xiong K, Yin C, Ji H (2018) Soil erosion and chemical weathering in a region with typical karst topography. Environ Earth Sci 77(500). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-018-7675-0
Xu X, Zheng F, Qin C, Wu H, Wilson GV (2017) Impact of cornstalk buffer strip on hillslope soil erosion and its hydrodynamic understanding. Catena 149:417–425. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.catena.2016.10.016
Zhao Q, Li D, Zhuo M, Guo T, Liao Y, Xie Z (2015) Effects of rainfall intensity and slope gradient on erosion characteristics of the red soil slope. Stoch Env Res Risk A 29:609–621. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00477-014-0896-1
Ziadat FM, Taimeh AY (2013) Effect of rainfall intensity, slope, land use and antecedent soil moisture on soil erosion in an arid environment. Land Degrad Dev 24:582–590. https://doi.org/10.1002/ldr.2239
Funding
This research was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (41877065).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflict of interest
The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
Additional information
Responsible editor: Philippe Garrigues
Publisher’s note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Deng, L., Zhang, L., Fan, X. et al. Effects of rainfall intensity and slope gradient on runoff and sediment yield from hillslopes with weathered granite. Environ Sci Pollut Res 26, 32559–32573 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-019-06486-z
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-019-06486-z