Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

The characteristics of rill development and their effects on runoff and sediment yield under different slope gradients

  • Published:
Journal of Mountain Science Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Rill formation is the predominant erosion process in slope land in the Loess Plateau, China. This study was conducted to investigate rill erosion characteristics and their effects on runoff and sediment yielding processes under different slope gradients at a rate of 10°, 15°, 20° and 25° with rainfall intensity of 1.5 mm min−1 in a laboratory setting. Results revealed that mean rill depth and rill density has a positive interrelation to the slope gradient. To the contrary, width-depth ratio and distance of the longest rill to the top of the slope negatively related to slope gradient. All these suggested that increasing slope steepness could enhance rill headward erosion, vertical erosion and the fragmentation of the slope surface. Furthermore, total erosion tended to approach a stable maximum value with increasing slope, which implied that there is probably a threshold slope gradient where soil erosion begins to weaken. At the same time, the correlation analysis showed that there was a close connection between slope gradient and the various indices of soil erosion: the correlation coefficients of slope gradient with maximal rill depth, number of rills and the distance of the longest rill from the top of the slope were 0.98, 0.97 and −0.98, respectively, indicating that slope gradient is the major factor of affecting the development of rills. Furthermore, runoff was not sensitive to slope gradient and rill formation in this study. Sediment concentration, however, is positively related to slope gradient and rill formation, the sediment concentrations increased rapidly after rill initiation, especially. These results may be essential for soil loss prediction.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Bagnold RA (1966) An approach to the sediment transport problem from general physics. US Geological Survey Paper 422, Washington, USA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bennett SJ (1999) Effect of slope on the growth and migration of headcuts in rills. Geomorphology 30: 273–290. DOI: 10.1016/S0169-555X(99)00035-5

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Berger C, Schulze M, Rieke-Zapp D, et al. (2010) Rill development and soil erosion: a laboratory study of slope and rainfall intensity. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms 35(12): 1456–1467. DOI: 10.1002/esp.1989

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bruno C, Stefano DC, Ferro V (2008) Field investigation on rilling in the experimental Sparacia area, South Italy. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms 33(2): 263–279. DOI: 10.1002/esp.1544

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brunton DA, Bryan RB (2000) Rill network development and sediment budgets. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms 25(7): 783–800. DOI: 10.1002/1096-9837(200007)25:7<783: AID-ESP106>3.0.CO;2-W

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bryan RB (1990) Knickpoint evolution in rillwash. Catena Supplement 17: 111–132.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bryan RB, Poesen J (1989) Laboratory experiment on the influence of slope length on runoff, percolation and rill development. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms 14(3): 211–231. DOI: 10.1002/esp.3290140304

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cai QG (1998) Research of rill initiation condition on loess hillslopes. Journal of Sediment Research 1: 52–59. (In Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Capra A, Ferro V, Scicolone B (2005) Erosion of ephemeral gully in a small sicilian basin. Journal of Mountain Hydrology 24: 455–478. (In Italian)

    Google Scholar 

  • Chen YZ (1987) A review: The study of soil erosion on Loess Plateau. Geographical Research 6(1): 76–85. (In Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • De Santisteban LM, Casalì J, Lòpez JJ, et al. (2005) Exploring the role of topography in small channelerosion. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms 30: 591–599. DOI: 10.1002/esp. 1160

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fang HY, Cai QG, Chen H, et al. (2008) Effect of rainfall regime and slope on runoff in a gullied loess region on the Loess Plateau in China. Environmental. Management 42: 402–411. DOI: 10.1007/s00267-008-9122-6

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gilley JE, Kottwitz ER, Simanton JR (1990) Hydraulic characteristics of rills. Transactions of ASAE 33:1900–1906. DOI: 10.13031/2013.31556aaa

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Giménez R, Govers G (2002). Flow detachment by concentrated flow on smooth and irregular beds. Soil Science Society of America Journal 66: 1475–1483. DOI: 10.2136/SSSAJ2002.1475

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Giménez R, Planchon O, Silvera N, et al. (2004) Longitudinal velocity patterns and bed morphology interaction in a rill. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms 29: 105–114. DOI: 10.1002/esp.1021

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Govers G (1992) Relationship between discharge, velocity and flow area for rills eroding loose, non layered materials. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms 17: 515–528. DOI: 10.1002/esp.3290170510

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Govers G, Giménez R, Van Oost K (2007) Rill erosion: exploring the relationship between experiments, modelling and field observations. Earth Science Reviews 84(3-4): 87–102. DOI: 10.1016/j.earscirev.2007.06.001

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Govers G, Poesen J (1988) Assessment of the interrill and rill contribution to total soil loss from an upland field plot. Geomorphology 1: 343–354. DOI: 10.1016/0169-555X(88)90006-2

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • He JJ, Cai QG, Liu SB (2012) Effects of slope gradient on slope runoff and sediment yield under different single rainfall conditions. Chinese Journal of Applied Ecology 23(5): 1263–1268. (In Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • He JJ, Li XJ, Jia LJ, et al. (2014) Experimental study of rill evolution processes and relationships between runoff and erosion on clay loam and loess. Soil Science Society of America Journal 78(5): 1716–1725. DOI: 10.2136/sssaj2014.02.0063

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Helming K, Römkens MJM, Prasad SN, et al. (1999) Erosional development of small scale drainage networks. In: Hergatren S et al. (Eds.), Process Modelling and Landform Evolution: Lecture Notes in Earth Science 78, Springer, Berlin. pp 123–146.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Huang CJ, Bradford M, Laflen JM (1996) Evaluation of the detachment-transport coupling concept in the WEPP rill erosion equation. Soil Science Society of America Journal 60: 734–739. DOI: 10.2136/sssaj1996.03615995006000030008x

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Huo YY, Wu SF, Feng H (2011) Dynamic process of slope rill erosion based on three-dimensional laser scanner. Science of Soil and Water Conservation 9(2): 32–37. (In Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Jin CX (1995) A theoretical study on critical erosion slope gradient. Acta Geographica Sinica 50(3): 234–239. (In Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Kimaro DN, Poesen J, Msanya BM, et al. (2008) Magnitude of soil erosion on the northern slope of the Uluguru Mountains, Tanzania: Interrill and rill erosion. Catena 75: 38–44. DOI: 10.1016/j.catena.2008.04.007

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kinnell PIA (2000) The effect of slope length on sediment concentrations associated with side-slope erosion. Soil Science Society of America Journal 64: 1004–1008. DOI: 10.2136/sssaj2000.6431004x

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kinnell PIA, Cummings D (1993) Soil slope gradient interactions in erosion by rain-impacted flow. Transactions of the ASAE 36: 381–387.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lei TW, Nearing MA (2000) Flume experiments for determining rill hydraulic characteristic erosion and rill patterns. Journal of Hydraulic Engineering 31(11): 49–55. (In Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Lei TW, Nearing MA, Haghighi K, et al. (1998) Rill erosion and morphological evolution: a simulation model. Water Resource Research 34: 3157–3168. DOI: 10.1029/98WR02162

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Li Y, Zhang JH, Yang JC, et al. (2000) Spatial patterns of soil erosion on steep cultivated hillslope in Loess Plateau of Northern Shaanxi. Journal of Soil and Water Conservation 14(4): 17–21. (In Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Mancilla GA, Chen S, McCool DK (2005) Rill density prediction and flow velocity distribution on agricultural areas in the Pacific Northwest. Soil & Tillage Research 84: 54–66. DOI: 10.1016/j.still.2004.10.002

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Morgan RPC (1977) Soil erosion in the United Kingdom: field studies in the Silsoe area, 1973-1975. Occasional Paper No. 4, National College of Agricultural Engineering, London, UK.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nord G, Esteves M (2010) The effect of soil type, meteorological forcing and slope gradient on the simulation of internal erosion processes at the local scale. Hydrological Processes 24: 1766–1780. DOI: 10.1002/hyp.7613

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Obiechefu GC, Morgan RP (1994) Rill initiation and evolution: a precursor for understanding gully erosion. Paper No. 942584, American Society of Agricultural Engineers, USA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rauws G (1987) The initiation of fills on plane beds of noncohesive sediments. Catena Supplement 8: 107–118.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rejman J, Brodowski R (2005) Rill characteristics and sediment transport as a function of slope length during a storm event on loess soil. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms 30: 231–239. DOI: 10.1002/esp.1177

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Renard KG, Me Cool DK, Cooley KR, et al. (1997). Rainfallrunoff erosivity factor (R). In: Predicting Soil Erosion by Water: A Guide to Conservation Planning with the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE). Agriculture Handbook No. 703. Chapter 2, U.S. Department of Agriculture: Washington, 19–64.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shi ZH, Fang NF, Wu FZ, et al. (2012). Soil erosion processes and sediment sorting associated with transport mechanisms on steep slopes. Journal of Hydrology 454-455: 123–130. DOI: 10.1016/j.jhydrol.2012.06.004

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Torri D, Dfalanga M, Chisci G (1987) Threshold conditions for incipient rilling. Catena Supplement 8: 97–105.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wainwright J, Parsons AJ (2002) The effect of temporal variations in rainfall on scale dependency in runoff coefficients. Water Resource Research 38(12): 7–1–7-10. DOI: 10.1029/2000WR000188

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wu PT, Zhou PH, Wu CL (1997) Research on the spatial distribution characters of slope rill erosion Research of Soil and Water Conservation 4(2): 47–56. (In Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Yan LJ, Yu XX, Lei TW, et al. (2008) Effects of transport capacity and erodibility on rill erosion processes: A model study using the Finite Element method. Geoderma 146: 114–120. DOI:10.1016/j.geoderma.2008.05.009

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang QW, Lei TW, Zhao J (2008) Estimation of the detachment rate in eroding rills in flume experiments using an REE tracing method. Geoderma 147: 8–15. DOI: 10.1016/j.geoderma.2008.07.002

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zheng FL, Tang KL (1997) Rill erosion process of steep slope land of the Loess Plateau. International Journal of Sediment Research 12(1): 52–59.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Base of the State Laboratory of Urban Environmental Processes and Digital Modeling, Capital Normal University, Beijing, 100048, China

    Ji-jun He & Hui-li Gong

  2. Laboratory for Controllable Synthesis and Application of Micro-sized Functional Materials, Capital Normal University, Beijing, 100048, China

    Ji-jun He & Hui-li Gong

  3. Key Laboratory of Water Cycle and Related Land Surface Processes, Institute of Geographical Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China

    Li-ying Sun & Qiang-guo Cai

  4. Department of Civil Engineering, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, 87131, USA

    Li-Juan Jia

Authors
  1. Ji-jun He
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Li-ying Sun
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Hui-li Gong
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Qiang-guo Cai
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Li-Juan Jia
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ji-jun He.

Additional information

http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1367-5317

http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9877-866X

http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3481-5534

http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7139-0278

http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2363-7616

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

He, Jj., Sun, Ly., Gong, Hl. et al. The characteristics of rill development and their effects on runoff and sediment yield under different slope gradients. J. Mt. Sci. 13, 397–404 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11629-015-3490-1

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11629-015-3490-1

Keywords

Search

Navigation