Modelling Watershed Scale Soil Loss Prediction and Sediment Yield Estimation

Computer simulation models are becoming increasingly popular in predicting soil loss for various land use and management practices. A GIS-based system, GeoUSLE, was developed in this study for soil loss prediction and sediment yield estimation in the watershed scale. The Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE) and watershed analysis models are incorporated in the system. The required watershed information and USLE factors are derived from digital elevation models (DEMs) and remote sensing data. The GIS-based system can flexibly delineate drainage networks and watersheds and rapidly query the sediment yield at any point or watershed outlet via the point-and-click interface. The study presents an example application of the system to an agricultural reservoir watershed in central Taiwan. The estimated result shows that the developed system scales up USLE applications from the slope to the watershed, which can be used to assess the erosion hot spots in a watershed for the management decision making.     

Evaluating the Impact of Policy-induced Land Use Management Practices on Non-point Source Pollution Using a Spatial Decision Support System

Abstract

State and federal conservation compliance policies in the United States are aimed, in part, at reducing non-point pollution and maintaining long-term agricultural productivity. These policies affect land use and management practices on the nation's farms. Farms and farmers, however, are part of a larger agri-ecological system and changes in farming practices affect linked socio-economic, biologic, and hydrologic systems. It is difficult, therefore, to foresee the wide ranging and long-term consequences that are set into motion by changes in agricultural policy. Yet, these consequences must be understood if we are to avoid the deleterious side effects or capture the collateral benefits associated with specific policies. A Spatial Decision Support System (SDSS) has been developed here to help understand some of these consequences within the context of watershed management and the control of non-point source pollution. This SDSS consists of a Geographic Information System (GIS), two spatial models (GEOLP and AGNPS), and a graphical user interface. The purpose of this SDSS is to assist decision-makers as they investigate the impact of agricultural policy on non-point source pollution and the local economy. The SDSS is used to simulate the potential impacts of alternative policy scenarios in the Big Creek watershed. The models and methodologies described here, however, are general and can provide benefits to a variety of decision-makers engaged in watershed management and the reduction of non-point pollution.     

Integrated Water Resource Development Plan for Sustainable Management of Mayurakshi Watershed, India using Remote Sensing and GIS

Integrated watershed management requires a host of inter-related information to be generated and studied in relation to each other. Remote sensing technique provides valuable and up-to-date spatial information on natural resources and physical terrain parameters. Geographical Information System (GIS) with its capability of integration and analysis of spatial, aspatial, multi-layered information obtained in a wide variety of formats both from remote sensing and other conventional sources has proved to be an effective tool in planning for watershed development. In this study, area and locale specific watershed development plans were generated for Mayurakshi watershed, India using remote sensing and GIS techniques. Adopting Integrated Mission for Sustainable Development (IMSD) guidelines, decision rules were framed. Using the overlay and decision tree concepts water resource development plan was generated. Indian Remote Sensing Satellite (IRS-1C), Linear Imaging Self Scanner (LISS-III) satellite data along with other field and collateral data on lithology, soil, slope, well inventory, fracture have been utilized for generating land use/land cover and hydro geomorphology of the study area, which are an essential prerequisites for water resources planning and development. Spatial data integration and analyses are carried out in GIS environment.     

三峡库区下岸溪小流域水土流失现状评估

 以三峡库区下岸溪小流域为研究区,在GIS软件的支持下,利用2008年SPOT5遥感影像和1∶5万DEM数据,提取坡度因子、植被覆盖度因子和土地利用类型因子作为水土流失风险评估指标因子,结合土壤侵蚀分级标准,生成研究区水土流失风险分级图,利用改进的工程侵蚀模数计算模型,对小流域土壤侵蚀量进行了估算。结果表明：①本流域以水力侵蚀为主,占研究区总面积的88.81%,其中中度侵蚀面积占该流域总面积的38.49%;②开矿等引起的工程侵蚀对该小流域土壤侵蚀量贡献率很大,占该流域水土流失量的41.43%。因此,在开矿和矿区基础设施建设等工程施工时,应采取有效的水土保持措施。     

A Landscape Planning and Management Tool for Land and Water Resources Management: An Example Application in Northern Ethiopia

Land and water degradation due to on-site soil/nutrient loss and off-site pollution/sedimentation are serious environmental problems. Landscape planning and management tools are essential to implement best management practices targeted at locations where they are needed most. Although many soil/water-landscape studies have been published in the last 2 decades, progress in developing operational tools for supporting landscape planning to minimize land and water degradation in developing regions is still modest. Some of the existing tools are data demanding and/or complicated to be useful to data scarce regions. Some require detailed understanding of the hydrological and modelling processes and thus less applicable to local stakeholders involved in land use planning and management. A user-friendly LAndscape Planning and MAnagement Tool (LAPMAT) developed to facilitate land management decision-making. LAPMAT is a menu-oriented interactive graphical user interface that can aid decision makers identify hotspot areas of soil erosion and evaluate the effects of alternative land use management practices at a catchment scale. The modelling framework and its interfaces are designed to guide the user through a series of menus that: 1) allow input model parameters, adjusting coefficients, visualizing input parameters and executing the model; 2) enable changing land use and management practices and re-evaluating potential consequences; 3) allow viewing results in tabular, graphical or map form side-by-side; and 4) (re)-evaluating the respective impacts of management/conservation options. The framework has been applied to assess the severity of soil erosion and simulate the impact of different land management practices using the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) adjusted for sediment delivery ratio in an example catchment of northern Ethiopia. The results showed average sediment yield rate of 55 t ha^?1 y^?1. Conservation measures targeted at high soil loss areas and gullies gave the maximum reduction in sediment yield by about 80 %. Since LAPMAT allows users handle the selection of management/planning options and provide fast and responsive outputs, it can assist in effective multi-stakeholder negotiations over land-use planning where the minimization of land/water degradation is the ultimate goal.     

北京市水土保持监测体系的构建

水土保持监测体系由监测内容和指标体系、技术体系、管理系统、监测标准体系构成.阐述了全市山区坡地水土流失量监测、小流域水土流失及综合治理监测和水土流失过程及规律监测的技术路线和方法,并对连续3年的监测成果进行了分析.北京市近3年水土流失程度总体较轻,但是暴雨在局部地区产生了严重的水土流失;水土保持工程的蓄水、保土和减少污染物流失效益显著.     

GIS技术在清洁小流域治理中的应用

GIS技术有便捷的数据管理、强大的空间分析和直观的三维可视化能力,在清洁小流域治理中应用GIS技术,可有效地实现海量数据管理、复杂空间分析与决策支持,为实现美丽乡村提供强大技术支撑。以河南省淅川县草庙沟小流域为例,详细介绍了利用GIS技术进行清洁小流域治理的技术路线。利用GIS技术,可在高分辨率影像上获取准确的各级汇水区、植被覆盖信息和地类信息,再结合实测水质数据和土壤、污染、降雨等调查数据,以清洁小流域示范工程技术指南为技术标准,可便捷直观地划分小流域的各治理分区、进行三维施工设计、经费测算和效益分析。因此,GIS技术的利用可有效提升清洁小流域的管理能力。     

RUSLE2 Model Application for Soil Erosion Assessment Using Remote Sensing and GIS

The study is focused on the estimation of rate of soil erosion, using Revised Universal Soil Loss Eq. 2 (RUSLE2), in the Veppanapalli subwatershed of Krishnagiri catchment located in Tamil Nadu, India. The soil erosion is estimated for each of the hillslope units in the study area. The factors considered are intensity of rainfall, type of soil, land use classification and the existing soil conservation practices. Detailed analysis of soil samples were done to assess the texture, structure, permeability and organic matter content of the soil samples of each hillslope unit. The required data for the other parameters were estimated by carrying out intense field investigations and by the analysis of the satellite imagery of 5.6 m resolution. A data base was created with all the subfactor values for the hillslope units. Incorporation of remote sensing technique and Geographic Information System (GIS) made the spatial analysis of the study more reliable and accurate. The annual average soil erosion rate is estimated as 25 t/ha/year, which is on a higher range. This indicates the immediate need for the adoption of proper conservation strategies in this area to control the eutrophication in the Krishnagiri reservoir and to prevent further watershed degradation.     

Watershed Management Technique to Control Sediment Yield in Agriculturally Dominated Areas

Abstract

Non-point source pollution is recognized internationally as a critical environmental problem. In Illinois, soil erosion from agricultural lands is the major source of such pollution. The erosion process, which has been accelerated by human activity, tends to reduce crop productivity and leads to subsequent problems from deposition on farmlands and in water bodies. Comprehensive watershed management, however, can be used to protect these natural resources. In this study, a discrete time optimal control methodology and computational model are developed for determining land use and management alternatives that minimize sediment yield from agriculturally-dominated watersheds. The solution methodology is based on an interface between a genetic algorithm and the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Soil and Water Assessment Tool. Model analyses are performed on a farm field basis to allow capture of different, local stakeholder perspectives, and crop management alternatives are based on a three-year rotation pattern. The decision support tool is applied to the Big Creek watershed located in the Cache River basin of Southern Illinois. The application demonstrates that the methodology is a valuable tool in advancing comprehensive watershed management. The study represents part of an ongoing research effort to develop an even more comprehensive decision support tool that uses multi-criteria evaluation to address social, economic, and hydrologic issues for integrative watershed management.     

昆明市松华坝水源区小流域土壤侵蚀分析

以1993-2009年松华坝水源区及昆明市的气象资料、2009年土地利用资料、第二次全国土壤普查资料、水源区牧羊河小流域的径流和泥沙观测资料为基础,用SWAT模型模拟分析了牧羊流域土壤侵蚀的空间差异。结果表明：牧羊河小流域输沙在年际上表现为与年降水量和输沙量峰谷变化具有较好的一致性,在年内表现出,输沙主要集中在6-9月;空间上牧羊河土壤侵蚀模数多年平均值介于21.4~4 586.5 t/(km²·a),且以中轻度为主,土壤侵蚀模数的空间变化与土地利用类型和地形坡度密切相关;土壤侵蚀模数与降水在年际变化上有较好的一致性。这一研究可为水源区土壤侵蚀空间分布的掌握和估算,以及制定有针对性的水土保持措施提供重要的理论依据。     

鹤毛河小流域水土流失现状及综合治理措施分析

为防治水土流失,改善人居环境,推进经济社会发展,在分析鹤毛河小流域土地利用现状、水土流失情况等基础上,对流域水土流失分布区域采取拦沙坝、河道护岸、村庄人居环境改善等典型治理措施,并利用林草措施及封育治理有机结合的措施,有效防治了水土流失,改善了生态环境,实现流域内水土保持措施效益最大化。     

黄河多沙粗沙区分布式土壤流失模型支持系统

利用3S技术,以黄河多沙粗沙区小流域分布式土壤流失数学模型为服务对象,建立模型支持系统。所建支持系统具有数据管理灵活高效、系统适用面广、易于扩充,以及可以实现各类数据实时生成的优点;达到了流域地形和水沙演进数据的自动提取;提出了虚拟现实环境参照下分类模板定义的方法,提高了遥感影像的分类精度,有效地解决了辨别"同物异谱、异物同谱"现象的问题;实现了GIS功能与专业模型的紧密耦合,两者之间的信息可以进行双向交换和修改。     

全国土壤侵蚀普查数据库设计与实践

全国土壤侵蚀普查生产和收集了大量数据,需要建立数据库进行有效管理。数据库建设中,将全国土壤侵蚀普查各类数据按业务逻辑和时空关系管理,建立以地理空间为基础的“全国一张图”式的土壤侵蚀普查数据库。数据库采用面向服务的架构设计,用DTGIS空间信息服务平台提供的虚拟服务支撑各应用功能,利用栅格金字塔技术和DTSpatial对数据进行处理及入库管理,实现海量数据的无缝拼接和分层、分类存储管理,极大提高数据管理和使用的效率。     

Critical Area Identification of Potential Soil Loss in a Typical Watershed of the Three Gorges Reservoir Region

Identifying critical soil loss-prone areas is necessary to better control soil loss in the Xiangxi watershed, the river basin nearest the Three Gorges Dam. A crucial element of this scheme is the development of a risk assessment model that can identify critical potential soil loss areas for land use prioritization and soil conservation. An assessment model for the risk of potential soil loss based on the revised universal soil loss equation and sediment delivery ratio was developed in this work. The proposed model consists of five multiplied factors: the rain and runoff erosivity, soil erodibility, slope steepness and length, vegetation cover, and sediment delivery. The risk of potential soil loss in the Xiangxi watershed was assessed using the developed model integrated with the ArcGIS platform along with precipitation data, soil data, DEM, and MODIS NDVI images. The risk values ranged from 0 to 478.18, and were categorized into four classes. The classification showed that critical and sub-critical areas accounted for 4.48% and 6.05% respectively, of the entire Xiangxi watershed area. The results of the identification of critical and sub-critical areas were verified by analyzing the relationship between the variations of the agricultural land area and those of sediment discharge. Statistical relationship analysis between the distribution of critical/sub-critical areas and two parameters (the cell distance to the nearest river channel and the slope) showed that the critical and sub-critical areas for potential soil loss in the Xiangxi watershed assemble in the zone with a cell distance below 2,000 m, or in the zone with slopes above 25°.     

基于GIS的粤北青莲水流域水土流失成因分析

随着人类社会经济活动的加强,水土流失有持续恶化趋势,青莲水流域内土壤肥力下降,河道泥沙淤积,影响河流行洪安全。本文选用通用土壤流失方程,利用ArcGIS的空间叠加分析等功能,分别计算分析研究区内与土壤侵蚀相关的降雨、土壤、植被、地形、土地利用等因子,经叠加分析后生成流域水土流失现状图。结果表明,地形地貌因子和土地利用因子是影响流域水土流失的关键因子,研究结果可为广东省中小流域治理提供水土保持方面的理论支撑。     

长江上游紫色土丘陵区小流域地面侵蚀量的确定

 紫色土丘陵区小流域地面侵蚀类型主要有面蚀、沟蚀和母质侵蚀三种，本文采用铯-1３７同位素示踪法测算了小流域坡面土壤侵蚀模数的多年平均值；用小区法、径流场法和侵蚀针测法分别测定了相同降雨条件下小流域内面蚀、沟蚀和母质侵蚀的侵蚀模数，进而换算出紫色土丘陵区单元小流域地面侵蚀的多年平均侵蚀模数。所得结果为求取小流域泥沙输移比及预报地面侵蚀量建立了基础。     

Finite Element Method and GIS Based Distributed Model for Soil Erosion and Sediment Yield in a Watershed

The objective of this study is to develop a soil erosion and sediment yield model based on the kinematic wave approximation using the finite element method, remote sensing and geographical information system (GIS) for calculating the soil erosion and sediment yield in a watershed. Detachment of soil particles by overland flow occurs when the shear stress at the surface overcomes the gravitational forces and cohesive forces on the particles. Deposition occurs when the sediment load is greater than the transport capacity. Beasley et al.’s (Trans ASAE 23:938–944, 1980) transport equations for laminar and turbulent flow conditions are used to calculate the transport capacity. The model is capable of handling distributed information about land use, slope, soil and Manning’s roughness. The model is applied to the Catsop watershed in the Netherlands and the Harsul watershed in India. Remotely sensed data has been used to extract land use/land cover map of the Harsul watershed, and other thematic maps are generated using the GIS. The simulated results for both calibration and validation events are compared with the observed data for the watersheds and found to be reasonable. Statistical evaluation of model performance has been carried out. Further, a sensitivity analysis has also been carried out to study the effect of variation in model parameter values on computed volume of sediment, peak sediment and the time to peak sediment. Sensitivity analysis has also been carried out for grid size variation and time step variation of the Catsop watershed. The proposed model is useful in predicting the hydrographs and sedigraphs in the agricultural watersheds.     

喀斯特石漠化地区土地利用变化对水土流失的影响——以贵州省务川仡佬族苗族自治县为例

为了分析喀斯特石漠化地区土地利用、石漠化、水土流失空间分布与面积变化趋势,以石漠化现象较为严重的贵州省务川仡佬族苗族自治县为研究区,利用2000,2005,2010,2015年遥感影像获取务川县土地利用类型空间分布与估算石漠化等级空间分布,并运用修正的通用水土流失方程建立的喀斯特地区水土流失方程进行水土流失计算。结果表明:土地利用变化对石漠化与水土流失有显著影响,林地、草地面积的增加显著降低了水土流失量。务川县2000～2015年林地面积增加80.37 km~2,旱地面积减少91.69 km~2;2010～2015年重度石漠化面积减少263.73 km~2;2000～2015年微度侵蚀面积增加636.13 km~2,轻度侵蚀面积减少157.21 km~2,中度侵蚀面积减少356.28 km~2,强烈侵蚀面积减少111.23 km~2。务川县2000～2015年实施的退耕还林与石漠化治理工程使得水土流失现象有了明显的好转。     

The Contribution of Conservation Practices in Reducing Runoff, Soil Loss, and Transport of Nutrients at the Watershed Level

The lack of land use planning and the absence of conservation practices in a watershed can contribute to increased runoff, soil loss, and nutrient transport, which compromise the environmental quality in a watershed, especially the water resources. The objective of this study was to assess the contribution of conservation practices in reducing runoff and soil and nutrient losses using the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) in the S?o Bartolomeu Stream Watershed, which is a significant watershed in Brazil. The modeling allowed us to identify critical areas regarding sediment yield, runoff, and nutrient loss. After that, conservation practices aimed at reducing the impacts of such processes were simulated. We also identified the most sensitive model parameters to simulate changes in management practices. Simulation results showed an average annual runoff (R) of 35?mm, average annual sediment yield (SY) of 51?t ha^-1?year^-1, 3.6?t ha^-1?year^-1 of total nitrogen (TN), and 1.6?t ha^-1?year^-1 of total phosphorus (TP). When considering the adoption of conservation practices, results showed an increase in water infiltration in the watershed and reductions of 18?%, 66?%, 25?%, and 30?% for R, SY, TN, and TP, respectively. Interventions which prioritize adequate management practices can be highly efficient and avoid changes in consolidated land uses.     

东北黑土区小流域“林-旱-水”格局土壤磷空间分布特征研究

磷(P)是作物生长需要的主要营养元素之一,过量施用会导致环境污染,研究土壤P空间分布特征和驱动机制可为区域施肥和农业面源污染防控等提供参考。本文结合经典统计学和地统计学,研究了东北黑土区边缘"林地-旱地-水田"格局下不同土地利用、地形、水文、种植方式等对土壤全磷(TP)和速效磷(AP,通常用OlsenP衡量)空间分布的影响。研究表明,该地区土壤TP和AP的空间自相关程度和空间变异程度均处于中等水平,但AP空间变异程度远大于TP。TP和AP空间分布特征存在明显差异,TP在旱地与林地之间的过渡地带相对匮乏,AP在水-旱交错带区域相对富集,TP和AP含量均在流域出口处达到峰值,分别为0.8 g/kg和60 mg/kg,TP的空间分布特征指示了"旱改水"后早期侵蚀沉积效应依然存在。受土壤理化性质和侵蚀的影响,旱田土壤TP和AP含量均在平地和坡顶达到最高,坡背和坡底最低。林地TP和AP含量最低,水田TP含量高于旱地平地,但水田AP含量显著低于旱地平地。施肥(N、P)、种植方式、土地利用、侵蚀和沉积过程是影响流域尺度土壤P空间分布的主要因素,而水系、村镇空间位置关系影响不显著。当AP25 mg/kg时,流域中下游,特别是土壤P相对富集的水旱交错区、河流交汇区和流域出口区存在潜在的流失风险。