Quantitatively Partitioning Organic Carbon Loss by Interrill and Rill Erosion on The Loess Slope
Author:
Affiliation:

Clc Number:

S157.1

Fund Project:

Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China ( Nos. 41877080,42177338 ) and Loess Plateau Ecological Restoration Innovation Team, Shaanxi Academy of Forestry(No.SXLK2020-03-02).

  • Article
  • |
  • Figures
  • |
  • Metrics
  • |
  • Reference
  • |
  • Related
  • |
  • Cited by
  • |
  • Materials
  • |
  • Comments
    Abstract:

    【Objective】The differences in soil detachment and transport mechanisms between interrill and rill erosion lead to the differences in organic carbon loss by interrill and rill erosion. However, few studies have explored the effects and contributions of interrill and rill erosion on organic carbon loss during the erosion process because of the limitation of research methods. Successful use of the radionuclide 7Be to document soil erosion provides a means of addressing this need. Thus, the objectives of this study were to first estimate the contribution of interrill and rill erosion to sediment yield and then quantitatively explore the effects and contributions of interrill and rill erosion on organic carbon loss in the loess slope. 【Method】Simulated rainfall experiments with five slope gradients(5°, 10°, 15°, 20°, 25° and 30°) were conducted under different rainfall intensities in the field to investigate soil and organic carbon loss and 7Be tracing technology was used to quantify the contribution rate of interrill and rill erosion on sediment yield and organic carbon loss for the loess slope.【Result】Interrill erosion is the main and the relative contribution of interrill erosion on sediment yield was 86% on the 5° plot. However, rill erosion dominated on the plots with a gradient greater than 5°. The relative contribution of rill erosion on sediment yield ranged from 61% to 71% and could even reach 96% during the rainfall. The average enrichment ratio of organic carbon of sediment from the entire plot and the interrill area was 1.16±0.15 and 1.50±0.50, respectively, during the rainfall. Also, the enrichment could increase the organic carbon loss rate from 0.008 to 0.028 g·m-2·min-1. In addition, the relative contribution of rill erosion to organic carbon loss was between 55% and 62% on plots with a gradient greater than 5° and was lower than those of rill erosion to sediment production, but still dominant. Sediment yield from the entire plot and the interrill area could respectively explain 97% and 89% of the variations of organic carbon loss from the entire plot and interrill area. 【Conclusion】The organic carbon enrichment ratio had lesser effects on organic carbon loss when rill erosion occurred severely. Sediment yield determined the amount of organic carbon loss and severe rill erosion could enhance the enrichment ratio of organic carbon of sediment from the interrill area.

    Reference
    Related
    Cited by
Get Citation

ZHANG Fengbao, LI Xuantian, SHEN Nan, YANG Mingyi. Quantitatively Partitioning Organic Carbon Loss by Interrill and Rill Erosion on The Loess Slope[J]. Acta Pedologica Sinica,2023,60(5):1398-1408.

Copy
Share
Article Metrics
  • Abstract:
  • PDF:
  • HTML:
  • Cited by:
History
  • Received:January 29,2022
  • Revised:June 27,2022
  • Adopted:August 18,2022
  • Online: August 19,2022
  • Published: September 28,2023