Assessment of Soil and Water Conservation Practices in the Loess Hilly Region Using a Coupled Rainfall-Runoff-Erosion Model

Mengfan Cai, Chunjiang An, Christophe Guy and Chen Lu
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Mengfan Cai: Department of Building, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Concordia University, Montreal, QC H3G 1M8, Canada
Chunjiang An: Department of Building, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Concordia University, Montreal, QC H3G 1M8, Canada
Christophe Guy: Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, Concordia University, Montreal, QC H3G 1M8, Canada
Chen Lu: Institute for Energy, Environment and Sustainable Communities, University of Regina, Regina, SK S4S 0A2, Canada

Sustainability, 2020, vol. 12, issue 3, 1-18

Abstract: Soil and water conservation practices (SWCPs) are widely used to control soil and water loss. Quantifying the effect of SWCPs and climate change on soil and water erosion is important for regional environmental management. In this study, the Soil Conservation Service Curve Number (SCS-CN) and the Modified Universal Soil Loss Equation (MUSLE) were employed to investigate the patterns of surface runoff and soil erosion with different SWCPs in the hilly region on the Loess Plateau of China. The impact of climate change under RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 emission scenarios was considered from 2020 to 2050. Surface runoff grew with the increased rainfall and rainfall erosivity, while soil erosion presented large variations between years due to uneven distribution of rainfall and rainfall erosivity under two scenarios. Different SWCPs significantly reduced surface soil and water loss. Compared with bare slopes, the reduction rates were 15–40% for surface runoff and 35–67% for soil erosion under RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 emission scenarios, respectively. The combination of shrub and horizontal terracing was recommended due to its low water cost for sediment control among seven SWCPs.

Keywords: soil and water conservation practices; soil erosion; surface runoff; water cost for sediment control; MUSLE; SCS-CN; climate change (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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