The Effect of Soil Surface Mounds and Depressions on Runoff

Xinlan Liang, Jiawei Feng, Zhixin Ye, Lei Zhang, Jidong Li, Xiuyuan Lu, Sixiang Zhao, Qi Liu, Zicheng Zheng and Yong Wang ()
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Xinlan Liang: College of Water Conservancy and Hydropower Engineering, Sichuan Agricultural University, Ya’an 625014, China
Jiawei Feng: College of Water Conservancy and Hydropower Engineering, Sichuan Agricultural University, Ya’an 625014, China
Zhixin Ye: College of Water Conservancy and Hydropower Engineering, Sichuan Agricultural University, Ya’an 625014, China
Lei Zhang: College of Water Conservancy and Hydropower Engineering, Sichuan Agricultural University, Ya’an 625014, China
Jidong Li: College of Water Conservancy and Hydropower Engineering, Sichuan Agricultural University, Ya’an 625014, China
Xiuyuan Lu: College of Water Conservancy and Hydropower Engineering, Sichuan Agricultural University, Ya’an 625014, China
Sixiang Zhao: College of Water Conservancy and Hydropower Engineering, Sichuan Agricultural University, Ya’an 625014, China
Qi Liu: College of Water Conservancy and Hydropower Engineering, Sichuan Agricultural University, Ya’an 625014, China
Zicheng Zheng: College of Resources, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China
Yong Wang: College of Forestry, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 15, issue 1, 1-16

Abstract: Surface mounds and depressions are the basic patterns of microtopography. Their geometric forms and physical properties affect rainfall infiltration, runoff generation and runoff confluence process. In this study, soil beds were set up with seven different types of microtopography to study the effects of surface mounds and depressions on runoff. They were the control check (CK), alternate mounds (AM), continuous mounds (CM), alternate depressions (AD), continuous depressions (CD), alternate mounds and depressions (AMD) and continuous mounds and depressions (CMD). There was only one microtopography type for monomorphic surface relief (MSR) while two for compound surface relief (CSR). All soil beds were exposed under 60, 90 or 120 mm/h rainfall intensity for 90 min. The main results are as follows: surface mounds could promote surface runoff, triggering and shortening runoff generation time, while surface depressions showed contrary results. Whether there was an interval between mounds or depressions also affected the characteristics of runoff. The runoff generation time was 3.8–5.0 times higher for continuous slope than for interval slope, while the runoff yield and runoff coefficient both decreased by approximately 40%. CSR can significantly neutralize the flow-promoting effects of the mounds and the flow-inhibiting effects of the depressions, making the runoff yield and runoff process present a neutral state between the mounds and depressions. CSR prolongs runoff generation time from 1–10 min of MSR to 5–16 min. The runoff yield of CSR presented as 0.12, between 0.17 for mounds and 0.10 for depressions, and so did the runoff coefficient and hydrodynamic parameters. In addition, with rainfall intensity increased, the runoff pattern of CSR and MSR became more similar to each other, and the retarding effects of topography on overland flow were more effective.

Keywords: microrelief; interaction; monomorphic surface relief; compound surface relief; hydrodynamic characteristics (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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