Gully Erosion Induced by Snowmelt in Northeast China: A Case Study

Jinzhong Xu, Hao Li, XiaoBing Liu, Wei Hu, Qingnan Yang, Yanfang Hao, Huaicai Zhen and Xingyi Zhang
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Jinzhong Xu: College of Forestry, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, China
Hao Li: Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Harbin 150081, China
XiaoBing Liu: Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Harbin 150081, China
Wei Hu: Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Harbin 150081, China
Qingnan Yang: Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Heilongjiang Province Hydraulic Research Institute, Harbin 150080, China
Yanfang Hao: Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Heilongjiang Province Hydraulic Research Institute, Harbin 150080, China
Huaicai Zhen: Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Harbin 150081, China
Xingyi Zhang: Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Harbin 150081, China

Sustainability, 2019, vol. 11, issue 7, 1-14

Abstract: Gully erosion stands out as one of the worst aspects of farmland degradation, which induces the loss of arable soil and tractor operation. Most of the gully erosion studies focused on the influence of precipitation erosion, slope erosion, and the freeze–thaw cycle on soil characteristics. Few studies discussed the effect of snowmelt on gully development. In this paper, the gully development induced by snowmelt was observed in a typical gully in Hailun City, the center of the Mollisols area of northeast China. The results showed that, during the snow melting period of 2017, the soil loss induced by snow melting was 0.22 t at the gully head + 0 m, 14.27 t at the gully head + 77 m, and 7.63 t at the gully head + 239 m, while 98.1% of the sediment was from the gully erosion. The horizontal projected area of the observed gully increased by 56.96 m 2 , and the gully head advanced 2.3 m during the snow melting period. About 92.2% of the total runoff occurred in the initial snow melting period. The discharge runoff and sediment concentration had a significant correlation with the air temperature above 0 °C, and the same relationship existed between the discharge runoff and sediment concentration in the initial and middle snowmelt stages. The results indicate that the gully development induced by snowmelt should not be ignored in the area.

Keywords: Mollisols; gully erosion; snowmelt; runoff and sediment; gully development; northeast China (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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