| Title: | Impacts of rainfall, soil type, and land-use change on soil erosion in the Liusha River watershed |
| Authors: | Zhang, S., Y. Li, W. Fan and Y. Yi |
| Year: | 2017 |
| Journal: | Journal of Hydrologic Engineering |
| Volume (Issue): | 22(4) |
| Pages: | |
| Article ID: | 04016062 |
| DOI: | 10.1061/(ASCE)HE.1943-5584.0001479 |
| URL (non-DOI journals): | |
| Model: | SWAT |
| Broad Application Category: | hydrologic and pollutant |
| Primary Application Category: | land use change assessment |
| Secondary Application Category: | sediment loss and transport |
| Watershed Description: | 1,150 km^2 Liusha River, a tributary of the Dadu River located in Sichuan Province in south central China. |
| Calibration Summary: | |
| Validation Summary: | |
| General Comments: | |
| Abstract: | To assess the impacts of rainfall and land-use changes on soil erosion, the Liusha River watershed in China was chosen as a case
study for its representative topography and climate. Investigations were conducted using the soil and water assessment tool (SWAT) model
and maps of land-use and soil types, together with meteorological data from six gauging stations. The Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency Ens (0.84 and
0.75), correlation coefficient R2 (0.93 and 0.90), and percent bias (PBIAS) (+13.36 and −34.88%) values attained during the calibration
(1985–1994) and validation periods (1995–2006), respectively, indicate that the SWAT can be used in this area to simulate the average annual
soil erosion under different land-use scenarios. Two scenarios of land-use change, namely the conversion of farmland to forest and the
conversion of grassland to farmland, were used to estimate runoff and sediment yield under typical rainfall conditions. In both land-use
change scenarios, the value of sediment-yield change caused by land-use change increased with rain intensity, while the rate of sediment yield
change remained unchanged. Of the different soil types investigated, the greatest variation in sediment yield caused by land-use change
occurred where loess is the underlying surface. Red soil shows the next greatest variation, followed by black and finally purple soil. The sensitivity of the four soils to the rate of sediment-yield variations is the opposite, with purple soil being the most sensitive, followed by red then black soils, and loess displaying the least sensitivity. The results of this study provide a reference that can assist in the evaluation of benefits of soil conservation projects in different regions and inform investment decisions. |
| Language: | English |
| Keywords: | Soil erosion; Land-use change; Rainfall intensity; Soil type. |