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• The runoff, sediment load and runoff erosion power decreased significantly. • Compared with runoff, runoff erosion power-sediment relationship is better. • The power function of runoff erosion power and sediment is better than linear. • Erosion in particular geographic locations responds strongly to runoff erosion power. In recent years, the acceleration of urbanization in the Yangtze River Economic Belt (YREB) has brought about problems such as soil erosion, ecosystem degradation and decline in ecological service functions. Therefore, this paper selects the Fujiang River Basin (FRB) in Upper Yangtze River (UYR), and analyzes the relationship between runoff erosion power (REP) and sediment transport (ST) on the basis of analyzing the variation characteristics of hydrological elements. Based on SWAT model, a variety of scenarios are set up to quantitatively analyze the impact of different land use changes on runoff and ST and REP in the basin. The results indicated that: (1) The annual precipitation in FRB from 1960 to 2018 did not change significantly, while the annual runoff, annual ST and annual REP decreased significantly. Compared with runoff and runoff depth, the relationship between sediment transport modulus (STM) and REP is the best, especially the power function between them is better than the linear function. (2) The results of the evaluation indexes of the simulation results of the SWAT model based on the measured runoff and sediment data from 2008 to 2018 are pass and above, that is, the simulation results are considered reliable. (3) Under the five scenarios of conversion of sloping farmland to forest, conversion of dry land to paddy field and conversion of grassland to bushland and forest land, the runoff and ST in the basin decreased but the overall range was small. The simulation results of SWAT model show that the erosion of specific areas in the basin shows the greatest degree of weakening with the decrease of REP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Instream wood in steep headwater streams impacts channel morphology and sediment fluxes via the development of log steps and related sediment storage. I investigated detailed characteristics of 73 log steps in managed temperate Carpathian forests and assessed channel- and wood-based thresholds for log step development. The limited recruitment of wood from managed forests was apparent in the low frequency of log steps (an average of 1.3 steps per 100 m channel length) in bedload-dominated channels when compared to temperate and boreal old-growth forests, and an even lower number of log steps was observed in streams recently affected by debris flows or hyperconcentrated flows. The upstream threshold of log step occurrence can be assigned to those locations in stream longitudinal profiles, where transport capacity during ordinary high flows exceeds the critical value for the initiation of bedload movement. Downstream thresholds are controlled by stream transport capacity and wood dimensions, which correspond to the limited recruitment of large wood pieces in managed forests. All log steps were found in contributing basin areas smaller than 1 km2, and the majority of log steps (93.1%) originated in channels less than two metres in width. The development of a log step at a particular channel width or basin area was controlled by the wood length, but the resultant step parameters (step height and width, length of upstream sedimentary wedge and volume of stored sediments) were better correlated with wood diameter. The parameters of horizontal and vertical wood orientation had less importance in the development of a log step or its dimensions. Wood pieces shorter than 4 m in length accounted for 72.2% of the step-forming pieces, and the maximal diameter was less than 0.1 m for 20.5% of the pieces. These findings show the significance of relatively small wood pieces in log step development and sediment routing in steep headwater streams; the average sediment storage generated by a log step was 0.51 m3. The support of log step development and their preservation in headwater streams draining managed forests represents an alternative low-cost approach for sediment management at the basin scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Aeolian processes are of particular importance in dryland ecosystems where ground cover is inherently sparse because of limited precipitation. Dryland ecosystems include grassland, shrubland, savanna, woodland, and forest, and can be viewed collectively as a continuum of woody plant cover spanning from grasslands with no woody plant cover up to forests with nearly complete woody plant cover. Along this continuum, the spacing and shape of woody plants determine the spatial density of roughness elements, which directly affects aeolian sediment transport. Despite the extensiveness of dryland ecosystems, studies of aeolian sediment transport have generally focused on agricultural fields, deserts, or highly disturbed sites where rates of transport are likely to be greatest. Until recently, few measurements have been made of aeolian sediment transport over multiple wind events and across a variety of types of dryland ecosystems. To evaluate potential trends in aeolian sediment transport as a function of woody plant cover, estimates of aeolian sediment transport from recently published studies, in concert with rates from four additional locations (two grassland and two woodland sites), are reported here. The synthesis of these reports leads to the development of a new conceptual framework for aeolian sediment transport in dryland ecosystems along the grassland–forest continuum. The findings suggest that: (1) for relatively undisturbed ecosystems, shrublands have inherently greater aeolian sediment transport because of wake interference flow associated with intermediate levels of density and spacing of woody plants; and (2) for disturbed ecosystems, the upper bound for aeolian sediment transport decreases as a function of increasing amounts of woody plant cover because of the effects of the height and density of the canopy on airflow patterns and ground cover associated with woody plant cover. Consequently, aeolian sediment transport following disturbance spans the largest range of rates in grasslands and associated systems with no woody plants (e.g., agricultural fields), an intermediate range in shrublands, and a relatively small range in woodlands and forests. These trends are consistent with previous observations relating large rates of wind erosion to intermediate values for spatial density of roughness elements. The framework for aeolian sediment transport, which is also relevant to dust fluxes, wind erosion, and related aeolian processes, is applicable to a diverse suite of environmental challenges, including land degradation and desertification, dust storms, contaminant transport, and alterations of the hydrological cycle. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Information on post-fire sediment and nutrient redistribution is required to underpin post-fire catchment management decisions. Fallout radionuclide budgets (210Pbxs, 137Cs and 7Be) were derived to quantify soil redistribution and sediment yield in forested terrain following a moderately severe wildfire in a small (89 ha) water supply catchment in SE Australia. Application of these techniques in burnt terrain requires careful consideration of the partitioning of radionuclides between organic and mineral soil components. Beryllium-7 and 210Pbxs were shown to be closely associated with ash, litter and soil organic matter whereas 137Cs was more closely associated with subsurface coarse mineral soil. Comparison of the three tracer budgets indicated that the dominant sediment source areas were ridgetops and steep valley sideslopes, from which burnt surface material was conveyed to the stream network via pre-existing gullies. Erosion was predominantly driven by sheetwash, enhanced by soil water repellency, and modified by bioturbation which both supplies subsurface sediment and provides sinks for erosive overland flow. Footslope and riparian zones were not important sediment source areas. The estimated event-based (wildfire and subsequent rainfall) sediment yield is 58±25 t km−2, based on fallout 7Be measurements. The upper estimate of total particulate phosphorus yield (0.70 kg ha−1) is more than 10 times that at equivalent unburnt sites. This illustrates that, soon after fire, burnt eucalypt forest can produce nutrient loads similar to those of agricultural catchments. The tracer budgets indicate that wildfire is an important control on sediment and phosphorus inputs to the stream network over the decadal timeframe and the pulsed nature of this release is an important concern for water quality management. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]