ROLE OF EROSION PROCESSES IN TRANSFER OF RADIONUCLIDES: RESULTS OF FIELD EXPERIMENTS1

ABSTRACT: An experimental one-year fieldwork has been conducted in the vicinity of the Chernobyl NPP, within an agricultural watershed, to study the transfer of radionuclides brought into the environment by the disaster of 1986. Presented are results of observation of the washout of ¹³⁷Cs from the runoff plot both in natural conditions and under artificial rainfalls. Beside traditional hydro-logical methods, new techniques were used allowing to consider microtopographical peculiarities of the runoff plot and their role in the redistribution of radionuclides. The estimate of the annual mass balance for the soil and the radionuclides within the runoff plot has shown that, regardless of significant areal variation of their concentration, the ¹³⁷Cs washout with the solid runoff resulted from artificial rainfalls amounts to some 1 percent of its reserves in the uppermost 5 cm of the topsoil. The same parameter for the natural runoff is lower by an order of magnitude. Both these factors of self-purification are about two times less than natural radioactive decay of ¹³⁷Cs.     

“R1-R4” AND “BOISED” SEDIMENT PREDICTION MODEL TESTS USING FOREST ROADS IN GRANITICS1

ABSTRACT: Erosion and sedimentation data from research watersheds in the Silver Creek Study Area in central Idaho were used to test the prediction of logging road erosion using the R1-R4 sediment yield model, and sediment delivery using the “BOISED” sediment yield prediction model. Three small watersheds were instrumented and monitored such that erosion from newly constructed roads and sediment delivery to the mouths of the watersheds could be measured for four years following road construction. The errors for annual surface erosion predictions for the two standard road tests ranged from +31.2 t/ha/yr (+15 percent) to -30.3 t/ha/yr (-63 percent) with an average of zero t/ha/yr and a standard deviation of the differences of 18.7 t/ha/yr. The annual prediction errors for the three watershed scale tests had a greater range from -40.8 t/ha/yr (-70 percent) to +65.3 t/ha/yr (+38 percent) with a mean of -1.9 t/ha/yr and a standard deviation of the differences of 25.2 t/ha/yr. Sediment yields predicted by BOISED (watershed scale tests) were consistently greater (average of 2.5 times) than measured sediment yields. Hillslope sediment delivery coefficients in BOISED appear to be overly conservative to account for average site conditions and road locations, and thus over-predict sediment delivery. Mass erosion predictions from BOISED appear to predict volume well (465 tonnes actual versus 710 tonnes predicted, or a 35 percent difference) over 15 to 20 years, however mass wasting is more episodic than the model predicts.     

EVALUATION OF ROSGEN'S STREAMBANK EROSION POTENTIAL ASSESSMENT IN NORTHEAST OKLAHOMA1

ABSTRACT: In this study three components of the Rosgen Level III Stream Reach Condition Assessment were tested for their ability to predict short-term erosion rates. Rosgen's bank erosion potential (BEP) ratings and near bank stress (NBS) estimates and the Pfankuch channel stability ratings were evaluated. Thirty-six banks with a range of BEP ratings and NBS estimates were selected on the 101 km Upper Illinois River in northeast Oklahoma. The Upper Illinois River is a meandering, gravel-dominated, riffle/pool channel. Cumulative erosion data measured with bank pins after four 2.0 to 2.5-year return period flows from September 1996 to July 1997 were used in the analyses. When integrated as indicated in Rosgen (1996), the BEP indices and NBS estimates were poor predictors of bank erosion. Individually, the grouped BEP ratings and Pfankuch ratings performed relatively well compared to grouped NBS estimates in predicting erosion; however, the variability of erosion was large within each rating group. Linear regression between erosion and BEP numerical indices and Pfankuch scores was significant (a = 0.05), but variability was high (illustrated by low r² values). Regression between erosion and NBS estimates was not significant.     

EROSION ON LOGGING ROADS IN REDWOOD CREEK,NORTHWESTERN CALIFORNIA1

Road-related erosion was estimated by measuring 100 randomly located plots on a 180 km road network in the middle reach of R'dwood Creek in northwestern California. The estimated erosion ratn of 177 m³ km^-1 was contrasted with two earlier studies in nearby parts of the same watershed. A sizable proportion of the great reduction in erosion from that reported in the earlier studies is attributed to changes in forest practice rules. Those changes have resulted in better placement and sizing of culverts and, especially, to less reliance on culverts to handle runoff from logging roads.     

珠海市坡地开垦引发的水土流失及其防治措施

珠海市被地开垦侵蚀的面积为756．82hm2,主要分布于西区斗门县的乾务、五山、斗门等镇,以及平沙区、三灶区等地海拔10～50m、坡度大于10的丘陵台地;侵蚀强度以中度侵蚀为主．平均侵蚀模数2380t／（km2·a）。造成坡地开垦侵蚀的主要原因是开垦利用过程中水土保持措施没有跟上,选择的坡地坡度过大,本文针对珠海市坡地开垦侵蚀的特点,建议采用等高绿篱耕作、山边沟技术、复合农村技术等几项坡地水土保持措施。     

从长江洪水看土壤环境保护的重要性

从１９９８ 年长江流域发生的特大洪水说起,分析从汉代到清末２０００ 年间及近４０ 年来长江流域水旱灾害的变化趋势,认为造成长江洪水灾害的原因主要是气候异常,但也与生态环境遭到破坏有关,其中土壤侵蚀、水土流失是最重要的因素。探讨了防治长江水患的对策;基于对土壤的吸水和贮水功能主要靠地被层和土壤有机质层,而水土流失是从植被破坏、地被层消失开始的,以及对古今治水、治土正反两个方面的认识,提出了治水的同时应治土的观点及５ 条有效的途径。     

长江口没冒沙演变过程及其对水库工程的响应

研究南槽没冒沙演变规律,可以为筑库引淡蓄水工程建设提供科学依据。根据该海区近百年来各个时期的海图和20年来的实测水文泥沙等资料以及2003、2004年的现场观测数据,探讨了没冒沙的形成及形成后的演变过程。研究表明：没冒沙的形成和发育经历了局部边滩冲刷、边滩沙嘴发育和沙脊形成3个阶段;近半个世纪来,沙体中轴位置在稳定强劲的涨落潮流作用下呈现出西北—东南走向的良好的稳定性,具有潮流脊性质。而蓄淡水库工程建设将有可能使南槽成为适应进出水沙量的新型河槽。     

伊犁河流域水污染及水土流失防治调查

通过对伊犁河流域现状和存在问题的分析 ,针对性地提出了保护伊犁河流域的综合治理措施     

长江上游水土流失成因及治理模式研究--以重庆市城口县为例

水土保持工作是一项直接关系三峡工程和“南水北调”工程的重要工作,也是西部生态环境建设的重要内容之一。以“长治”工程重点县——城口县为例,研究其水土流失成因及治理模式。该县位于重庆市最北端,既是“长治”工程重点县,也是“南水北调”工程中线引水方案丹江口水库上游水土保持工作重点县。该县水土流失比较严重,流失面积高达1 728.67 km\+2,占全县土地总面积的52.61%。造成水土流失的主要原因既有自然因素,又有人为因素,但其资源相当丰富,为水土流失治理模式提供了较好的基础条件。在分析其水土流失成因基础上,结合该县的资源优势和实际情况,提出其水土流失治理的模式和途径,以期进一步推进该县生态环境建设、加强水土保持工作,为长江上游贫困山区县的水土保持工作探索比较合适的模式和途径。     

黄土高原滑坡及其利用的探讨

黄土高原滑坡是十分严重的自然灾害,往往能给人民生命财产造成极大损失,又是黄土高原严重水土流失的主要产沙方式。如何变害为利,利用滑坡天然聚湫以及利用滑坡机理,发展人工滑坡,促进水保、治理沟谷,发展农业生产是黄土高原研究的新课题。