The Environmental Implications of Soil Erosion in the United States

Soil erosion has both on-farm and off-farm impacts. Reductionof soil depth can impair the lands productivity, and thetransport of sediments can degrade streams, lakes, and estuaries. Since 1933, soil conservation policies have existedin the United States. Originally they focused on the on-farmbenefits of keeping soil on the land and increasing net farmincome. Beginning in the 1980s, however, policy goalsincreasingly included reductions in off-site impacts of erosion.As a consequence of conservation efforts associated withexplicit U.S. government policies, total soil erosion between1982 and 1992 was reduced by 32% and the sheet and rillerosion rate fell from an average of 4.1 tons per acre per yearin 1982 to 3.1 tons per acre in 1992 while the wind erosion ratefell from an average of 3.3 tons per acre per year to 2.4 tonsper acre per year over the same period. Still, soil erosion isimposing substantial social costs. These costs are estimated tobe about $37.6 billion annually. To further reduce soil erosionand thereby mitigate its social costs, there are a number ofpolicy options available to induce farmers to adopt conservationpractices including education and technical assistance, financial assistance, research and development, land retirement, andregulation and taxes.     

黄土高原丘陵沟壑区坡面-沟道系统中的高含沙水流(Ⅱ)--泥沙存储-释放及降雨、径流特征的影响

以黄河中游多沙粗沙区子洲径流站和离石王家沟试验站的径流场观测资料为基础，对黄土高原丘陵沟壑区坡沟系统中高含沙水流特征进行了研究。研究表明，在坡面-沟道系统中，存在着泥沙的存贮-释放机制，这一机制与非高含沙水流和高含沙水流不同的输沙行为有关。当水流为非高含沙水流时，来自坡面和悬移质泥沙中的粗粒部分可在沟道中发生沉积；当为高含沙水流时，前期沉积的粗粒泥沙将因沟道高含沙水流强烈的侵蚀搬运作用而发生释放。降雨对坡沟系统高含沙水流的形成关系密切。在冲沟次降雨最大含沙量与雨强的关系中，表现出两个临界值。超过第一个临界值以后，含沙量急剧增大；超过第二个临界值之后，则出现极限含沙量，即含沙量不再随雨强的增大而增大。     

河流泥沙灾害损失评估

河流泥沙灾害有河道，水库淤积、土地沙化、湖泊、城市或建筑物淤积及工程设施被冲刷破坏等表现形式。中国是河流泥沙灾害最严重的国家，每年河流泥沙造成的损失在100亿元量级，其中因河道泥沙淤积造成的损失约20亿元，土地沙化损失在10亿元左右，河流泥沙造成的其它灾害也很严重。     

Soil erosion under different vegetation covers in the Venezuelan Andes

This comparative study of soil erosion considered different environments in an ecological unit of the Venezuelan Andes. The soils belong to an association of typic palehumults and humic dystrudepts. Soil losses were quantified by using erosion plots in areas covered by four types of vegetation, including both natural and cultivated environments. The highest soil erosion rate evaluated corresponded to horticultural crops in rotation: reaching a value of 22 Mg ha^–1 per year. For apple tree (Malus sylvestris Miller) plots, soil losses reached values of 1.96 Mg ha^–1 per year. Losses from pasture (Pennisetum clandestinum Hochst. ex Chiov.) plots, without livestock grazing, were as high as 1.11 Mg ha^–1 during the second year of the experiment. The highest soil losses generated from plots under natural forest were equal to 0.54 Mg ha^–1 per year. Environmental factors such as total and effective rainfall, runoff, and some soil characteristics as those related to soil losses by water erosion were evaluated. The type of management applied to each site under different land use type and the absence of conservation practices explain, to a large extent, the erosive processes and mechanisms.     

QUANTIFICATION OF INCISED CHANNEL EVOLUTION AND EQUILIBRIUM1

ABSTRACT: Incised channels are caused by an imbalance between sediment transport capacity and sediment supply that alters channel morphology through bed and bank erosion. Consistent sequential changes in incised channel morphology may be quantified and used to develop relationships describing quasi‐equilibrium conditions in these channels. We analyzed the hydraulic characteristics of streams in the Yazoo River Basin, Mississippi in various stages of incised channel evolution. The hydraulic characteristics of incising channels were observed to follow the sequence predicted by previous conceptual models of incised channel response. Multiple regression models of stable slopes in quasi‐equilibrium channels that have completed a full evolutionary sequence were developed. These models compare favorably with analytical solutions based on the extremal hypothesis of minimum stream power and empirical relationships from other regions. Appropriate application of these empirical relationships may be useful in preliminary design of stream rehabilitation strategies.     

SOIL EROSION AND GROUND WATER POLLUTION TRADEOFFS FOR NONIRRIGATED FARMING SYSTEMS1

ABSTRACT: Traditional focus on reducing one environmental externality may cause another externality to increase. This article examines the environmental and economic costs of abating soil loss and (or) nitrate leaching through alternative optimal production systems in the nonirrigated farming systems of Northeastern Oregon. Models estimating soil loss and nitrate‐nitrogen leaching rates associated with current production processes, are linked to a Multi‐Objective Programming (MOP) model. The results show that site specific conditions influence the level of abatement expenditures and optimal production strategies to reduce soil loss and leaching rates. Moreover, while existing production strategies are effective in reducing soil loss at little cost, no strategies could be identified to reduce nitrate leaching rate on some soils.     

ASSESSMENT USING GIS AND SEDIMENT ROUTING OF THE PROPOSED REMOVAL OF BALLVILLE DAM,SANDUSKY RIVER,OHIO1

ABSTRACT: The proposed removal of Ballville Dam was assessed by (1) using a new Geographic Information Systems (GIS) based method for calculating reservoir sediment storage, (2) evaluating sediment properties and contamination from core data, and (3) assessing downstream impacts from sediment routing calculations. A 1903 (pre‐dam) map was manipulated using GIS to recreate the reservoir bathymetry at time of dam construction and used in combination with a detailed 1993 bathymetric survey to calculate sediment volumes and thickness. Reservoir sediment properties and geochemistry were determined from 14 sediment vibracores. Annual sedimentation rates varied from 1.7 to 4.3 g/cm²/yr based on Cesium‐137 (¹³⁷Cs) and Lead‐210 (²¹⁰Pb) geochronology and dated flood layers. The pore fluid geochemistry (Ba, Co, Cu, Mn) of four cores showed surficial enrichments in Cu, while Co and Mn show secondary peaks within the sediments. GIS calculations showed that a designed channel through the former reservoir able to accommodate the 10 percent Probable Maximum Flood (PMF) would require removing approximately 0.35 million m³ of sediment (27 percent of the reservoir fill), either by dredging at a cost of up to $6.3 million or by releasing fine grained sediment downstream. A sediment routing model was applied for the critical 6 km downstream using four cross sections. The sediment routing model predicts that, for flows exceeding minimum Mean Daily Flow (1924 to 1998 data), greater than 90 percent of this sediment would be transported through downstream reaches into Lake Erie (Sandusky Bay).     

滨海电厂的景观美化与生态环境建设

以拟建的深圳某电厂为研究对象，从美化景观、生态环境改善、水土保持、防灾浅灾、提高人与自然的亲和性等角度出发，提出了具体的绿化、美化建设方案。     

RUNOFF AND SEDIMENT RESPONSES TO CONSERVATION PRACTICES: LOESS PLATEAU OF CHINA1

ABSTRACT: Soil erosion is the most significant threat to land productivity and environmental quality on the Loess Plateau of China. The annual total sediment load of the Yellow River is 1.6 billion tons, with about 90 percent coming from soil erosion from the Loess Plateau. To reduce soil erosion from the Loess Plateau, conservation practices, including tree planting, ridge construction between fields and around gullies, terrace and ditch construction perpendicular to the main slope, and dam construction are being implemented. An evaluation of these conservation practices is required before they are implemented at the large scale. The objective of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of conservation practices to control runoff and sediment yield from paired watersheds in the hilly gully region of the Loess Plateau. The advantage of the paired watershed approach is its sensibility in detecting differences in runoff and sediment transport by monitoring both watersheds during two periods, an initial period with no conservation practices and a treatment period with only one watershed subjected to conservation practices. Implementation of the conservation practices resulted in (1) cumulative runoff and sediment yield that were, respectively, 25 and 38 percent less from the treatment watershed than from the control, (2) a decrease in the number of rainfall events producing runoff and sediment transport (94 in the control versus 63 in treatment), and (3) a reduction in the maximum discharge and maximum suspended sediment concentration.     

负压蒸发法处理生活垃圾填埋场渗滤液

针对渗滤液蒸发处理的工艺发展,结合法国某填埋场的运行实践,着重对一种新型的渗滤液蒸发处理工艺——负压蒸发技术作了技术与特性分析,认为该工艺解决了传统蒸发工艺中普遍存在的设备腐蚀问题,同时所需的加热源能位较低、能量经济性好;负压蒸发出水水质可满足直接排入城市污水厂的要求,经膜处理后可达到回用水质水平。