Effects of freeze-thaw on soil erosion processes and sediment selectivity under simulated rainfall

Abstract

The freeze-thaw (FT) processes affect an area of 46.3% in China. It is essential for soil and water conservation and ecological construction to elucidate the mechanisms of the FT processes and its associated soil erosion processes. In this research, we designed the control simulation experiments to promote the understanding of FT-water combined erosion processes. The results showed that the runoff of freeze-thaw slope (FTS) decreased by 8% compared to the control slope (CS), and the total sediment yield of the FTS was 1.10 times that of the CS. The sediment yield rate from the FTS was significantly greater than that from the CS after 9 min of runoff (P<0.01). Both in FTS and CS treatments, the relationships between cumulative runoff and sediment yield can be fitted well with power functions (R 2 >0.98, P<0.01). Significant differences in the mean weight diameter (MWD) values of particles were observed for washed particles and splashed particles between the CS and the FTS treatments in the erosion process (P<0.05). The mean MWD values under CS were smaller than those under FTS for both washed and splashed particles. The ratio of the absolute value of a regression coefficient between the CS and the FTS was 1.15, being roughly correspondent with the ratio of K between the two treatments. Therefore, the parameter a of the power function between cumulative runoff and sediment yield could be an acceptable indicator for expressing the soil erodibility. In conclusion, the FTS exhibited an increase in soil erosion compared to the CS. Citation: WANG Tian, LI Peng, REN Zongping, XU Guoce, LI Zhanbin, YANG Yuanyuan, TANG Shanshan, YAO Jingwei. 2017. Effects of freeze-thaw on soil erosion processes and sediment selectivity under simulated rainfall. Journal of Arid Land, 9(2): 234-243.

Experimental Study of Freeze-Thaw/Water Compound Erosion and Hydraulic Conditions as Affected by Thawed Depth on Loessal Slope

“…The erodibility value of unit stream power was larger and the critical unit stream power value was smaller than for previously conducted studies (Wang et al, 2017(Wang et al, , 2020. This can be attributed to freeze-thawed soil being more easily eroded (Cuomo et al, 2016;Zi et al, 2016).…”

“…Seasonal freeze-thaw (FT) influences soil physical characteristics, such as soil bulk density (Li et al, 2013;Li and Fan, 2014), erodibility (Wang et al, 2017;Cheng et al, 2018), aggregates (Edwards, 2013;Xiao et al, 2019), and water content (Ala et al, 2016;Wang et al, 2019), which make the soil more susceptible to erosion under compound forces (Edwards, 2013;Li and Fan, 2014). As more snow and glaciers melt due to global warming, soil erosion is continually worsening (Ragettli et al, 2015;Wang et al, 2020).…”

Freeze-Thaw Induced Gully Erosion: A Long-Term High-Resolution Analysis

“…[24,25]. Laboratory simulations to predict freeze-thaw induced erosion have mentioned physical conditions; however, laboratory studies are mostly associated with boundary conditions different from the actual field environment [25][26][27]. A few field studies have investigated the interaction of snow cover, air temperature, and soil freeze-thaw; and concluded, in addition to the mentioned governing factors, that regional climate influences the rate of erosion [28,29].…”

Response of the Meltwater Erosion to Runoff Energy Consumption on Loessal Slopes

“…Previously frozen soil is highly susceptible to riling even from low intensity rainfall and runoff [29], which could occur during much of the Prince Edward Island cool period [62]. Under the same flow conditions, the thawed soil rill transports more sediment than the unfrozen soil rill [6,60]. However, the soil erosion rate on the shallow-thawed slope becomes stronger than that on other slopes at 4 L/min.…”

“…The Loess Plateau in northwestern China is suffering from a serious soil erosion problem [1][2][3]. Freeze-thaw (FT) erosion, resulting from melted water, is one of the most important erosion types on the Loess Plateau [4][5][6]. Compound erosion of freeze-thaw and meltwater strips the soil particles from the soil surface on hillslopes, and then moves them into the river [7].…”