Effects of rainfall intensity, underlying surface and slope gradient on soil infiltration under simulated rainfall experiments

Knowledge of infiltration patterns and process is very important in understanding and managing slope hydrological processes, crop irrigation, soil erosion, and so on. This paper describes a study in which simulated rainfall events were used to study the effects of various factors (vegetation cover, rainfall intensity, and slope angle) on the soil moisture increase after rainfall and the infiltration recharge coefficient. Soils hosting three different plants (purple medic, PM; spring wheat, SW; and ryegrass, RS) were considered, along with bare soil (BL). These soil surfaces were tested with four different slopes (8.8, 17.6, 26.8 and 36.4%) and subjected to five different rainfall intensities (0.5.0.75, 1.0, 1.5 and 2.0 mm min(-1)). The following key results were obtained: (1) The water distribution in BL boxes differed significantly from that in boxes with vegetation cover, but all boxes with vegetation cover exhibited similar distributions. Vegetation cover significantly increased the depth of the wetting front: under very similar conditions, the wetting front in the RS box reached a depth of more than 35 cm, while that in the BL box reached only 25 cm. (2) Vegetation cover (especially ryegrass) yielded a greater soil moisture increase than did bare land. The overall average soil moisture increase for RS boxes was 36.7 +/- 5.1 mm, about twice than that of BL (3) The water storage after rain across the whole soil profile initially increased and then decreased as the rainfall intensity rose. No differences in the average soil water content increase were found between various rainfall intensities. (4) As the slope increased from 8.8% to 36.4%, the water storage increase initially rose but then fell sharply. There were significant differences (p = 0.05) between the water storage increases for gradual slopes (8.8 and 17.6%) and steep slopes (26.8 and 3.4%). (5) The recharge coefficient increased with increasing vegetation cover but decreased with increasing rainfall intensity, slope gradient, and initial soil water content. The average value for boxes with vegetation cover was 1.5 times that for BL boxes. The vegetation cover was the most important factor in determining the recharge coefficient. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

[1]  P. Podwojewski,et al.  Runoff and soil erosion under rainfall simulation of Andisols from the Ecuadorian Páramo: effect of tillage and burning , 2001 .

[2]  A. Ringrose-Voase,et al.  EFFECTS OF CRUST DEVELOPMENT AND SURFACE SLOPE ON EROSION BY RAINFALL , 1992 .

[3]  J. Nicolau,et al.  Water-related ecological impacts of rill erosion processes in Mediterranean-dry reclaimed slopes , 2011 .

[4]  K. Beven,et al.  Macropores and water flow in soils , 1982 .

[5]  A. Navas,et al.  Design and operation of a rainfall simulator for field studies of runoff and soil erosion , 1990 .

[6]  G. Pardini,et al.  The role of land use-land cover on runoff generation and sediment yield at a microplot scale, in a small Mediterranean catchment , 2004 .

[7]  G. E. Hart.  Erosion from simulated rainfall on mountain rangeland in Utah , 1984 .

[8]  S. Nassif,et al.  THE INFLUENCE OF SLOPE AND RAIN INTENSITY ON RUNOFF AND INFILTRATION / L'influence de l'inclinaison de terrain et de l'intensité de pluie sur l'écoulement et l'infiltration , 1975 .

[9]  T. Alves Sobrinho,et al.  A portable integrated rainfall and overland flow simulator , 2008 .

[10]  M. Agassi,et al.  Stone cover and rain intensity - Effects on infiltration, erosion and water splash , 1991 .

[11]  J. Philip.  THE THEORY OF INFILTRATION: 5. THE INFLUENCE OF THE INITIAL MOISTURE CONTENT , 1957 .

[12]  Murugesu Sivapalan,et al.  Scale issues in hydrological modelling: A review , 1995 .

[13]  J. D. Sinoga,et al.  Hydrological response of abandoned agricultural soils along a climatological gradient on metamorphic parent material in southern Spain , 2009 .

[14]  V. Chaplot,et al.  Field measurements of interrill erosion under ­different slopes and plot sizes , 2000 .

[15]  D. R. Nielsen,et al.  A Portable Rainfall-Simulator Infiltrometer and Physical Measurements of Soil in Place1 , 1957 .

[16]  Jean Poesen,et al.  Impact of plant roots on the resistance of soils to erosion by water: a review , 2005 .

[17]  Xinxiao Yu,et al.  Effects of vegetation cover and precipitation on the process of sediment produced by erosion in a small watershed of loess region , 2006 .

[18]  Y. Mualem,et al.  Modeling the dynamics of seal formation and its effect on infiltration as related to soil and rainfall characteristics , 1997 .

[19]  Steven R. Evett,et al.  Tillage effects on soil water redistribution and bare soil evaporation throughout a season , 2010 .

[20]  B. Fu,et al.  The effect of land uses and rainfall regimes on runoff and soil erosion in the semi-arid loess hilly area, China , 2007 .

[21]  Mark A. Nearing,et al.  Runoff and sediment losses from rough and smooth soil surfaces in a laboratory experiment , 2005 .

[22]  Herman Bouwer,et al.  Intake Rate: Cylinder Infiltrometer , 2018, SSSA Book Series.

[23]  Jürgen Schmidt,et al.  Parameterization of the EROSION 2D/3D soil erosion model using a small-scale rainfall simulator and upstream runoff simulation , 2012 .

[24]  C. Valentin.  Surface crusting in two alluvial soils of northen Niger , 1991 .

[25]  Matthias M. Boer,et al.  Differential responses of hillslope and channel elements to rainfall events in a semi-arid area , 1998 .

[26]  A. Warrick.  Soil Water Dynamics , 2003 .

[27]  E. Zaady,et al.  Infiltration through three contrasting biological soil crusts in patterned landscapes in the Negev, Israel , 2000 .

[28]  Daniel Hillel,et al.  Soil and water , 1971 .

[29]  Cai Qiang-guo,et al.  Effect of vegetation on runoff-sediment yield relationship at different spatial scales in hilly areas of the Loess Plateau, North China , 2007 .

[30]  J. Poesen,et al.  Spatial scale effects on the effectiveness of organic mulches in reducing soil erosion by water , 2008 .

[31]  C. Luce.  Effectiveness of Road Ripping in Restoring Infiltration Capacity of Forest Roads , 1997 .

[32]  John Wainwright,et al.  Scale relationships in hillslope runoff and erosion , 2006 .

[33]  D. Hillel.  Environmental soil physics , 1998 .

[34]  B. Evans.  Soil erosion and Conservation. Third edition , 2006 .

[35]  J. Blackard,et al.  Slope Angle-Interrill Soil Loss Relationships for Slopes up to 50% 1 , 1982 .

[36]  J. Poesen,et al.  Impact of plot length on the effectiveness of different soil-surface covers in reducing runoff and soil loss by water , 2008 .

[37]  B. Schmidt,et al.  Relative erodibility of three loess-derived soils in southwestern Iowa , 1964 .

[38]  J. Ben-Asher,et al.  A review of rainwater harvesting , 1982 .

[39]  Artemi Cerdà,et al.  The influence of slope angle on sediment, water and seed losses on badland landscapes , 1997 .

[40]  W. Pute,et al.  Impact of slope biological regulated measures on soil water infiltration. , 2010 .

[41]  J. Philip.  THE THEORY OF INFILTRATION: 1. THE INFILTRATION EQUATION AND ITS SOLUTION , 1957 .

[42]  P. Hairsine,et al.  Elementary processes of soil–water interaction and thresholds in soil surface dynamics: a review , 2004 .

[43]  T. Iserloh.  Design and calibration of the small portable rainfall simulator of Trier University , 2010 .

[44]  Shmuel Assouline,et al.  Effects of rainfall intensity and slope gradient on the dynamics of interrill erosion during soil surface sealing , 2006 .

[45]  J. Zhao,et al.  Effects of rainfall intensity and antecedent soil water content on soil infiltrability under rainfall conditions using the run off-on-out method , 2011 .

[46]  D. Mcintyre.  PERMEABILITY MEASUREMENTS OF SOIL CRUSTS FORMED BY RAINDROP IMPACT , 1958 .

[47]  N. Fohrer,et al.  Changing soil and surface conditions during rainfall , 1999 .

[48]  Y. Benyamini,et al.  Rainfall infiltration into bare soils , 1977 .

[49]  P. Shi,et al.  Microcatchment water harvesting for growing Tamarix ramosissima in the semiarid loess region of China , 2005 .

[50]  K. O. Adekalu,et al.  Grass mulching effect on infiltration, surface runoff and soil loss of three agricultural soils in Nigeria. , 2007, Bioresource technology.

[51]  B. Fu,et al.  The effects of land use on soil moisture variation in the Danangou catchment of the Loess Plateau, China , 2003 .

[52]  S. Galle,et al.  Water balance in a banded vegetation pattern: A case study of tiger bush in western Niger , 1999 .

[53]  D. Nikkami,et al.  Assessing dominant factors affecting soil erosion using a portable rainfall simulator , 2008 .

[54]  R. Bond.  The influence of the microflora on the physical properties of soils. II. Field studies on water repellent sands , 1964 .

[55]  N. Giesen,et al.  Scale effects in Hortonian surface runoff on agricultural slopes in West Africa: Field data and models , 2011 .

[56]  Z. Shangguan,et al.  Influences of grass and moss on runoff and sediment yield on sloped loess surfaces under simulated rainfall , 2006 .

[57]  Y. Onda,et al.  Field measurement of infiltration rate using an oscillating nozzle rainfall simulator in the cold, semiarid grassland of Mongolia , 2009 .

[58]  Zhongbo Yu,et al.  Effects of rainfall characteristics on infiltration and redistribution patterns in revegetation-stabilized desert ecosystems , 2008 .

[59]  W. H. Wischmeier,et al.  Predicting rainfall erosion losses : a guide to conservation planning , 1978 .

[60]  G. G. Pohlman.  Soil Science Society of America , 1940 .

[61]  J. Poesen.  Surface sealing as influenced by slope angle and position of simulated stones in the top layer of loose sediments , 1986 .

[62]  L. Stroosnijder,et al.  Interrill and rill erodibility in the northern Andean Highlands , 2007 .

[63]  D. Macleod,et al.  The effect of degradation of phalaris + white clover pasture on soil water regimes of a Brown Chromosol on the Northern Tablelands of NSW, Australia , 2006 .

[64]  R. Marston.  Ground Cover Requirements for Summer Storm Run off Control on Aspen Sites in Northern Utah , 1952 .

[65]  Jürgen Schmidt,et al.  Water transport under winter conditions , 2005 .

[66]  O. Planchon,et al.  Soil crusting and infiltration on steep slopes in northern Thailand , 2003 .

[67]  P. Black.  Hydrograph responses to geomorphic model watershed characteristics and precipitation variables , 1972 .

[68]  D. Silburn,et al.  Hydraulic properties of rain impact surface seals on three clay soils—influence of raindrop impact frequency and rainfall intensity during steady state , 2002 .

[69]  Jürgen Schmidt,et al.  Soil erosion : application of physically based models , 2000 .

[70]  Patrick Andrieux,et al.  Infiltration characteristics of soils in Mediterranean vineyards in Southern France , 1998 .

[71]  Mu Xing-min.  The discussion on soil moisture distributional diversity in hilly Loess Plateau region , 2003 .

[72]  A. Moss,et al.  Erosive effects of the large water drops (gravity drops) that fall from plants , 1987 .

[73]  R. Morgan.  Soil Erosion and Conservation , 1988 .

[74]  D. Torri,et al.  A theoretical approach to soil porosity and sealing development using simulated rainstorms , 1997 .

[75]  J. Poesen,et al.  Soil erosion and hydrology of the western Mediterranean badlands throughout rainfall simulation experiments: A review , 2013 .

[76]  B. Fu,et al.  The effect of land cover/vegetation on soil water dynamic in the hilly area of the loess plateau, China , 2007 .

[77]  F. D. Whisler,et al.  Rain-induced surface seals: their effect on ponding and infiltration , 1986 .

[78]  R. Bryan,et al.  The effect of initial soil water content and rainfall intensity on near-surface soil hydrologic conductivity: A laboratory investigation , 2006 .

[79]  Dino Torri,et al.  Effects of rock fragments on soil erosion by water at different spatial scales: a review , 1994 .

[80]  P. Llorens,et al.  Rainfall partitioning by vegetation under Mediterranean conditions. A review of studies in Europe , 2007 .

[81]  Marc Voltz,et al.  Soil tillage and scale effects on erosion from fields to catchment in a Mediterranean vineyard area , 2009 .

[82]  J. Poesen,et al.  Runoff generation in a degraded Andean ecosystem: Interaction of vegetation cover and land use , 2007 .