Papers Published in the International Journal of Sediment Research
Volume 38, No.3, 2023
Pages 303-480 (June 2023)
1. Long-term experimental study on gravitational sedimentation of water aluminum oxide nanofluid at different volumetric concentrations
Mario Misale, Johan Augusto Bocanegra, Annalisa Marchitto
2. Composition, environment, and economic value of the Permian to Cretaceous coated grains from Zagros and the Persian Gulf
Mehrangiz Naderi-Khujin, Vahid Tavakoli
3. Modeling the effect of artificial flow and sediment flux on the environment and plankton of an estuary
Yujun Yi, Yanning Gao, Xuefei Wu, Wenfei Jia, Qi Liu
4. Alkaline phosphatase as a bio-indicator of phosphorus-eutrophy in freshwater ecosystems: A review
Madhulika Singh, Jitendra Pandey
5. Effect of sediment particles on the velocity profile of sediment–water mixtures in open-channel flow
Lei Zhang, Jianzhao Guan, Deyu Zhong, Yousheng Wang
6. Influence of cohesion on California bearing ratio of clay–gravel mixtures
Rajesh Jain, Ketan Timani, Manish Pandey
7. Effect of combining biogeotextile and vegetation cover on the protection of steep slope of highway in northern China: A runoff plot experiment
Hongyuan Liu, Liang Liu, Keli Zhang, Ren Geng
8. Assessment and prioritization of soil erosion triggering factors using analytical hierarchy process and Taguchi method
Mehdi Hayatzadeh, Vahid Moosavi, Ramyar Aliramaee
Pages 396-404
9. Experimental investigation and prediction of free fall jet scouring using machine learning models
Farzin Salmasi, Parveen Sihag, John Abraham, Meysam Nouri
10. Modelling of cantilever bank failure for peat-type meander bends in the source region of the Yellow River
Hanyuan Yang, Zhiwei Li, Yongjun Lu, Huaixiang Liu, Liqin Zuo
11. Scouring of a granular bed by dam break: Experimental study and numerical simulation by a VOF-LPT coupling
Quyen Thi Le Nguyen, Viet Dung Nguyen, Patrice Coorevits
12. Inhibitability of soil loss and sediment concentration during consecutive rainfalls from experimental plots treated by endemic microorganisms
Seyed Hamidreza Sadeghi, Masumeh Ashgevar Heydari, Atefeh Jafarpoor
13. Assessment of the impacts of land-use change and slope position on soil loss by magnetic susceptibility-based models
Saidati Bouhlassa, Naima Bouhsane
14. Tracing sediment transport history using mineralogical fingerprinting in a river basin with dams utilizing sediment sluicing
Kenichi Ito, Motohide Matsunaga, Tomoya Itakiyo, Hiroyuki Oishi, Kei Nukazawa, Mitsuteru Irie, Yoshihiro Suzuki
1. Long-term experimental study on gravitational sedimentation of water aluminum oxide nanofluid at different volumetric concentrations
Mario Misale, Johan Augusto Bocanegra, Annalisa Marchitto
Pages 303-315
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijsrc.2023.01.002
Abstract: The stability of nanofluids is critical in engineering applications. The sedimentation of the nanoparticles in the base fluid limits the stability of the nanofluid. By measuring the absorbance of a visible laser through water aluminum oxide nanofluids it is possible to observe the evolution of the sedimentation process. A simple experimental setup consisting of a thin closed test cavity (0.8 mm or 1.5 mm thickness) filled with nanofluid and a set of laser diodes-photodiodes pairs was used in the experiments to determine the absorbance and the local volumetric concentration. The evolution of the local volumetric concentration of the nanofluid was measured at 13 height positions along the test cavity. Five initial volumetric concentrations of aluminum oxide (Al2O3; 0.5%, 1.0%, 1.5%, 2.0%, 3.0% and 4.0%) were considered. Data and digital photos were acquired for a total time lapse of 260 days. The results were independent of the container thickness. The same general trend was consistent for all the initial volumetric concentrations, i.e., the sedimentation rate decreases in time. The time evolution of the volumetric concentration was compared with results from a modified Mason–Weaver model. The comparison was possible by setting a variable sedimentation velocity in the model, suggesting that the sedimentation is affected by the dynamics of nanoparticle clusters with diverse sizes produced by agglomeration.
Keywords: Pure nanofluid; Aluminum oxide; Nanoscale alumina particles; Colloid sedimentation; Nanoparticle settling; MasoneWeaver model
2. Composition, environment, and economic value of the Permian to Cretaceous coated grains from Zagros and the Persian Gulf
Mehrangiz Naderi-Khujin, Vahid Tavakoli
Pages 316-334
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijsrc.2022.12.004
Abstract: Ooid grainstone/packstone carbonate facies of the Dalan, Kangan, and Arab formations are the main hydrocarbon reservoirs in the Persian Gulf. Based on detailed petrographic and petrophysical analyses, sedimentological and mineralogical features of the Permian to Late Cretaceous carbonate and iron-rich coated grains from Zagros and the Persian Gulf were investigated. Frequent ooids in these formations indicate a high-energy environment and a wave-dominated shallow carbonate platform. Because of wide-spread Permian–Triassic epiric seas and long-lasting periods of arid and hot climate, Permian–Triassic carbonate ooids have more vertical and lateral distribution in comparison with Late Jurassic carbonate ooids. Dolomite, calcite, and anhydrite are the major minerals of carbonate ooid grains. Early Cretaceous iron-rich ooids have been deposited above a major Late Aptian disconformity during the highstand systems tract. Ooid ironstone bulk sample X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis shows that goethite, siderite, fluorapatite, calcite, quartz, and pyrite are the major phases of ooid ironstone deposits. This layer of iron bearing ooids could have economic importance in its outcrops in the Zagros area. Late Cretaceous iron-rich coated grains (pisoid–oncoids) were deposited above the Sarvak exposure surface during the Late Cretaceous, long-lasting sea-level fall on the Arabian Plate. Boehmite, diaspore, hematite, and goethite are the main minerals of these kind of iron-rich deposits. Late Cretaceous karst-type bauxite deposits have also been reported from different sections of the Zagros area and have economic value for mining.
Keywords: Coated grains; Depositional conditions; Permian; Cretaceous; Bauxite
3. Modeling the effect of artificial flow and sediment flux on the environment and plankton of an estuary
Yujun Yi, Yanning Gao, Xuefei Wu, Wenfei Jia, Qi Liu
Pages 335-348
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijsrc.2023.02.001
Abstract: Estuarine environments are influenced by both river flows and oceanic tidal movement of water, sediment, and nutrients, often forming ecosystems that are rich in resources and biodiversity. The Yellow River once carried the world's largest sediment load, but artificial structures have transformed its hydrodynamic processes. An annual Water–Sediment Regulation Scheme (WSRS) was introduced to flush accumulated sediment from the Xiaolangdi Reservoir, which provides flood control and water storage. However, the effect of the WSRS process on the runoff and sediment conditions, nutrients, and ecological environment of the Yellow River Estuary and adjacent ocean are not well understood. In the current study, a coupled hydrodynamic–nutrient–plankton ecosystem dynamics model (FVCOM–FABM–NPZD) was constructed to simulate changes in the ecological parameters and in the vertical response in the Yellow River Estuary before, during, and after the WSRS, This model also was used to quantify the effects of changes in the incoming material flux on the hydrodynamic and ecological environment of the estuary, using the Yellow River Xiaolangdi Reservoir water transfer and sand transfer as an example. The study found that the WSRS changed the spatial and temporal distribution of temperature, salinity, sediment, inorganic nitrogen, and phytoplankton in the Yellow River Estuary and adjacent waters. It also had a significant effect on the temperature, salinity, and ecology of the adjacent near-shore marine environment. The spatial and temporal responses of zooplankton and phytoplankton to the WSRS differed. Zooplankton showed a lag in response to the WSRS and were mainly influenced by temperature and phytoplankton. The phytoplankton concentration was positively influenced by inorganic nitrogen and negatively influenced by salinity and sediment. In the current study, the effects of changes in the flow and sediment flux from the WSRS on environmental factors and zooplankton in the Yellow River Estuary were simulated, providing a theoretical basis for scheduling the release of water and sediment in the Yellow River basin and providing a reference for water and sediment regulation in other reservoirs upstream of the estuary.
Keywords: Estuarine dynamics; Environments; Plankton; Yellow River Estuary; FVCOM; NPZD
4. Alkaline phosphatase as a bio-indicator of phosphorus-eutrophy in freshwater ecosystems: A review
Madhulika Singh, Jitendra Pandey
Pages 349-360
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijsrc.2022.12.001
Abstract: Limnologists have greatly advanced the understanding of indicators of phosphorus (P)-eutrophy in surface waters. Biotic variables such as macro-invertebrates, fish, zooplankton, benthic algae, and diatoms are extensively used for bio-assessment of eutrophy. New concepts highlight the importance of bed-sediment based “response” variables predicting functional shifts during eutrophication. A cross analysis of studies reveals that alkaline phosphatase (ALP), which serves as a proxy of P-deficiency, and also as an indicator of benthic anoxia/hypoxia-driven feedbacks, can be an easy to measure, cost-effective and reliable tool to assess changes in nutrient stoichiometry, trophic status, and ecological functioning at the sediment–water interface. Here, the issues discussed in this paper are highly relevant to explore new domains of research and “response” based ecosystem models for potential eutrophication management decisions. Because ALP is used in molecular cloning and fingerprinting studies, it is suggested that approaches based on the “omics” technologies need to be used to explore more intricate connections to empirically address ALP-P-eutrophy linkages to track eutrophication in freshwater ecosystems.
Keywords: Alkaline phosphatase; Sediment based-indicators; Ecosystem feedback; Nutrient stoichiometry; Phosphorus-eutrophy
5. Effect of sediment particles on the velocity profile of sediment–water mixtures in open-channel flow
Lei Zhang, Jianzhao Guan, Deyu Zhong, Yousheng Wang
Pages 361-373
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijsrc.2022.11.005
Abstract: The presence of sediment particles in open-channel flow has an important effect on turbulence; thus, an empirical, turbulent eddy viscosity formula was established for application in the limit for low concentrations. The current study establishes a theoretical relation for the mixture viscosity based on the two-phase mixture model. The percentage contribution of the three mechanisms of mixture viscosity, namely, fluid turbulence (FT), particle turbulence (PT), and inter-particle collisions (IPCs), was calculated under different conditions. The study results indicate that the contribution of FT is dominant, whereas those of PT and IPCs are not significant when the particle inertia (PI) is small, suggesting that the movement of sediment-laden flows is mainly controlled by the fluid properties. The effects of PT and IPCs increase with increases in sediment concentration and PI. Specifically, the effect of collisions among particles generally becomes dominant near the bed surface. A good agreement between the calculated velocity profile of the mixture and available experimental data for large particle sizes and high concentrations proves that the proposed relation for mixture viscosity is more reasonable than the previous empirical relation owing to the consideration of the effects of PT and IPCs, and, thus, can be applied to both dilute and dense suspensions.
Keywords: Velocity profile; Sediment particles; Viscosity; Collisions; Turbulence
6. Influence of cohesion on California bearing ratio of clay–gravel mixtures
Rajesh Jain, Ketan Timani, Manish Pandey
Pages 374-386
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijsrc.2022.12.005
Abstract: An understanding of the behavior of cohesive sediment is required to solve various engineering problems such as scour around bridge elements, mitigation of soil erosion, pavement design, river bed degradation, stable channel design. Pavement foundation designers principally use the California bearing ratio (CBR) to describe the subgrade and subbase materials and their strength. Several laboratory experiments were done to study the variation in the CBR of cohesive mixtures comprised of clay–gravel mixtures. Nine different clay–gravel mixtures were used in which the clay content varies from 10% to 50% by weight. The variation of the CBR with clay percentage, moisture content, and undrained shear strength parameters was studied. The CBR value reduces with the increase in the moisture content and clay fraction in the mixtures and increases with an increase in the dry density of the mixture under unsoaked conditions. The CBR also increases with the increase of the angle of internal friction of clay–gravel mixtures. A functional relation has been identified to estimate the CBR of clay–gravel mixtures. Using multiple linear regression analysis (MLRA), a relation is proposed to estimate the CBR of clay–gravel mixtures under unsoaked conditions. A statistical analysis was done to judge the behavior of the pertinent variables on the CBR. The proposed relation predicts the CBR of clay–gravel mixtures very well. Artificial neural network (ANN) analysis using R programming was also done to determine the effects of the pertinent variables on the CBR. ANN methodology was applied to predict the contribution of each variable. Three different methods: Garson algorithm, Olden algorithm, and Lek's profile model are used to assess the influence of variable parameters. The Olden algorithm and Lek's profile both show positive association of cohesion with CBR in an unsoaked condition. The role of moisture content was found to be marginally negative in the Olden algorithm and Lek's profile results. It is found that both the ANN and MLRA models are accurate in predicting the CBR of clay–gravel mixtures. It was further found that the MLRA and ANN models are reliable and rapid tools for correct assessment of the CBR of cohesive soil mixtures using the basic soil properties.
Keywords: Clayegravel mixture; Cohesive sediment; California bearing ratio; Clay percentage; Sediment properties
7. Effect of combining biogeotextile and vegetation cover on the protection of steep slope of highway in northern China: A runoff plot experiment
Hongyuan Liu, Liang Liu, Keli Zhang, Ren Geng
Pages 387-395
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijsrc.2022.11.003
Abstract: Biogeotextiles can be used to facilitate the formation of vegetation cover and to reduce soil erosion. Studies have demonstrated that only biogeotextile or vegetation cover can greatly reduce soil erosion. However, information about the effects of the combination of biogeotextile and vegetation cover on soil erosion is still limited, despite that the combination is the commonly practical form for bare road slope protection. Experimental plots, consisting of a relatively loose surface layer and a compacted sublayer, were constructed using movable soil-bin trolleys (200 × 100 × 40 cm3) filled with silt loam sieved through 1-cm screen. The plots were seeded with a seed mixture of tall fescue (Festuca elata Keng ex E. Alexeev) and alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) as a grass-legume regime. Then the plots were covered with three types of biogeotextile, i.e., coir blanket (CB), mixed coir-straw blanket (MB), and straw blanket (SB). A bare slope (BS) was constructed as the control experiment. Irrigation was applied to ensure vegetation germination and growth. Plant characteristics were measured after every 20 days. Laboratory simulated rainfall of 71 mm/h intensity was applied to each plot for 60 min after 20, 40, and 60 days. Surface runoff and sediment were collected every 5 min during rainfall. The results showed that the MB and SB promoted increased total emergence density of plants by 47% and 23%, respectively, compared to case of vegetation growth without biogeotextiles. The dense structure of the CB impeded the emergence of alfalfa, leading to 9% lower total emergence density. Compared with bare slope (0 day BS), biogeotextiles increased runoff by 3% (MB)–19% (CB) and reduced erosion by 96% (MB and SB)–98% (CB). After 60 days, vegetation cover reduced runoff by 54% and reduced erosion by 81% compared with the BS case. The combination of biogeotextile and vegetation cover reduced runoff by 44% (CB)–62% (SB) and reduced erosion by no less than 99% compared to the BS case. Compared with biogeotextile alone, the combination reduced runoff by 53% (CB)–64% (SB). Compared with vegetation cover alone, the combination reduced erosion by 94% (MB)–99% (CB). The combination takes advantages of vegetation cover for long-term protection and of biogeotextile for facilitating the formation of vegetation cover and immediate erosion control. Thus, the combination is a better choice for road slope protection in northern China. These findings may promote the understanding of how biogeotextiles and vegetation cover work together for runoff and erosion control on bare slopes. In future research more attention should be paid to the selection of plant species and biogeotextile types to avoid impediment by the biogeotextile on the formation of vegetation cover like CB affected alfalfa in this study.
Keywords: Biogeotextile; Vegetation cover; Slope protection; Runoff control; Erosion control
8. Assessment and prioritization of soil erosion triggering factors using analytical hierarchy process and Taguchi method
Mehdi Hayatzadeh, Vahid Moosavi, Ramyar Aliramaee
Pages 396-404
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijsrc.2022.11.002
Abstract: The main aims of this study are assessing some factors which affect the soil erosion process and evaluating the results of an analytical hierarchy process (AHP) method using the Taguchi method. Firstly, the weights for those factors and levels affecting soil erosion were determined by the AHP method. The determination of weights was based on the opinions of academic researchers, experts, middle managers, and members of the Soil and Water Research Centers in Iran. Secondly, an L32 Taguchi orthogonal array was selected based on the number of factors and levels for the current problem. Accordingly, 32 rainfall events were simulated and sediment yield amounts were measured. Analyzing the results of the Taguchi method, the weights of factors and levels were determined. The results showed that the weights obtained from the AHP method were not in accordance with the results of field measurements and the Taguchi analysis. The AHP method indicated that the main factors have the following order of importance: geological formation, rainfall intensity, silt content of soil as an indicator for the soil texture, vegetation cover, slope steepness, and slope aspect in the study area. However, the Taguchi method found the following order for the main factors: rainfall intensity, geological formation, silt content of soil as an indicator for the soil texture, slope steepness, vegetation cover, and slope aspect. As the Taguchi method works based on the quantitative measurements, the Taguchi results are more reliable rather than subjective methods such as AHP. It was also concluded that the AHP method should be used cautiously in assessing natural phenomena. Therefore, in the cases that in situ measurements are possible, it is better to use quantitative mathematical and statistical methods than to rely to qualitative knowledge based approaches.
Keywords: Soil erosion; Taguchi method; Analytical hierarchy process (AHP) method; Optimization
9. Experimental investigation and prediction of free fall jet scouring using machine learning models
Farzin Salmasi, Parveen Sihag, John Abraham, Meysam Nouri
Pages 405-420
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijsrc.2022.11.004
Abstract: The current study deals with the depth of scour at the location of impact between a free fall jet and a riverbed. The current study is based on extensive laboratory experiments that were designed to mimic full-scale behavior. The literature review shows that relations among hydraulic parameters for predicting the depth of scour are complex; therefore, six artificial intelligence techniques are used in the current study to capture these complex relation. A total of 120 observations are used for the analysis. Results from the experiments show that with increasing downstream water depth (h), the impinging jet causes increasingly turbulent currents and large vortices that increase the scouring of the riverbed. Increasing discharge per unit width (q) enhances the relative scour depth (D/H) while increasing the average diameter of the riverbed materials (d) decreases D/H, where D is maximum scour depth and H is the height of the falling jet. With increasing (particle Froude number Fr), the relative scour depth increases. In the current study the prediction accuracy of Gene Expression Programming (GEP), Multivariate Adaptive Regression Spline (MARS), M5P Tree, Random Forest (RF), Random Tree (RT), and Reduces Error Pruning Tree (REP Tree) techniques are evaluated using the relative scour depth (D/(H?h)). The performance evaluation indices and graphical methods suggest that the GEP based model is more accurate than other prediction methods for the relative scour depth with a coefficient of determination (R2) equal to 0.8330 and 0.8270, a mean absolute error (MAE) equal to 0.1125 and 0.0902, root mean square error (RMSE) values of 0.1463 and 0.1116, and Willmott's Index (WI) equal to 0.8998 and 0.9014, for the training and testing stages.
Keywords: Free jet; Scour; Gene Expression Programming (GEP); Random Forest (RF); Multivariate Adaptive Regression Spline; (MARS)
10. Modelling of cantilever bank failure for peat-type meander bends in the source region of the Yellow River
Hanyuan Yang, Zhiwei Li, Yongjun Lu, Huaixiang Liu, Liqin Zuo
Pages 421-431
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijsrc.2022.12.003
Abstract: Bank retreat involving a combination of fluvial erosion and bank collapse has been found to be a major contributor to sediment transport, lateral migration, and planform evolution of meandering rivers. Previous studies have largely examined the general mechanism of cantilever bank failure. However, the composite process of beam (toppling) failure caused by shear failure of the lower part composed of non-cohesive soil remains poorly understood. The current paper investigates the diversity and coupling of this collapse process, which is the dominant pattern in the peat-type meandering rivers of the Zoige River basin in the source region of the Yellow River. For this purpose, morphologic and hydraulic measurements were done in the summers of 2016 and 2017. Moreover, a combined method of a theoretical model and numerical simulation was developed to be applied for a continuous meandering channel in the Zoige basin, focusing in particular on five typical cross sections of a highly convoluted bend approaching neck cutoff. Specifically, the theoretical model evaluating the stability of overhanging riverbank was based on static equilibrium theory considering the interaction between composite soil layers. In addition, the Bank Stability and Toe Erosion Model was used to simulate the retreat process of the silt layer based on field measurements including bank morphology, soil composition, and hydrological parameters. Thus, a calculation method for the occurrence of cantilever beam failure in the flood period is proposed, and temporal change and spatial variability in bank profiles caused by three consecutive failures is estimated at the five sections. Satisfactory results showed a relatively close agreement between the calculations and field measurements in terms of the width of the overhanging arms and the dimensions of the slump blocks.
Keywords: River bends; Bank erosion; Cantilever failure; Numerical simulation; Meandering river
11. Scouring of a granular bed by dam break: Experimental study and numerical simulation by a VOF-LPT coupling
Quyen Thi Le Nguyen, Viet Dung Nguyen, Patrice Coorevits
Pages 432-445
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijsrc.2022.11.001
Abstract: The first part of the research reported here consists of an experimental campaign to study the scouring of a granular bed (glass beads, sand) induced by a dam break in an open channel. Two configurations are considered: with and without cylinders. In the second part of this study, the volume of fluid method coupled with the shear stress transport turbulent model and the lagrangian particle tracking method is used to simulate the local scour processes. The four-way coupling is realized by considering the drag force and collisions between particles. Using a vortex map and velocity profiles, the flow dynamics and scour pattern can be studied. The current research also focuses on the profiles of the erodible particle bed and the sediment transport rate to study the effects of a cylinder on local scour. The presence of the cylinder increases the experimental erosion depth by up to 42%. It was found that for relatively close particle diameters (2 and 3 mm), a granular bed with larger porosity (larger diameter) erodes the most. Experimentally and numerically it was found that the center of the granular bed experiences more erosion compared to the channel sides. In the last part of the research, comparisons between the numerical results and the experimental data allowed risk areas to be identified and the roles of porosity, sediment density, and flow dynamics on erosion to be identified.
Keywords: Volume of fluid; Lagrangian particle tracking; Scour; Granular bed; Cylinder; Dam break
12. Inhibitability of soil loss and sediment concentration during consecutive rainfalls from experimental plots treated by endemic microorganisms
Seyed Hamidreza Sadeghi, Masumeh Ashgevar Heydari, Atefeh Jafarpoor
Pages 446-454
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijsrc.2023.01.001
Abstract: Consecutive rainfalls, due to changes in antecedent moisture, alter soil erosion processes, necessitating the implementation of suitable soil loss control methods. Biological soil microorganism approaches have been applied to control soil loss. However, information on the involvement of microorganisms in the soil loss and rill erosion processes has yet to be supplied. In this study, the individual and combined inoculation of cyanobacteria and bacteria was investigated during five consecutive rainfalls with an interval of three days, an intensity of 50 mm/h, and a duration of 30 min. Also, additional runoff simulation of about 2.18 ± 0.32 L/min was done in mid-sized experimental plots (i.e., 6 m × 1 m × 0.5 m) induced by rill erosion. These experiments were done at the Rainfall and Soil Erosion Simulation Laboratory of the Faculty of Natural Resources, Tarbiat Modares University, Iran. Soil loss and sediment concentration were measured during five consecutive rainfalls in the study treatments and compared with the control treatment. Results showed that the highest soil loss of 30,810.70 g occurred at the control treatment in the first rainfall. In contrast, individual and combined inoculation treatments of cyanobacteria and bacteria with the secretion of polysaccharides and resulting stability of aggregates decreased soil loss significantly (p < 0.01) by 99.65%, 99.91%, and 100.00%, respectively, compared to the control treatment. In the combined treatment of cyanobacteria and bacteria, soil loss further decreased by 68.38%, 70.33%, and 7.27% for 2 through 4, respectively, events and increased by 19.96% in the fifth event, and sediment concentration also decreased by 68.88% and 59.86% for the second and third events, respectively and increased by 4.66% and 83.30% for the fourth and fifth events, respectively. The best performance was found in the combined inoculation in consecutive rainfalls (i.e., from the second to the fifth event), and the bacteria treatment and the combined treatment did not significantly differ in performance (p = 0.94). The cyanobacterial treatment had a significant effect only for the first rainfall compared to the bacteria treatment. Bacteria therapy is advised as a treatment for conserving soil and water resources in rill erosion-prone regions due to the time and cost necessary to create the biomass required.
Keywords: Biocrust; Linear erosion; Sediment accessibility; Soil and water bio-management
13. Assessment of the impacts of land-use change and slope position on soil loss by magnetic susceptibility-based models
Saidati Bouhlassa, Naima Bouhsane
Pages 455-468
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijsrc.2022.11.006
Abstract: Soil loss is a global environmental problem resulting from the erosion process caused by many factors, including land use and slope position. Estimation of total soil loss from agricultural fields is useful for understanding the consequences of historical and current erosion. The main purposes of the current study are to explore the application of magnetic measurements in the mapping and measuring soil redistribution in cultivated (MZ13) and forested (MZ17) transects in a Moroccan subcatchment, to develop a methodological approach correlating magnetic susceptibility (MS, denoted χ) variation to soil erosion/aggradation, and to discriminate the effects of land-use change and slope position on the total cumulative soil loss, assessed using three recently established erosion models based on an MS parameter. MS measurements were done on several soil cores collected at different slope positions including the summit (SU), shoulder (SH), back slope (BS), foot slope (FS), toe slope (TS) for Transects MZ13 and MZ17. A tillage homogenization (T-H) model, simple correlation model (SCM), and simple proportional model (SPM) based on χlf (where lf indicates low frequency) were applied to estimate soil loss for each slope position in the two transects. The results show that the correlation between χlf and χfd (which is the frequency-dependent magnetic susceptibility percentage) is positive and high for the two transects (R2 = 0.95; p < 0.01). The results confirm that the χlf enhancement of soils selected in calcareous parent material is related to the pedogenic processes with the formation of superparamagnetic particles distributed along the slope positions. The current study proves that it is possible to trace and monitor soil erosion and deposition using magnetic parameters (χlf and χfd %) for different slope positions along cultivated and forested transects. The results confirm that the soil losses strongly depend on land use and slope position. Higher erosion depth (d) estimated using the three erosion models are comparable and were about d(T-H, BS17L) = ?154.9 cm, d(SCM, BS17L) = ?142.3 cm, and d(SPM, BS17L) = ?143.6 cm for MZ17 Transect, and about d(T-H, FS13M) = ?156.3 cm, d(SCM, TS13L) = ?143.8 cm, d(SPM, FS13M) = ?145.9 cm for MZ13 Transect. The applied models indicate that the strong losses take place in the upper and lower slopes of the cultivated transect, and in the middle and lower slopes of the forested transect.
Keywords: Magnetic susceptibility; Soil loss; Tillage homogenization; Upper slope; Lower slope; Land use
14. Tracing sediment transport history using mineralogical fingerprinting in a river basin with dams utilizing sediment sluicing
Kenichi Ito, Motohide Matsunaga, Tomoya Itakiyo, Hiroyuki Oishi, Kei Nukazawa, Mitsuteru Irie, Yoshihiro Suzuki
Pages 469-480
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijsrc.2022.12.002
Abstract: Sediment causes a serious problem in relation to dam function. A cooperative sediment sluicing operation has been under way since 2017 to prevent sediment from accumulating in dams in the Mimi River, Miyazaki, Japan. To achieve a smooth and stable operation, it is very important to determine the sediment source and a sediment transport system to maintain the dam's function. In the current study, the source and transport of sediment from the Mimi River basin have been analyzed with X-ray diffraction (XRD) to reveal the peaks of mineral species. The sediment samples were collected in the Mimi River basin from the Tsukabaru Dam to the sea in an area including 4 dams and 5 tributaries. In addition, the minerals in samples collected in 2014, before the start of the sediment sluicing operation, and from 2018 to 2020, after the start of the operation, were analyzed. An evaluation of the similarity of the sediment at each sampling point based on the X-ray diffraction peaks of mineral species showed that sediment distributed upstream was transported downstream in the year when the sediment sluicing was done. This result indicates that the sediment sluicing operation at dams ensured the continuity of the sediment distribution in the Mimi River basin. In addition, an investigation done in 2020 showed that sediment particles very similar to those of the upstream tributaries were deposited downstream because of extensive flooding caused by a large typhoon. The management of sediment transport has the greatest importance in a river basin where a dam is to be constructed. It is possible to trace the history of the sediment distribution and movement resulting from the operation of sediment sluicing by using sediment mineral analysis.
Keywords: Sediment sluicing; Sediment source; X-ray diffraction (XRD); Mineralogical analysis; Cluster analysis