Simulation of rill erosion in black soil and albic soil during the snowmelt period

Abstract

ABSTRACTSnowmelt-induced rill erosion could bring serious harm for soil quality and agricultural productive conditions of slope farmland in the black soil zone of Northeast China. In this study, we conducted laboratory experiments to investigate the effects of the freeze-thaw (FT) temperature, number of FT cycles, water content, flow rate, and thaw depth on rill morphology and erosion amount in two common soil (black soil and albic soil). The thaw depth obtained the maximum range, which was the primary factor for the width-to-depth ratio of rills in the black soil; whereas, the flow rate obtained the maximum range as the primary factor for rill erosion in black soil and albic soil. The number of FT cycles had a minor effect on rill erosion in the two soils. Under the same conditions, the rill morphology showed a large difference between the two soils, and higher rill erosion occurred in albic soil than black soil. Rill erosion was relatively high in black soil and albic soil when the FT temperature fluctuated around 0°C during freezing-thawing. The water content exhibited a greater effect on rill erosion in black soil than in albic soil. The unthawed frozen layer could promote rill erosion during snowmelt period to some extent. The results could provide some reference for future study snowmelt-induced rill erosion mechanism and preventive measures.