Soil Strip Research Articles

A novel vibration barrier for low-frequency surface waves in the ground

As for certain engineering scenarios, such as open-air quarries and underground pipeline areas, vibration barriers are in urgent need. However, their design and construction face various challenges, especially for attenuating surface waves with low frequencies. Inspired by the topography of hills and periodic phononic crystal structures, a novel vibration barrier consisting of periodic soil strips is proposed. Firstly, utilizing the finite element method and the theory of periodic structures, the dispersion band diagram is calculated for the periodic soil strips. The corresponding band gap mechanisms are discussed by the displacement field of modes in the lower boundary of band gaps. Besides, a simplified model and a theoretical expression are proposed to analyze the minimum frequency of the band gaps. Through frequency domain analysis, the influence of the damping of soil strips on isolation effects is examined, and the dissipated energy is also quantified using a spatial Fast Fourier Transform. Finally, a comparison of the isolation effect between soil strip barriers and typical trench barriers is conducted. The results show that periodic soil strips can exhibit several band gaps, within which surface waves (SWs) can be effectively isolated. Soil strip barriers exhibit similar or even better vibration isolation effects compared to trench barriers, especially for isolating low-frequency vibrations. This study enhances our understanding of surface wave mitigation using periodic barriers and provides fresh insights for designing seismic metamaterials.

RANCANGAN TEKNIS DAERAH TANGKAPAN HUJAN UNTUK MENGURANGI PENGIKISAN BIDANG LERENG DAN MENCEGAH AIR LIMPASAN DENGAN METODE CROSS FALL PADA TEMPAT PENYIMPANAN TANAH PUCUK

Mining activities often cause environmental damage, such as landslides, floods and ecosystem changes. These activities include land clearing, top soil stripping, overburden stripping, coal excavation, coal transport and processing. It is necessary to have an activity as an effort to rehabilitate so that there is no sustainable environmental damage. Therefore topsoil storage must be carried out in order to return the post-mining area to green again. The consideration of replanting ex-mining areas uses a comprehensive environmental management strategy, especially in terms of handling nutrient-rich topsoil. Topsoil is peeled to a thickness of 0.5 – 1 meter using an excavator. Then it is stacked and stockpiled in a place that is safe from mining activities so that later it can be reused in reclamation activities. The purpose of this research is to obtain a technical design on the corner of the storage area to reduce the eroding impact of rain runoff or other mining activities. Where the method used is to calculate the erosion that occurs on each slope where the test is carried out with 4 different slope angles such as 20⁰, 25⁰, 30⁰ and 35⁰. After obtaining the erosion data, the researchers created an ideal design to reduce the impact by considering the balance aspects of the slope and the material itself. Where the recommended angle data obtained to reduce the eroding impact is 25⁰.

Anatomycal, morphological and biochemical features of Pinus sibirica needles on recultivated and non-recultivated ash dump sites in the Middle Urals

The article presents the results of anatomical, morphological and biochemical study of Pinus sibirica Du Tour needles of fly ash dumps and natural habitats in the Middle Urals. The study has shown that there was an increase in the area of resin ducts, as well as a decrease in the total nitrogen content in the needles of P. sibirica on ash dumps, compared with control habitats. An increase in the content of phenols and proline in the needles which indicates a response to stress, was also observed on the nonrecultivated ash dump unlike natural forest phytocenoses and recultivated ash dump. The revealed changes in the studied characteristics of P. sibirica needles are associated with the specific physico-chemical parameters of the technogenic substrate: an alkaline reaction of the medium as well as low content of clay particles and total nitrogen. Recultivation measures, namely covering the ash with strips of clay soil, contributed to the improvement of substrate parameters and the creation of more favorable conditions for plant growth.

GLOBAL WARMING AND SMALL CYCLE: RISKS AND PROSPECTS

Climate change is altering our understanding of ourselves, our society, the relationships between socio-economic and biophysical systems, and humanity's place on Earth. It is clear that the Earth is warming, but the scientific consensus for half a century has ignored the root cause of this threatening phenomenon, so the response has been ineffective and has not led to a consolidation of efforts. It is noted that the main reasons for the impact on the climate in the agro sector are the clearing of land for agriculture, the loss of year-round vegetation covering the soil, the reduction of forests, which expose the bare soil to solar radiation, creating tangible heat. The cooling effect of evaporation is limited or stopped by vegetation. This significantly changes formation and movement of moisture, stops rain from reaching deep into dry areas. In the article, the authors define the most important directions and some actions to solve the problem of bare soil surfaces. The earth still behaves as if it is trying to preserve the most favorable environment for all living things. It follows that the safest and most sustainable land use should imitate natural vegetation. Farmers and other land users should avoid exposing bare soil to direct sunlight. For this purpose, it is proposed to minimize tillage (no tillage) leaving the plow; to implement various crop rotations, preferably with perennial crops; to form a motley, diverse landscape that promotes a small water cycle in agroecosystems. The present research identifies only some of the processes through which a bare or non-bare landscape affects weather and climate. The work confirms that the impact of soil stripping from vegetation on atmospheric processes should be taken into account in the policy of regional land management in agro landscapes around the world, and even where significant land clearing for agricultural purposes is impossible.

Study of the spring suspension mechanism of the coulter of the sod seeder

One of the promising technologies for restoring degraded forage lands that meets the requirements of organic farming is direct strip sowing of grass seeds into the sod with mechanical cultivation of strips of soil, the width of which ensures the successful development of seedlings without the use of herbicides. To improve the quality of seeding of sod seeders, a modernized design of the coulter group has been proposed with a shoe opener mounted on a parallelogram suspension mechanism in the form of torsion springs, characterized by their vertical placement on the seeder frame (RF patent No. 2772128). To study the influence of the design and technological parameters of the coulter group based on the spring suspension mechanism on the time the mechanical system returns to the condition of dynamic balance, a laboratory installation was developed. It includes a set of measuring and recording equipment based on the multifunctional sensor WitMotion WT901WIFI MPU9250. In the process of the research, a second-order Box-Benkin experiment plan for three factors was implemented, which made it possible to determine the dependence of the damping time of oscillations of the suspension mechanism of the coulter group on the following system parameters: depth of furrow formation, length of the leashes of the suspension mechanism and mass of the shoe opener. For the selected geometrical parameters of the experimental sample of the coulter group and the established equivalent stiffness of the torsion springs, equal to 240 N‧m/rad, the range of minimum values of the transition period time is within 0.212…0.218 s and corresponds to the furrow formation depth 41.3…50.0 mm, the length of the leashes 0.13 m, the weight of the coulter 1.7...1.8 kg. The trajectory of the shoe opener during the transition process in most experiments corresponds to a damped oscillatory motion, in some cases represents an extremely aperiodic motion.

Kajian Mitigasi pada Zona Rawan Tanah Longsor Berdasarkan Tipe Longsoran di Kecamatan Kokalukuna dan Kecamatan Bungi, Kota Baubau Provinsi Sulawesi Tenggara

The tropical climate condition of Baubau City which is located at 5°21'- 5°30' South Latitude 122°30' - 122°45' East Longitude causes the Kota Baubau Region which describes the tropics to experience more intensive weathering. Most of the landslides that occurred in Baubau City were in areas with unstable geological conditions and were often triggered by heavy rains that exceeded the highest point. This study aims to determine the causes of landslides, types of landslides, and countermeasures. In this study, measurements of slope geometry were carried out which included slope height and slope angle, testing rock and soil samples at the research station, as well as observing other supporting factors. The results of the study show that 3 stations have avalanche-prone zones. The causes of landslides are slopes with a slope angle of > 400 at station 1 of 530, station 2 of 410 and station 3 of 610, rainfall in the study area reaches the highest point of 714 MM, human activities such as dredging under the slope and construction of shaft roads cause slope instability and cause hazards such as landslides and vibrations. The types of avalanches at stations 1 and 2 are avalanches, while at station 3 the slides and falls are viewed from the geometry of the slopes processed by Autocad, the appearance of the research station and the results of the geostudio simulation show the shape of the slip plane with a FoS value of <1.07. Based on the results of research at 3 research station points, there is a potential for landslides to occur. The countermeasures methods used are structural mitigation, building of cliff reinforcement walls, surface soil stripping and increasing slope stability, namely changing the slope geometry. Non-structural mitigation, namely by providing information to the BPBD and the community regarding landslides.

Attenuation and soil biodegradation of fungicides by using vegetated buffer strips in vineyards during a simulated rainfall–runoff event

Rainfall–runoff events occurring in vineyard fields can result in pesticide ground losses and the subsequent pollution of surface water bodies, derivate from the crop protection spray applications. In this study, the capacity of vegetated buffer strips (BS) to prevent surface water pollution due to the application of five fungicide products typically used in vineyards (copper, dimethomorph, oxathiapiprolin, zoxamide, acibenzolar-s-methyl, and laminarin) following a simulated run-off event has been assessed, and compared to that from a bare ground soil (BG). Two strips (5 m in length, each), one with vegetation and the other without were built up, and two different experiments were performed, a runoff event and a soil fungicide degradation kinetic evaluation. The runoff results show that fungicide mass retention in the strips ranged from 73 to 98% and that the presence of vegetation in BS increased the fungicide mass retention in the strips by almost 10% (on average) in comparison to the unvegetated strip. Moreover, soil degradation studies highlighted that the presence of vegetation reduces significantly the half-time life of almost all the studied fungicides by 55%, on average. Eight fungicide transformation products (TPs) were identified following a runoff event in the soil strips, but the abundance of these TPs was up to 78% lower in vegetated strips. These results highlight the effectiveness of using vegetated buffer zones in vineyards to protect aquatic ecosystem pollution.

A preliminary experimental study simulating evapotranspiration process in TEvap tanks cultivated with different forages

ABSTRACT The evapotranspiration tank (TEvap) is a ‘zero-discharge’ ecotechnology for toilet water disposal. This work refers to a preliminary study to evaluate the influence of forages and the addition of a vertical soil strip on evapotranspiration (ET), electrical conductivity (EC) and pH in TEvap receiving fresh water. The factors studied were the forages and the soil strip, resulting in four treatments with three replications. Two plant growing seasons, cycle 1 and cycle 2, were monitored, during which the variables were measured every three and seven days, respectively. Weather variables were used to estimate the reference evapotranspiration and determine the TEvap coefficient (KTEvap). The accumulated ET for TEvap with Capiaçu was 27.93% and 45.89% greater than for TEvap cultivated with Tifton-85 during the first and second cycles, respectively. There were no significant differences in ET for TEvap with and without the soil strip. BRS Capiaçu also showed lower values for EC and pH. High values were obtained for KTEvap: 2.37 and 1.76 for TEvap cultivated with BRS Capiaçu and Tifton-85 grass, respectively. Considering the period of this study, the minimum area for ‘zero-discharge’ would be 5.70 m2 inhab−1 and 7.77 m2 inhab−1 by TEvap planted with BRS Capiaçu and Tifton-85 grass, respectively. Due to its greater capacity for evapotranspiration, it can be concluded that the BRS Capiaçu forage is suitable for a ‘zero-discharge’ constructed wetland systems. It is suggested that further, more-thorough studies be carried out to design a ‘zero-discharge’ TEvap, considering different weather conditions, crops and inlet toilet water. HIGHLIGHTS Evapotranspiration tank (TEvap) is a ‘zero discharge’ ecotechnology for disposing toilet water; A preliminary study was conducted to simulate the evapotranspiration in TEvap receiving fresh water; Two forages – Cynodon spp. (Tifton-85 grass) and Pennisetum spp. (BRS Capiaçu) – were cultivated in the tanks; 5.70 m2 inhab−1 were estimated for evapotranspiration with BRS Capiaçu and 7.77 m2 inhab−1 with Tifton-85 grass.

Theoretical Study of a Design Method for Underexcavation in Building Rectification

For buildings with shallow foundations embedded in natural soil sediments, the underexcavation method is often used to correct building inclination. Relying on engineering experience and close field monitoring, rectification has been conducted successfully. However, theoretical studies are relatively scarce, resulting in an inadequately informed rectification design and procedure. Assuming the soil is an ideal elastic-plastic body, a simplified analysis was adopted to study the issue theoretically. First, the redistribution of the base contact pressure after building inclination was deduced. Second, according to the force balance between the total contact pressure of the base and the total stress on the horizontal plane at the excavation hole, the limit hole spacing at the critical state of building back tilt was obtained, which was also the preferable hole spacing for soil strip collapse. Third, because the amount of anticipated forced settlement at a certain section of soil excavation is equal to the volume of soil hole collapse, an accurate formula for the hole diameter was obtained. Combined with engineering experience, suggestions for the design procedure were proposed. Finally, two case histories were introduced to verify the correctness and practicability of the theoretical formula for hole spacing and diameter. These two key parameters provide a strong theoretical basis for building rectification in future engineering practice.

Peridynamics for mechanism analysis of soil desiccation cracking: Coupled hygro-mechanical model, staggered and monolithic solution

Soil shrinkage cracking is a hygro-mechanical coupled phenomenon and it can significantly weaken the mechanical properties of soil and cause various potential natural disasters. This study proposes an improved bond-based peridynamics (PD) formulation, based on a comprehensive review of the hygro-mechanical peridynamic models. The proposed model with a certain influence function can be recast as an existing bond-based PD diffusion model. Also, an attenuation kernel function and discretized micro-modulus are adopted to revise the bond force density in the prototype micro-elastic brittle (PMB) model. For the numerical implementation, both monolithic and staggered schemes are adopted for the coupled hygro-mechanical problem. Specifically, the coupled stiffness matrix in the discretized equilibrium equation is constructed by using the Lagrange multiplier method for the monolithic scheme. While the direct integration method of explicit dynamics with an artificial damping term is adopted for the staggered scheme. For modeling of soil drying and cracking, two-dimensional soil rings, and two- and three-dimensional soil strips are simulated and demonstrated. The soil ring model verifies the accuracy of the coupled moisture-soil bond-based PD model through an explicit staggered scheme, and explores the effect of the relative thickness of rings on the number of cracks. The implicit monolithic solution is adopted to analyze the mechanisms of soil strip cracking. A detailed discussion on the scheme for controlling the maximum number of bond breakage is provided to guarantee convergency and accuracy with optimal efficiency. The soil strip cracking pattern and upward curling deformation agree well with experimental observations. The results show that the hygro-mechanical coupled peridynamic model has great advantages in solving soil drying and cracking. The present work shows a potential way in soil desiccation cracking investigation for real-scale simulation and fine mechanism exploration.

Bearing Capacity Evaluation of Shallow Foundations on Stabilized Layered Soil using ABAQUS

Abstract In this paper, the finite element method (FEM) is applied to calculate the bearing capacity of two footings having the aspect ratio L/B (where L and B are the length and width of the footing, respectively) equal to 1, 2 resting on one-layer and two-layer soil. Soil profile contains two soil types including sand and clay. The soil strip is 500mm × 500mm × 350mm; however, only a quarter of the model (250mm × 250mm × 350mm) is examined in the study. Two primary situations are investigated in this study. In the first situation, the one-layer system is supposed to be sandy soil with footing overlays on medium-dense sand. The soft clay/stabilized clayey layer is supposed to be on top of the sandy soil in the second condition, with the footing resting on top of the soft clay/stabilized clay. The influence of layer thickness, aspect ratio, and material property on the bearing capacity value and footing failure mechanism is studied for eight different combinations of layered soil. The bearing capacity for a one-layer case is also estimated, and it agrees well with Vesic (1973), Hansen (1970), and Terzaghi's (1943) equations. The bearing capacity of footings is observed to decline when the height of unstabilized clayey soil increases, and it increases when clayey soil is stabilized with molasses, waste foundry sand, and lime alone and in combination with each other.

CELLULOSOLYTIC ACTIVITY OF SOILS OF THE ODESA CITY

Problem Statement and Purpose. Cellulose cleavage is of great importance in the carbon cycle, as it contains more than 50% of all organic carbon in the biosphere. This is a fairly stable organic compound that is destroyed only by very strong oxidants. Under natural conditions, the destruction of cellulose is carried out by various microorganisms that produce cellulase enzymes. The activation of cellulose decomposition is influenced by temperature, pH level, soil aeration, biological properties of vegetation, etc. Being very resistant to physicochemical factors, cellulose is easily decomposed by microorganisms with the release of carbon, which in the form of various compounds is involved in creating soil fertility. Cellulose is broken down by aerobic microorganisms (bacteria and fungi) and anaerobic mesophilic and thermophilic bacteria. The peculiarity of cellulose-destroying microorganisms is their high demand for nitrogen sources. Soil-destroying soil microorganisms are the most important suppliers of organic matter to various groups of microorganisms (including nitrogen-fixing) in the common food chain. Since the activity of cellulose-destroying microorganisms also depends on the presence of available phosphorus and other elements in the soil, the degree of decomposition of fiber can be considered to reflect the direction of microbiological processes in general. Cellulolytic activity indicates the intensity of biological processes in the soil. The more intensively the cellulose decomposes, the faster the biological cycle of elements takes place and the fuller the plants are provided with nutrients. Therefore, cellulose activity is used as one of the indicators of biological activity of the soil environment. Data &Methods. The author, in the study of cellulosolytic activity of soils in the city of Odessa, used the method of applications (laying in the soil strips of filter paper or linen cloth fixed on the glass). Applications were laid vertically in the upper 15-cm layer of soil of 5 pieces on the site. A month later, they were dug up, carefully washed from the soil and decay products, dried and weighed again. Cellulolytic activity was determined by weight loss of exposed tissue. Results. As a result of research on the study of cellulolytic activity of soils in the city of Odessa, it was found that cellulolytic activity is an important indicator of the intensity of destructive processes in the soil. The intensity of cellulose decomposition in the soil is determined by the combined action of several factors: weather conditions, the nature of vegetation, the amount of organic matter entering the soil, soil type, its physical properties, chemical composition. In an urban environment, the intensity of cellulosolytic processes is also regulated by the nature and degree of anthropogenic impact on soil, atmosphere and vegetation. The intensity of cellulose destruction in the city soils is estimated to be very weak, weak and medium. The cellulolytic processes in the soils of the city of Odessa in 2021 were stimulated by abundant precipitation (r = 1,000). The decrease in CA in some parts of the city may be due to minimal anthropogenic impact on the soil cover.

Microwave Soil Heating Promotes Strawberry Runner Production and Progeny Performance

Strawberry runners (transplants) in many regions of the world are produced in soils treated with chemical fumigants to control pathogens and weeds and meet phytosanitary requirements. Many fumigants, however, are under threat of withdrawal because of concerns over their impact on the environment (e.g., methyl bromide). The current study considered the use of microwaves for heat disinfestation of soil for field-grown runners for the first time. Results from two field experiments showed that microwave treatment reduced the survival of buried inoculum of the strawberry pathogens Fusarium oxysporum (by up to 93%) and Sclerotium rolfsii (by up to 100%) compared with untreated soil. Furthermore, the treatment reduced the subsequent growth of these pathogens in the laboratory by up to 82% and 100%, respectively. Microwave treatment also reduced the natural DNA concentration of Pythium spp. (clades I & F) in soil by up to 94% compared with untreated soil. The effect of microwave against soilborne pathogens reduced as soil depth increased. Microwave treatment reduced the emergence of weeds in field soils by up to 65% and increased runner yields by 10–37%. The effect of microwave treatment on runner yield was greater when all soil was treated, rather than when strips of soil around the mother plants were treated. Results from complimentary pot experiments showed that early strawberry growth in the glasshouse was equivalent in soils treated with microwave or the fumigant methyl bromide/chloropicrin. Furthermore, the early performance of runners sourced from field soils treated with microwave or methyl bromide/chloropicrin was equivalent. Results from the pot experiments also showed that steam treatment required 10 times more energy per mass of soil to disinfest than microwave. The limitations of microwave in the current experiments are discussed, but the capacity for the technology to disinfest field soils in an energy-efficient manner demonstrates its potential for further development as an alternative to soil disinfestation with chemical fumigants.

Analysis on the Difference of Reconstructed Soil Moisture Content in a Grassland Open-Pit Mining Area of China

To reveal the variability of different reconstructed soil ratios and different vegetation growth grades on the water holding capacity of recon-structed soil, the most suitable ratio of reconstructed soil materials was explored. Taking the inner dump of Shengli mining area in Inner Mongolia of China as the research area, the reconstructed soil of reclaimed land was investigated and sampled. One-way analysis of variance was used to analyze the difference of the moisture content of the reconstructed soil, and the reasons for the difference were discussed. The results showed that: (1) Among the different soil reconstructions, soil moisture content was higher when soil reconstructions were rock and soil stripping material: coal gangue: fly ash = 3:4:3. The soil moisture content of un-reclaimed land was mostly at a high level when the soil reconstruction method was rock and soil stripping material; and the soil moisture content was not at the highest level when the vegetation growth grade was higher. This indicates that it was not the case that the better the vegetation growth condition was, the higher the soil moisture content was. (2) In the case where the soil reconstruction method was rock and soil stripping material: coal gangue = 2:3, the soil moisture content of the reclaimed land decreased with the reduction of tillage frequency when the vegetation growth condition was optimal (vegetation growth grade was 4). (3) In the case where the soil reconstruction method was rock and soil stripping material: coal gangue: fly ash = 3:4:3, when the vegetation growth condition was better (vegetation growth grade was 3 and 4), the soil moisture content of the re-claimed land was highest when it was tilled once every 15 days. It was also found in combination with other soil reconstruction methods that it was not always the case that the higher the frequency of tillage, the higher the soil moisture content. The study of coal gangue, fly ash and rocky soil stripping as topsoil substitute materials with their different ratios on reconstructed soil provides support for the reclamation work in topsoil scarce mines and provides technical reference for the ecological restoration project of grassland open-pit mines in the same climate zone.

Effects of Different Straw Mulch Rates on the Runoff and Sediment Yield of Young Citrus Orchards with Lime Soil and Red Soil under Simulated Rainfall Conditions in Southwest China

Soil erosion has been a major environmental issue in young citrus orchards in karst areas of Southwest China. Straw mulching is an effective measure to reduce soil erosion. However, few studies have considered this measure in soil and water conservation in citrus orchards in karst areas. In this study, the effects of straw mulching on runoff and sediment reduction in young citrus orchards were studied using the simulated rainfall method with two typical soils—red soil and lime soil—in karst areas. This study consisted of two rainfall intensities (60 and 120 mm/h) and four straw coverages (0, 20, 50, and 80%). The results showed that straw mulching can significantly reduce surface soil loss in both lime soil and red soil. The surface runoff reduction rate of lime soil with straw mulching was much higher than that of red soil. Under the condition of heavy rainfall (120 mm/h), the surface soil loss rate was reduced by more than 57.5% in lime soil with 20% straw mulching. In red soil, a similar reduction rate of soil loss can only be achieved when straw mulching is 50%. Straw mulching reduced the surface soil loss of lime soil in young citrus orchards, mainly because of limited runoff transport, while red soil was limited by soil stripping. The results can provide a scientific basis for soil and water conservation in young citrus orchards in karst areas.

Peanut and cotton intercropping increases productivity and economic returns through regulating plant nutrient accumulation and soil microbial communities

BackgroundIntercropping (IC) has been widely adopted by farmers for enhancing crop productivity and economic returns; however, the underpinning mechanisms from the perspective of below-ground interspecific interactions are only partly understood especially when intercropping practices under saline soil conditions. By using permeable (100 μm) and impermeable (solid) root barriers in a multi-site field experiment, we aimed to study the impact of root-root interactions on nutrient accumulation, soil microbial communities, crop yield, and economic returns in a peanut/cotton IC system under non-saline, secondary-saline, and coastal saline soil conditions of China.ResultsThe results indicate that IC decreased the peanut pods yield by 14.00, 10.01, and 16.52% while increased the seed cotton yield by 61.99, 66.00, and 58.51%, respectively in three experimental positions, and consequently enhanced the economic returns by compared with monoculture of peanut (MP) and cotton (MC). The higher accumulations of nutrients such as nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) were also observed in IC not only in the soil but also in vegetative tissues and reproductive organs of peanut. Bacterial community structure analysis under normal growth conditions reveals that IC dramatically altered the soil bacterial abundance composition in both peanut and cotton strips of the top soil whereas the bacterial diversity was barely affected compared with MP and MC. At blossom-needling stage, the metabolic functional features of the bacterial communities such as fatty acid biosynthesis, lipoic acid metabolism, peptidoglycan biosynthesis, and biosynthesis of ansamycins were significantly enriched in MP compared with other treatments. Conversely, these metabolic functional features were dramatically depleted in MP while significantly enriched in IC at podding stage. Permeable root barrier treatments (NC-P and NC-C) counteracted the benefits of IC and the side effects were more pronounced in impermeable treatments (SC-P and SC-C).ConclusionPeanut/cotton intercropping increases crop yield as well as economic returns under non-saline, secondary-saline, and coastal saline soil conditions probably by modulating the soil bacterial abundance composition and accelerating plant nutrients accumulation.

Effect of Standard Disk Plough on Soil Translocation in Sloping Sicilian Vineyards

Tillage is the main force of soil redistribution in agricultural land use and has been seen as more critical than water erosion. This study aims to evaluate the effect of tillage with standard disk in vineyards. A representative study area with grapevines was selected, and 39 inter-rows were selected to test the effect of slope and forward speed. In each inter-row, a strip of soil was collected, and mixed with 2 kg of coloured sand used as a tracer, then replaced in the strip, and shallow soil tillage was performed by means of a standard disk plough. Three soil subsamples were collected along the slope every 0.30 m from the coloured strip and the sand tracer was separated from the soil and weighed. The results show that the mean soil translocation distance ranged from 0.73 to 1.14 m along the upslope direction, and from 0.32 to 0.84 m along the downslope direction. The net translocation was −0.33 ± 0.12 m which indicate an upslope soil movement. Mean translocation distance was not significantly affected by the considered forward speeds. These results demonstrate that tillage can reallocate soil upslope and open new insights into the use of disk plough as sustainable management in vineyards.

Etnesjøen – en førromersk landsby på Vestlandet

In the summer months of 2013, the University Museum of Bergen conducted an archeological excavation of a large prehistoric settlement area at Etnesjøen in Etne parish, Western Norway. By use of mechanized top soil stripping numerous buildings, inhumation burials, cooking pits and kilns were uncovered. The site dates from the Late Bronze Age to Early Medieval Period. The focus of the article is the discovery of a Pre-Roman Iron Age village, formed of up to six farms chronologically spanning up to five generations of continuous occupation. At the time of the excavation, this was only the second pre-historic village of its kind found in Norway, indicating a significant and important discovery.

The Lasting Signatures of Past Landslides on Soil Stripping From Landscapes

AbstractRainfall‐induced shallow landslides scar the Earth surface and deliver sediment pulses into fluvial systems and thus play an important role in landscape evolution. Previous landslide legacy affects local soil depths and soil regeneration rates thus modifying future landslide susceptibility and sediment dynamics. Here, we couple an advanced hydromechanical landslide model with a soil depth regeneration model and quantify landslide legacy effects by placing landslide dynamics in a perspective of landscape soil depth evolution. Results show increased landslide susceptibility near recently failed regions due to alteration of hydrological processes in a thinner soil mantle that imposes constraints on released soil volumes. Landslide recurrence in failed regions levels off when soil depths are gradually restored to steady state pre‐failure values. Cumulative effects of past landslides divert future landslide activity from steep hillslopes to alluvial channels and valley margins thus affecting sediment dynamics and yields. Consideration of landslide legacy improves landslide prediction and quantification of landslide erosion and fluvial sediment yield rates.

Pressure distribution lawon vertical plate of cellular-counterfort retaining structure

The cellular-counterfort retaining structure, which combines cellular retaining wall with counterfort retaining wall, can effectively increase the height of backfilled retaining walls, and boast a broad prospect in earthwork projects. In the presence of the rib plates of counterfort retaining wall, the soil pressure on the vertical plate of the cellular-counterfort retaining structure is not uniformly distributed in the horizontal direction. The distribution model and size of the pressure directly affects the structural calculation. Through mathematical analysis, the fill between rib plates was divided into horizontal layers. Considering the friction between the fill counterfort in the counterfort section and the soil stripes, the authors derived the soil pressure formulas on the vertical and bottom plates of the cellular-counterfort retaining structure. Through centrifuge model test, the authors discussed the distribution law of soil pressure on the vertical plate of the cellular-counterfort retaining structure, and the influence of counterfort interval on soil pressure. The results show that: The soil pressure at the midspan of the vertical plate between counterforts increased linearly with the depth, and the soil pressure near the counterforts increased from the top to middle and then gradually decreased from the middle to the bottom of the wall. On the side of vertical plate, the soil pressure obeyed the parabola distribution in the wall length direction, i.e., the pressure was smaller on the two ends than in the middle; the soil pressure on the bottom plate decreased with the distance to the vertical plate. The counterfort had an obvious frictional reduction effect on the soil pressure from the fill to the vertical plate, and the effect became increasingly obvious with the growing depth; the effect was weakened when the counterfort spacing increased. The centrifugal model test verified the reasonability of the proposed formulas for the soil pressures in the cellular-counterfort retaining structure.