Papers Published in the International Journal of Sediment Research Volume 37, No.5, 2022

Papers Published in the International Journal of Sediment Research

Volume 37, No.5, 2022

Pages 539-700 (October 2022)

2. Influences of rock fragments on the hydraulics and erosion of concentrated runoff in steep spoil heaps on the Loess Plateau of China
Wenzhao Guo, Hongliang Kang, Xiao Yu, Wenlong Wang, Pei Tian

4. Sedimentation in small-scale irrigation schemes in Ethiopia: Its sources and management
Zerihun Anbesa Gurmu, Henk Ritzema, Charlotte de Fraiture, Mekonen Ayana

5. Dynamic response of debris flows impacting curved joint check dams
Dongpo Wang, Xiaomei Zhang, Wei Shen, Aronne Armanini

6. Hybrid meta-heuristic machine learning methods applied to landslide susceptibility mapping in the Sahel-Algiers
Mohammed Amin Benbouras

8. Joint probability analysis of water and sediment and predicting sediment load based on copula function
Haoyu Jin, Xiaohong Chen, Ruida Zhong, Yingjie Pan, Tongtiegang Zhao, Zhiyong Liu, Xinjun Tu

9. Characteristics of runoff and sediment yield for two typical erodible soils in southern China
Xuchao Zhu, Yin Liang, Lili Qu, Longxi Cao, Zhiyuan Tian, Tong Liu, Meng Lie

10. Temporal evolution of scour at bridge abutments in compound channels
Yifan Yang, Bruce W. Melville, Xiaozhou Xiong, Lu Wang

1. Horizontal and vertical fluxes of particulate matter during wind erosion on arable land in the province La Pampa, Argentina
Nicole Siegmund, Roger Funk, Michael Sommer, Fernando Avecilla, Juan Esteban Panebianco, Laura Antonela Iturri, Daniel Eduardo Buschiazzo
Pages 539-552 Purchase PDF
Abstract: A detailed analysis of horizontal and vertical particulate matter (PM) fluxes during wind erosion has been done, based on measurements of PM smaller than 10, 2.5, and 1.0 μm, at windward and leeward positions on a measuring field. The three fractions of PM measurement are differently influenced by the increasing wind and shear velocities of the wind. The measured concentrations of the coarser fractions of the fine dust, PM10, and PM2.5, increase with wind and shear velocity, whereas the PM1.0 concentrations show no clear correlation to the shear velocity. The share of PM2.5 on PM10 depends on the measurement height and wind speed and varies between 4 and 12 m/s at the 1 m height ranging from 25% to 7% (average 10%), and at the 4 m height from 39% to 23% (average 30%). Although general relationships between wind speed, PM concentration, and horizontal and vertical fluxes could be found, the contribution of the measuring field was very low, as balances of incoming and outgoing fluxes show. Consequently, the measured PM concentrations are determined from a variety of sources, such as traffic on unpaved roads, cattle drives, tillage operations, and wind erosion, and thus, represent all components of land use and landscape structure in the near and far surroundings of the measuring field. The current results may reflect factors from the landscape scale rather than the influence of field-related variables. The measuring devices used to monitor PM concentrations showed differences of up to 20%, which led to considerable deviations when determining total balances. Differences up to 67% between the calculated fluxes prove the necessity of a previous calibration of the devices used.
Keywords: PM₁₀, PM_2.5, and PM_1.0 concentrations; Field measurements; Horizontal flux; Vertical flux; PM balances

2. Influences of rock fragments on the hydraulics and erosion of concentrated runoff in steep spoil heaps on the Loess Plateau of China
Wenzhao Guo, Hongliang Kang, Xiao Yu, Wenlong Wang, Pei Tian
Pages 553-562 Purchase PDF
Abstract: The soil–rock mixed spoil heaps are prone to severe soil erosion during heavy rain, causing severe land degradation and ecological and environmental damage. Nevertheless, past research on the erosion on spoil heaps has focused on soil particles that were readily eroded and disregarded the rock fragments (RF) that were not readily eroded. To explore the effect of the RF embedded in spoil heaps on the hydraulics of and erosion caused by concentrated runoff, scour-erosion experiments were implemented on three types of spoil heaps: RF = 7%, RF = 45%, and RF = 69%. The RF clearly reduced runoff and erosion on steep spoil heaps. As the RF increased from 7% to 69%, the runoff intensity and runoff coefficient decreased by 72.9%–79.1% and 83.2%–84.1% respectively, and the sediment concentration, soil denudation rate, and total soil loss decreased by 36.0%–47.8%, 83.7%–87.1%, and 87.0%–92.3%, respectively. Narrow rills were generated during the experiments, and the RF distinctly influenced the rill characteristics. High contents of RF restrained rill retreating and undercutting, and promoted rill widening. With an increase in RF, the flow shear stress and stream power gradually decreased, and the Darcy–Weisbach roughness coefficient increased. These findings imply that the RF dissipated the flow energy and reduced soil detachment capacity and sediment transport capacity. Soil detachment is strongly related to the Darcy–Weisbach roughness coefficient, Reynolds number, and runoff intensity, which may be the preferred descriptors of soil detachment. The current findings indicate that embedded rock fragments could effectively reduce soil loss on steep spoil heaps.
Keywords: Soil erosion; Runoff; Rock fragments (RF); Rills;Chinese loess plateau

3. Historical variations in autochthonous and allochthonous sediment supplies to the largest freshwater lake in Central India
Nafees Ahmad, Satinder PalSingh, Aasif Mohmad Lone, Abul Qasim, Ravi Bhushan, Gyana Ranjan Tripathy， Chinmay Shah
Pages 563-575 Purchase PDF
Abstract: Lacustrine sediment preserves high-resolution biogeochemical records of past variations in watershed processes controlling lake sedimentation. The current study explores historical variations in autochthonous and allochthonous sediment supplies to a large tropical freshwater lake system (Upper Lake, Bhopal) protected under the international Ramsar Convention of 2002 against anthropogenic pressures. For this purpose, multi-proxy biogeochemical data are presented for organic matter (total organic carbon, total nitrogen, phosphorous, and loss on ignition [LOI] at 550 °C), carbonate (LOI at 950 °C), lithic sediment (aluminum, titanium, iron, calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium, manganese, zirconium, niobium, hafnium, tantalum, thorium, uranium, and rare earth elements), and anthropogenic inputs (lead) measured in a 38 cm long sediment core retrieved from the lake. In addition to the lacustrine sediment core, the samples of catchment bedrock, surface soils, major stream sediment, and eolian dust collected from the lake periphery also are analyzed. The systematic biogeochemical excursions in the upper core section (top ～8 cm) indicate increased anthropogenic inputs, watershed denudation by agricultural activities, artificially reduced fluvial sediment supply, relatively increased dust inputs and lake eutrophication in the last few decades. The current study underscores the roles of anthropogenic land-use and wetland conservation practices in the rapid alteration of autochthonous and allochthonous sediment supplies to open aquatic ecosystems. Further, rising lake eutrophication levels despite a managed reduction in allochthonous sediment supplies seem challenging to control due to dissolved nutrient supply from urban sewage discharge and runoff from agricultural land in the watershed.
Keywords: Upper Lake; Sediment; Geochemistry; Sediment provenance; Eutrophication; Anthropogenic inputs

4. Sedimentation in small-scale irrigation schemes in Ethiopia: Its sources and management
Zerihun Anbesa Gurmu, Henk Ritzema, Charlotte de Fraiture, Mekonen Ayana
Pages 576-588 Purchase PDF
Abstract: Numerous irrigation schemes in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) exhibit excessive sedimentation, resulting in underperformance and high maintenance costs. In the current study, a participatory monitoring program was used to investigate sediment causes and sources, measure the annual sediment load, and monitor desilting campaigns in two small scale irrigation schemes in Ethiopia, Arata-Chufa (100 ha) and Ketar (430 ha), for three years (2016–2018). Sedimentation quantities were huge, where the annual river sediment influx ranged from 220 m³ for the Arata-Chufa scheme to 1,741 m³ for the Ketar scheme. On average 0.3 m3/m of sediment were removed from the main canal for Arata-Chufa costing 794 days of labor per year. In Ketar, sediment quantities were even greater: 1.1 m³/m was removed requiring 3,118 days of labor per year. The sediment influx from the river source amounts to up to 95% for Arata-Chufa and moderately reaches 46% for Ketar, with the remainder of the sediment entering with overland erosion flows. Farmers reported increased sedimentation over time and difficulty paying operation and maintenance fees instead preferring to contribute labor for the desilting campaigns. Sedimentation management is fragile and mainly involves frequent desilting campaigns and unharmonized efforts to reduce overland sediment inflows. Factors contributing to sediment deposition include mild longitudinal bed slopes, the location of the intake, canal layout, and lack of canal banks for protection against surface water inflow in addition to sub-optimal canal operations. Excessive sedimentation is a major challenge resulting in underperformance of numerous irrigation schemes in SSA, and the stakeholders’ lack of awareness of the sources of sedimentation is an underlying factor aggravating sedimentation problems. It is concluded that investigating the sources, extent, and types of sedimentation entering a small-scale irrigation scheme is the basis for reducing maintenance costs and for effective management of sedimentation problems.
Keywords: Sediment sources; Sediment management; Irrigation performance; Soil loss; River sediment; Erosion

5. Dynamic response of debris flows impacting curved joint check dams
Dongpo Wang, Xiaomei Zhang, Wei Shen, Aronne Armanini
Pages 589-600 Purchase PDF
Abstract: The dynamic impact force of debris flow on dams with a curved upstream face curved was investigated using laboratory experiments and a theoretical approach. Equations describing the impact force and maximum run-up height were derived. The experiments and theoretical considerations reveal that the impact force and maximum run-up height are mainly controlled by the Froude number (Fr) reduced by the cosine of the channel slope angle (cosα). Both the impact force and the maximum run-up height have a quadratic relation with the modified Froude number (Fr/(cosα)^0.5). The experimental data and the results of the theoretical approach are in good agreement, indicating that the theoretical approach can be used in practical applications. It is concluded that the comparison between the curved-joint dam and the more conventional sharp-joint dam shows no differences in the maximum impact force and run-up height for the same modified Froude number. With the sharp-joint dam, the peak values of the impact force are reached more quickly than with the curved-joint dam.
Keywords: Debris flow; Curved-joint check-dam; Impact force; Maximum run-up height; Impact response

6. Hybrid meta-heuristic machine learning methods applied to landslide susceptibility mapping in the Sahel-Algiers
Mohammed Amin Benbouras
Pages 601-618 Purchase PDF
Abstract: Landslides are considered as one among many phenomena jeopardizing human beings as well as their constructions. To prevent this disastrous problem, researchers have used several approaches for landslide susceptibility modeling, for the purpose of preparing accurate maps marking landslide prone areas. Among the most frequently used approaches for landslide susceptibility mapping is the Artificial Neural Network (ANN) method. However, the effectiveness of ANN methods could be enhanced by using hybrid metaheuristic algorithms, which are scarcely applied in landslide mapping. In the current study, nine hybrid metaheuristic algorithms, genetic algorithm (GA)-ANN, evolutionary strategy (ES)-ANN, ant colony optimization (ACO)-ANN, particle swarm optimization (PSO)-ANN, biogeography based optimization (BBO)-ANN, gravitational search algorithm (GHA)-ANN, particle swarm optimization and gravitational search algorithm (PSOGSA)-ANN, grey wolves optimization (GWO)-ANN, and probability based incremental learning (PBIL)-ANN have been used to spatially predict landslide susceptibility in Algiers’ Sahel, Algeria. The modeling phase was done using a database of 78 landslides collected utilizing Google Earth images, field surveys, and six conditioning factors (lithology, elevation, slope, land cover, distance to stream, and distance to road). Initially, a gamma test was used to decrease the input variable numbers. Furthermore, the optimal inputs have been modeled by the mean of hybrid metaheuristic ANN techniques and their performance was assessed through seven statistical indicators. The comparative study proves the effectiveness of the co-evolutionary PSOGSA-ANN model, which yielded higher performance in predicting landslide susceptibility compared to the other models. Sensitivity analysis using the step-by-step technique was done afterward, which revealed that the distance to the stream is the most influential factor on landslide susceptibility, followed by the slope factor which ranked second. Lithology and the distance to road have demonstrated a moderate effect on landslide susceptibility. Based on these findings, an accurate map has been designed to help land-use managers and decision-makers to mitigate landslide hazards.
Keywords: Artificial neural network; Hybrid metaheuristic optimization algorithms; Landslide susceptibility; Geographical information system; Sensitivity analysis

7. Temporal variations of sediment and morphological characteristics at a large confluence accounting for the effects of floodplain submergence
Kun Li, Hongwu Tang, Saiyu Yuan, Lei Xu, Yang Xiao, Carlo Gualtieri
Pages 619-638 Purchase PDF
Abstract: The large confluence between the Yangtze River and the outflow channel of Poyang Lake is receiving attention due to its importance in flood control and ecological protection in the Yangtze River basin. There is a large floodplain along the outflow channel of Poyang Lake, which is submerged during high flow and dry during low flow. The effects of the submergence of this floodplain on sediment and morphological characteristics at this large confluence have not been known. Hence, a field investigation was done in March 2019 (relatively high flow, Survey 3) to complement the previous field studies done in August (high flow, Survey 1) and December 2018 (low flow, Survey 2) to identify the temporal variations of sediment and morphological characteristics considering the submergence of this large floodplain. The predominant sediment transport modes were wash load for Poyang Lake and confluence particles and mixed bedload/suspended load for the Yangtze River particles. The sediment transport processes were largely affected by both the secondary flows and the water density contrast between the tributaries with a lock-exchange sediment rich, denser flow moving across the inclined mixing interface in Surveys 1 and 2. The sediment flux across the mixing interface was weakened in Survey 3 when the density contrast was very small. The stagnation zone near the confluence apex had a low sediment concentration and played a role in preventing the sediment flux exchange between the two flows, and its size, and, thus, its importance as a barrier to sediment mixing were related to the submergence of the floodplain. The bed morphology with the local scour holes at the confluence was largely affected by the large-size helical cells, and this kind of effect was weakened as the secondary flows got restricted in Survey 3. The current results expand the database and knowledge on the sediment transport and morphological features of large river confluences.
Keywords: River confluence; Yangtze river; Poyang lake; Compound channel; Sediment transport; Morphodynamics

8. Joint probability analysis of water and sediment and predicting sediment load based on copula function
Haoyu Jin, Xiaohong Chen, Ruida Zhong, Yingjie Pan, Tongtiegang Zhao, Zhiyong Liu, Xinjun Tu
Pages 639-652 Purchase PDF
Abstract: The Jinsha River comprises the upper reaches of the Yangtze River, which is the river section with the highest sediment content. Monitoring of sediment transport in the Jinsha River is done to the guarantee for the normal operation of the Three Gorges Reservoir. In the current study, a copula function was used to do a joint probability analysis of the water and sediment in the Jinsha River Basin (JRB), further a sediment load prediction model based on the copula function also was constructed. The results show that the average annual flow from 2001 to 2018 at the outlet of the Jinsha River (Yibin station) is about 60.43 billion m3, and the average annual sediment load is about 58.82 million t. The linear correlation coefficient between annual flow and annual sediment load is 0.28. The best marginal distribution for annual flow and sediment load is Pearson Type Three (PE3) and Generalized Normal (GNO), respectively, and the best fit for the combined distribution of the two variables is the Frank copula function. The synchronous probability of water and sediment occurrence is 0.459, and the asynchronous probability is 0.541. Based on the copula prediction model, the sediment load can be effectively simulated, and the correlation coefficient between the simulated sequence and the measured sequence reached 0.93. The current study provides important significance for the analysis of water and sediment in the JRB, which is beneficial to the management of Three Gorges Reservoir sediment discharge in the upstream and downstream.
Keywords: Marginal distribution; Joint distribution; Copula; Flow; Sediment load; Jinsha River Basin (JRB)

9. Characteristics of runoff and sediment yield for two typical erodible soils in southern China
Xuchao Zhu, Yin Liang, Lili Qu, Longxi Cao, Zhiyuan Tian, Tong Liu, Meng Lie
Pages 653-661 Purchase PDF
Abstract: Granite red soil (GRS) and Quaternary red clay (QRC) are two typical erodible soils in the red-soil region of southern China. Analytical and comparative studies of the characteristics of runoff and sediment yield for the two soils at various slopes are currently needed. The purpose of the current study was to clarify the characteristics of runoff and sediment yield for GRS and QRC at different slopes and to establish models for estimating sediment yield for the two soils. Forty-eight runoff microplots with four slopes (5°, 15°, 25°, and 35°) and two soils (GRS and QRC) were established and exposed to natural rainfall. Runoff and sediment yield were measured 10 times during the study period. Runoff and sediment yield for the two soils under the various slopes had similar temporal variations, and both increased with prior cumulative erosive rainfall. Runoff for GRS and QRC was moderately temporally variable, with coefficients of variation (CVs) from 46.2% to 60.6%, and sediment yield for QRC was strongly temporally variable, with CVs from 114.8% to 145.8%. Sediment yield for GRS increased with slope, but sediment yield for QRC first increased and then decreased, with a calculated inflection point of 18°, but runoff for both soils decreased with slope. The CVs of both runoff and sediment yield with slope for the two soils ranged from 3.6% to 88.0%, lower than the temporal variabilities, indicating that rainfall may have a larger impact than slope on runoff and sediment yield for QRC and GRS. Under the various slopes, runoff and sediment yield for both soils increased with rainfall and sediment yield increased with runoff, but the proportions of effective rainfall and runoff differed. Pedotransfer-function models based on rainfall, runoff, and slope accurately estimated sediment yield for the two soils, with the model fit coefficient of determination (R²) > 0.81 and the R² for verification >0.79. These results improve the understanding of the laws governing erosion for different soil types in the red-soil region of southern China and are important for managing the erosion of collapsing gullies and sloping farmland in the region.
Keywords: Runoff and sediment characteristics; Sediment-yield simulation; Granite red soil; Quaternary red clay; Pedotransfer function; Red-soil region

10. Temporal evolution of scour at bridge abutments in compound channels
Yifan Yang, Bruce W. Melville, Xiaozhou Xiong, Lu Wang
Pages 662-674 Purchase PDF
Abstract: Bridge abutment-induced sediment scour in compound river channels is time-sensitive during floods, and, thus, estimating the scour rate has significance in design. In the current study, large-scale laboratory experiments were done to examine the influence of multiple factors on scour evolution, including channel geometry, bed mobility (clear-water or live-bed), and lateral (embankment intrusion) and vertical (deck submergence) flow contractions. A new method is applied for scour measurement and determination of characteristic scour trends. Results show that the non-dimensional time scale is related to flow intensity and may peak before reaching the clear-water scour threshold; the corresponding equations also are derived. It is found that the use of scour countermeasures has a significant impact on the scour rate, and the existing equations for unprotected abutments have limitations. Under clear-water conditions, the scour rate is closely related to the overall flow contraction, which can be better reflected by the ratio of the approaching unit discharge to that at the bridge section. Specifically, the effect of vertical flow contraction on scour rate is more dominant than other factors. Two scour rate curves are derived to suit different structural and flow contraction types for clear-water scour. In contrast, the live-bed scour rate data are generally consistent and fall in a narrow band, showing less dependence on other factors. Finally, a new design approach is established to estimate the time scale and scour rate using the new equations proposed in this paper.
Keywords: Abutment scour; Temporal evolution; Compound channel; Time scale; Scour rate

11. Entropy model to assess sediment resuspension probability and trap efficiency of small dams
Francisco Jairo Soares Pereira, Antonio Viana da Silva Filho, José Wellington Batista Lopes, José Carlos de Araújo
Pages 675-686 Purchase PDF
Abstract: In the Brazilian drylands, there are tens of thousands of small dams. Despite their paramount importance to the rural population, they are rarely monitored. Water demand increases with time while, simultaneously, siltation reduces reservoir water capacity and availability. Reservoir siltation models are, therefore, mandatory to manage the numerous ungauged small dams in these drylands. The objective of the current study is to improve sediment trap efficiency (TE) modeling by including resuspension as a key probabilistic process. The Shannon entropy was used to estimate the sediment resuspension probability, which was merged with the Camp model and generated the RETSED entropy model. To validate the RETSED model, an experimental check dam (ECD, 300 m3), located in the Gilbués desertification site, Brazil, was monitored hourly during one hydrological year (July 2018–July 2019). Measurements show that the annual volumetric decline of the check dam was 12%; and that the average trap efficiency equaled 86%. Only 9.5% of the hourly sediment concentration outflow exceeded the average plus one standard deviation, showing that the reservoir is well mixed; a fact which highlights the relevance of the resuspension process. Three empirical models failed to mimic the experimental results: Churchill (TE = 99%), Brune (TE = 75%), and Maryland (TE = 94%). According to the RETSED entropy model, the resuspension probability during the experiment was 10% and TE = 81%, a value only 6% below the measured one. The Camp model simulated TE = 89%, only 3% higher than the measured value, but confirmed the Camp model's tendency to overestimate TE due to a disregard of resuspension. The deterministic model showed low sensitivity concerning the hydrodynamic effects, whereas the entropy formulation proved to be more consistent with physical behavior: the resuspension probability clearly increased and trap efficiency decreased with rising reservoir discharge.
Keywords: Erosion; Check dam; Sedimentation; Ungauged basins; Camp model

12. Modelling the long-term geomorphic response to check dam failures in an alpine channel with CAESAR-Lisflood
Jorge Alberto Ramirez, Mirjam Mertin, Nadav Peleg, Pascal Horton, Chris Skinner, Markus Zimmermann, Margreth Keiler
Pages 687-700 Purchase PDF
Abstract: Globally, between 1950 and 2011 nearly 80,000 debris flow fatalities occurred in densely populated regions in mountainous terrain. Mitigation of these hazards includes the construction of check dams, which limit coarse sediment transport and in the European Alps number in the 100,000s. Check dam functionality depends on periodic, costly maintenance, but maintenance is not always possible and check dams often fail. As such, there is a need to quantify the long-term (10–100 years) geomorphic response of rivers to check dam failures. Here, for the first time, a landscape evolution model (CAESAR-Lisflood) driven by a weather generator is used to replicate check dam failures due to the lack of maintenance, check dam age, and flood occurrence. The model is applied to the Guerbe River, Switzerland, a pre-Alpine catchment containing 73 check dams that undergo simulated failure. Also presented is a novel method to calibrate CAESAR-Lisflood's hydrological component on this ungauged catchment. Using 100-year scenarios of check dam failure, the model indicates that check dam failures can produce 8 m of channel erosion and a 322% increase in sediment yield. The model suggests that after check dam failure, channel erosion is the remobilization of deposits accumulated behind check dams, and, after a single check dam failure channel equilibrium occurs in five years, but after many check dam failures channel equilibrium may not occur until 15 years. Overall, these findings support the continued maintenance of check dams.
Keywords: Landscape evolution model; Check dam failure; Weather generator; Natural hazards