Journal of Geographical Sciences >
Estimating rainfall erosivity by incorporating seasonal variations in parameters into the Richardson model
Author: Liu Chunla, PhD, specialized in economic geography and regional development. E-mail:
*Corresponding author: Chen Mingxing, PhD and Associate Professor, E-mail:
Received date: 2015-12-07
Accepted date: 2016-03-04
Online published: 2017-03-30
Supported by
Fund for Creative Research Groups of National Natural Science Foundation of China, No.41321001;the National Natural Science Foundation of China, No.51379008;the Open Research Fund of the State Key Lab of Simulation and Regulation of Water Cycle in River Basin, No.2014QN04
Rainfall erosivity is an important climatic factor for predicting soil loss. Through the application of high-resolution pluviograph data at 5 stations in Huangshan City, Anhui Province, China, we analyzed the performance of a modified Richardson model that incorporated the seasonal variations in parameters α and β. The results showed that (1) moderate to high seasonality was presented in the distribution of erosive rainfall, and the seasonality of rainfall erosivity was even stronger; (2) seasonal variations were demonstrated in both parameters α and β of the Richardson model; and (3) incorporating and coordinating the seasonality of parameters α and β greatly improved the predictions at the monthly scale. This newly modified model is therefore highly recommended when monthly rainfall erosivity is required, such as, in planning soil and water conservation practices and calculating the cover-management factor in the Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE) and Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE).
Key words: seasonal rainfall erosivity; Richardson model; cover-management factor; USLE; RUSLE
Yousheng WANG, Shi TAN, Baoyuan *LIU, Yang YANG . Estimating rainfall erosivity by incorporating seasonal variations in parameters into the Richardson model[J]. Journal of Geographical Sciences, 2017 , 27(3) : 275 -296 . DOI: 10.1007/s11442-017-1376-6
[1] | Angulo-Martinez M, Begueria S, 2009. Estimating rainfall erosivity from daily precipitation records: A comparison among methods using data from the Ebro Basin (NE Spain).Journal of Hydrology, 379(1/2): 111-121. |
[2] | Bagarello V, Dasaro F, 1994. Estimating single storm erosion index.Transactions of the ASAE, 37(3): 785-791. |
[3] | Bonilla C A, Vidal K L, 2011. Rainfall erosivity in Central Chile.Journal of Hydrology, 410(1/2): 126-133. |
[4] | Chen G T-J, 1983. Observational aspects of the Mei-Yu phenomena in subtropical China.Journal of the Meteorological Society of Japan, 61: 306-312. |
[5] | Coleman T F, Li Y Y, 1996. A reflective Newton method for minimizing a quadratic function subject to bounds on some of the variables.SIAM Journal on Optimization, 6(4): 1040-1058. |
[6] | Davison P, Hutchins M G, Anthony S Get al., 2005. The relationship between potentially erosive storm energy and daily rainfall quantity in England and Wales.Science of the Total Environment, 344(1-3): 15-25. |
[7] | Diodato N, Bellocchi G, 2007. Estimating monthly (R)USLE climate input in a Mediterranean region using limited data. Journal of Hydrology, 345(3/4): 224-236.b |
[8] | Eltaif N I, Gharaibeh M A, Al-Zaitawi Fet al, 2010. Approximation of rainfall erosivity factors in North Jordan.Pedosphere, 20(6): 711-717. |
[9] | Foster G R, 2004. Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation Version 2: User reference guide. USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, Tennessee. |
[10] | Guo Q K, Liu B Y, Xie Yet al, 2015. Estimation of USLE crop and management factor values for crop rotation systems in China.Journal of Integrative Agriculture, 14(9): 1877-1888. |
[11] | Guo X B, Wang Z Q, Zhang R L, 2001. Study on temporal distribution of rainfall erosivity and daily rainfall erosivity model in red soil area of Zhejiang.Journal of Soil and Water Conservation, 15(3): 35-35. (in Chinese) |
[12] | Hamby D M, 1994. A review of techniques for parameter sensitivity analysis of environmental models.Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, 32(2): 135-154. |
[13] | He J H, Zhao P, Zhu C Wet al, 2008. Discussions on the East Asian subtropical monsoon.Acta Meteorologica Sinica, 66(5): 683-696. |
[14] | Hoyos N, Waylen P R, Jaramillo á, 2005. Seasonal and spatial patterns of erosivity in a tropical watershed of the Colombian Andes.Journal of Hydrology, 314(1-4): 177-191. |
[15] | Kavian A, Fathollah N Y, Habibnejad Met al, 2011. Modeling seasonal rainfall erosivity on a regional scale: A case study from northeastern Iran.International Journal of Environmental Research, 5(4): 939-950. |
[16] | Kinnell P I A, 2010. Event soil loss, runoff and the Universal Soil Loss Equation family of models: A review.Journal of Hydrology, 385(1-4): 384-397. |
[17] | Lal R, 2003. Soil erosion and the global carbon budget.Environment International, 29(4): 437-450. |
[18] | Lee J H, Heo J H, 2011. Evaluation of estimation methods for rainfall erosivity based on annual precipitation in Korea.Journal of Hydrology, 409(1/2): 30-48. |
[19] | Lu H, Yu B F, 2002. Spatial and seasonal distribution of rainfall erosivity in Australia.Australian Journal of Soil Research, 40(6): 887-901. |
[20] | Mannaerts C M, Gabriels D, 2000. Rainfall erosivity in Cape Verde.Soil & Tillage Research, 55(3/4): 207-212. |
[21] | MathWorks I, 2005. MATLAB: The language of technical computing. Desktop Tools and Development Environment, version 7, MathWorks |
[22] | Mati B M, Morgan R P, Gichuki F Net al, 2000. Assessment of erosion hazard with the USLE and GIS: A case study of the Upper Ewaso Ng'iro North basin of Kenya.International Journal of Applied Earth Observation and Geoinformation, 2(2): 78-86. |
[23] | McGregor K C, Mutchler C K, 1976. Status of the R factor in Northern Mississippi.Soil Erosion: Prediction and Control, Soil Conservation Soc. Amer:, 135-142. |
[24] | Mikhailova E A, Bryant R B, Schwager S Jet al, 1997. Predicting rainfall erosivity in Honduras.Soil Science Society of America Journal, 61(1): 273-279. |
[25] | Nash J E, Sutcliffe J V, 1970. River flow forecasting through conceptual models (Part I): A discussion of principles.Journal of Hydrology, 10(3): 282-290. |
[26] | Ning L D, Shi H, 2003. Estimating R-factor in Southwest China with data of daily rainfall amount.Research of Soil and Water Conservation, 10(4): 183-186. (in Chinese) |
[27] | Oliver J E, 1980. Monthly precipitation distribution: A comparative index.Professional Geographer, 32(3): 300-309. |
[28] | Petkovsek G, Mikos M, 2004. Estimating the R factor from daily rainfall data in the sub-Mediterranean climate of southwest Slovenia.Hydrological Sciences Journal-Journal Des Sciences Hydrologiques, 49(5): 869-877. |
[29] | Pimentel D, Harvey C, Resosudarmo Pet al, 1995. Environmental and economic costs of soil erosion and conservation benefits.Science-AAAS-Weekly Paper Edition, 267(5201): 1117-1122. |
[30] | Posch M, Rekolainen S, 1993. Erosivity factor in the Universal Soil Loss Equation estimated from Finnish rainfall data.Agricultural Science in Finland, 2(4): 271-279. |
[31] | Ramos M C, Duran B, 2014. Assessment of rainfall erosivity and its spatial and temporal variabilities: Case study of the Penedes area (NE Spain).Catena, 123: 135-147. |
[32] | Renard K G, Foster G R, Weesies G Aet al, 1997. Predicting Soil Erosion by Water: A Guide to Conservation Planning with the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE). Washington: USDA. |
[33] | Renard K G, Freimund J R, 1994. Using monthly precipitation data to estimate the R-factor in the revised USLE.Journal of Hydrology, 157(1): 287-306. |
[34] | Richardson C W, Foster G R, Wright D A, 1983. Estimation of erosion index from daily rainfall amount.Transactions of the ASAE, 26(1): 153-156. |
[35] | Salako F K, 2010. Development of isoerodent maps for Nigeria from daily rainfall amount.Geoderma, 156(3/4): 372-378. |
[36] | Sanchez-Moreno J F, Mannaerts C M, Jetten V, 2014. Rainfall erosivity mapping for Santiago Island, Cape Verde.Geoderma, 217: 74-82. |
[37] | Selker J S, Haith D A, Reynolds J E, 1990. Calibration and testing of a daily rainfall erosivity model.Transactions of the ASAE, 33(5): 1612-1618. |
[38] | Shamshad A, Azhari M N, Isa M Het al, 2008. Development of an appropriate procedure for estimation of RUSLE EI30 index and preparation of erosivity maps for Pulau Penang in Peninsular Malaysia.Catena, 72(3): 423-432. |
[39] | Taguas E V, Carpintero E, Ayuso J L, 2013. Assessing land degradation risk through the long-term analysis of erosivity: A case study in southern Spain.Land Degradation & Development, 24(2): 179-187. |
[40] | Tao S Y, 1987. A review of recent research on the East Asian summer monsoon in China.Monsoon Meteorology. |
[41] | Wischmeier W H, Smith D D, 1958. Rainfall energy and its relationship to soil loss.Eos, Transactions American Geophysical Union, 39(2): 285-291. |
[42] | Wischmeier W H, Smith D D, 1978. Predicting Rainfall Erosion Losses: A Guide to Conservation Planning. Washington: USDA. |
[43] | Yang X H, 2014. Deriving RUSLE cover factor from time-series fractional vegetation cover for hillslope erosion modelling in New South Wales.Soil Research, 52(3): 253-261. |
[44] | Yu B, 1998. Rainfall erosivity and its estimation for Australia's tropics.Australian Journal of Soil Research, 36(1): 143-165. |
[45] | Yu B, Hashim G M, Eusof Z, 2001. Estimating the R-factor with limited rainfall data: A case study from Peninsular Malaysia.Journal of Soil and Water Conservation, 56(2): 101-105. |
[46] | Yu B, Rosewell C J, 1996. An assessment of a daily rainfall erosivity model for New South Wales.Australian Journal of Soil Research, 34(1): 139-152. |
[47] | Yu B, Rosewell C J, 1996. Rainfall erosivity estimation using daily rainfall amounts for South Australia.Australian Journal of Soil Research, 34(5): 721-733. |
[48] | Yu B F, Neil D T, 2000. Empirical catchment-wide rainfall erosivity models for two rivers in the humid tropics of Australia.Australian Geographer, 31(1): 115-132. |
[49] | Zhu Z L, Yu B F, 2015. Validatiaon of rainfall erosivity estimators for mainland of China.Transactions of the ASABE, 58(1): 61-71. |
/
〈 | 〉 |