Catena最新文献

{"title":"Effects of fire severity on soil organic matter: a multi-isotope (C, N, H, O) comparison of wildfires and experimental burns","authors":"Layla M. San-Emeterio ,&nbsp;Nicasio T. Jiménez-Morillo ,&nbsp;José A. Vega ,&nbsp;Cristina Fernández ,&nbsp;Teresa Fontúrbel ,&nbsp;Gonzalo Almendros ,&nbsp;José.A. González-Pérez","doi":"10.1016/j.catena.2026.109817","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.catena.2026.109817","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Fire severity is key in shaping soil organic matter (SOM) composition, affecting biogeochemical cycles and post-fire recovery. However, accurately assessing fire severity is highly challenging, requiring the implementation of soil burn severity (SBS) indexes. This study employs a multi-isotope and elemental approach (C, N, H, O) to assess fire-induced changes in SOM quantity and quality across soil burn severity (SBS) levels in 0–2 cm mineral soil samples from wildfires and controlled experimental burns on intact soil monoliths in pine forests of Galicia (NW Spain). Results indicate that total organic carbon (TOC) and nitrogen (TN) decreased with increasing burn severity, with TOC losses reaching up to 90% in the most severe burns. Stable isotope analyses revealed divergent fractionation patterns: carbon isotope (δ¹³C) depletion in wildfire-affected soils suggested preferential combustion of lignin-derived compounds, whereas experimental burns exhibited slight δ¹³C enrichment due to the removal of thermolabile organic fractions. Similarly, nitrogen isotope (δ¹⁵N) values increased with burn severity, which may be linked to the alteration soil microbial community and selective nitrogen volatilization. Hydrogen (δ²H) and oxygen (δ¹⁸O) isotopes showed distinct evaporative and oxidative fractionation trends, with experimental fires displaying stronger δ²H enrichment due to more controlled combustion conditions. These findings highlight the utility of elemental and stable isotope analysis in distinguishing between fire types and assessing fire impacts on SOM. These results confirm the suitability of this system of visual indicators for assessing changes in the quality of organic matter in a simple way after a fire.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":9801,"journal":{"name":"Catena","volume":"264 ","pages":"Article 109817"},"PeriodicalIF":5.7,"publicationDate":"2026-01-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145973862","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Hydrological alterations induced lakeward expansion of wetland vegetation in Dongting Lake, China's second-largest lake","authors":"Jiangjie Yang ,&nbsp;Zhijun Dai ,&nbsp;Xuefei Mei ,&nbsp;Fangyuan Bu ,&nbsp;Yizhuang Liu","doi":"10.1016/j.catena.2026.109821","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.catena.2026.109821","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Dongting Lake (DTL), one of China's largest freshwater lakes and a critical wetland ecosystem, has shrunk rapidly due to both natural and human factors. This study presents one of the longest continuous analyses of wetland vegetation dynamics from 1989 to 2023 by combining long-term hydrological data with high-resolution remote sensing imagery, explicitly examining the impacts of hydrological alterations before and after the construction of the Three Gorges Dam (TGD). Results revealed that the vegetation area of DTL increased at a rate of 5.08 km²/yr, with regional rates of 1.88 km²/yr (East), 2.54 km²/yr (South), and 1.46 km²/yr (West), advancing lakeward at average rates of 27.56 ± 27.03 m/yr (East), 13.74 ± 14.45 m/yr (South), and 22.45 ± 20.67 m/yr (West), corresponding with water retreat and a downward shift of vegetation zones. Hydrological alterations caused by the TGD, including lower water levels (∼0.6 m) and longer dry seasons (35 days), strongly shaped wetland vegetation dynamics, with East DTL mainly responding to water level decline and South and West DTL being more sensitive to dry season duration. Sediment input supported vegetation expansion, and vegetation-sediment feedback accelerated wetland evolution by trapping sediments and raising floodplain elevation. Local reclamation and sand mining resulted in a substantial wetland loss of 117.7 km². This study provides a comprehensive understanding of the coupled effects of hydrological drivers and ecological feedback on wetland evolution, offering critical insights for the sustainable management and restoration of lake ecosystems.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":9801,"journal":{"name":"Catena","volume":"264 ","pages":"Article 109821"},"PeriodicalIF":5.7,"publicationDate":"2026-01-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145974009","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Discrepancies in microbial nitrogen cycling among diverse karst hydrological systems: enhanced nitrate reduction potential in karst conduits","authors":"Danni Zhu ,&nbsp;Yi Li ,&nbsp;Lihua Niu ,&nbsp;Changsong Zhou ,&nbsp;Lianjie Fan ,&nbsp;Haiping Lu ,&nbsp;Li Lin","doi":"10.1016/j.catena.2026.109795","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.catena.2026.109795","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Karst groundwater, a critical global drinking water source, exhibits heightened vulnerability to nitrate (NO₃⁻) contamination due to rapid hydraulic connectivity and redox fluctuations. Microbial nitrogen (N) cycling influenced by hydrological conditions is crucial to accurately identify the NO₃⁻ fate in karst aquifers. However, how karst hydrological conditions affect microbial N-cycling and NO₃⁻ turnover remains unclear. Herein, NO₃⁻ sources, transformation, and underlying microbial mechanisms of N-cycling were investigated by coupling hydrochemistry, stable isotopes, and microbial sequencing in two karst conduit systems (velocity: 54 and 37 m h⁻¹) and a matrix aquifer (velocity: 0.8 m h⁻¹). Hydrochemistry and stable isotope signatures indicated broader sources of NO₃⁻-N in conduit systems than in the matrix aquifer, yet conduit groundwater possessed lower NO₃⁻ concentrations, suggesting active nitrate attenuation. The microbes and functional genes of N-cycling revealed that NO₃⁻ reduction potentials involved in dissimilatory nitrate reduction, assimilatory nitrate reduction, and denitrification were significantly enhanced in conduit systems compared to the matrix aquifer. Additionally, conduit systems exhibited stronger community cohesion and a higher proportion of deterministic processes than the matrix aquifer. Generalized linear models further confirmed that community coalescence and assembly synergistically drive the enrichment of nitrate-reducing taxa in conduit systems. Partial least squares path modeling finally identified ORP, DIC, turbidity, and velocity as key hydrological drivers shaping N-cycling functions via community coalescence and assembly. These results link karst hydrodynamics to NO₃⁻ attenuation via microbially mediated ecological mechanisms, providing insights for NO₃⁻ pollution mitigation in karst aquifers.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":9801,"journal":{"name":"Catena","volume":"264 ","pages":"Article 109795"},"PeriodicalIF":5.7,"publicationDate":"2026-01-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145973830","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Impacts of increasing extreme climate events on Muz Taw glacier, Central Asia","authors":"Puyu Wang ,&nbsp;Fengchen Yu ,&nbsp;Fanglong Wang ,&nbsp;Puchen Chen ,&nbsp;Hongliang Li ,&nbsp;Ming Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.catena.2026.109823","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.catena.2026.109823","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The increasing frequency of extreme climate events has drawn widespread attention, particularly regarding their impacts on glacier ablation. As the only glacier in the Sawir Mountains with long-term monitoring, the Muz Taw Glacier provides continuous records and serves as an important reference for glaciers in the regions of high latitude and low altitude. Using RClimDex model combination with measurements, ERA5-Land reanalysis, and multi-source remote sensing data, this study analyzed the evolution of extreme climate events in this typical glacier area from 2000 to 2024. Over the past 25 years, all extreme temperature indices show rapid warming in the glacier area, accompanied by differences in temporal pattern, with nighttime warming faster than daytime, and warming magnitude during the non-ablation period exceeding that during the ablation period. Except for R1Xday and R5Xday, extreme precipitation indices showed increasing duration and cumulative intensity, with greater intensity during the ablation period. The stronger correlation between extreme temperature indices and glacier albedo with mass balance suggests that rising extreme warm events and declining albedo contribute to the accelerated glacier mass loss. Particularly in 2024, the Muz Taw Glacier experienced the highest temperature and the greatest amount of mass loss ever recorded.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":9801,"journal":{"name":"Catena","volume":"264 ","pages":"Article 109823"},"PeriodicalIF":5.7,"publicationDate":"2026-01-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145974138","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Impact of plateau pika burrows on soil water infiltration: Insights from controlled experiments and numerical simulation","authors":"Zhijie Cai ,&nbsp;Xiujie Wu ,&nbsp;Zhongyuan Xu ,&nbsp;Weini Hu ,&nbsp;Longwei Hao ,&nbsp;Zongxu Liu ,&nbsp;Jiani Li","doi":"10.1016/j.catena.2026.109816","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.catena.2026.109816","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>High density plateau pika activity in Qinghai-Tibet Plateau reforms soil properties and affects hydrological processes. However, studies focusing on the ecohydrology of pika burrows are sparse. This study, based on field investigations, applies sandbox experiments to investigate the effects of plateau pika burrows on preferential flow. Numerical simulations are conducted using COMSOL to explore the influence of various burrow structural parameters on water infiltration, including burrow diameter, depth, bottom length, and the separated burrow entrance and bottom section. Additionally, the impact of different burrow densities on water infiltration is analyzed.</div><div>The results showed that both the experiments and the model confirmed the occurrence of preferential flow in rodent burrows under varying rainfall intensity conditions. In the experiments, the soil water content at the same location was being up to 16.2% higher compared to non-burrow. Moreover, the bottom drainage of the burrow sandbox occurred first, and the total drainage volume was 8.6 times that of the non-burrow. Simulations demonstrate that burrow depth is the most significant factor among structural parameters of burrow. A 150% increase in depth led to a 62.67% increase in infiltration flux. Burrow diameter ranks second, while the burrow bottom length has the least effect. And the contribution of the burrow bottom alone to promoting water infiltration is very limited. Furthermore, excessive burrow density led to overly localized infiltration, weakening the overall enhancement. The findings enhance our understanding of rodent burrows on soil water movement and hydrological cycles, providing valuable scientific support for ecohydrology and water resource assessment.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":9801,"journal":{"name":"Catena","volume":"264 ","pages":"Article 109816"},"PeriodicalIF":5.7,"publicationDate":"2026-01-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145974010","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Valley agriculture in the middle reaches of the Yarlung Zangbo River was buffered against the drought event during the last millennium","authors":"Weiyu Cao ,&nbsp;Fang Tian ,&nbsp;Zixin Liu ,&nbsp;Meijiao Chen ,&nbsp;Xianyong Cao","doi":"10.1016/j.catena.2026.109800","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.catena.2026.109800","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Knowledge of the long-term land-use history and human-environment interaction processes in broad valleys is essential for the harmonious development of the Tibetan Plateau. In this study, we analyzed high-resolution multi-proxy records derived from Ruba Lake in the middle reaches of the Yarlung Zangbo River, including pollen, grain-size, End-member modelling, total organic carbon, total nitrogen, black carbon (BC), and δ¹³C of black carbon (δ¹³C_BC), to reconstruct the valley agriculture history and its environmental background over the last 2600 years. There is possible evidence that agriculture was practiced in the Ruba Basin since ca. 2000 cal yr BP, while it flourished after ca. 500 cal yr BP, as represented by increases in the pollen abundance and frequency of cereal Poaceae. Increased <em>Artemisia</em> and <em>Nitraria</em> indicate a regional aridification trend on the southern Tibetan Plateau, while elevated BC concentrations and enriched δ¹³C_BC values reflect intensified human activities. The increase in coarse-grained sediments further suggests enhanced soil erosion under these conditions. Our results confirm that regional drought at ca. 500 cal yr BP (middle Ming Dynasty) did not apparently affect the valley agriculture directly because of advanced cultivation technology and the relatively plentiful water resources.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":9801,"journal":{"name":"Catena","volume":"264 ","pages":"Article 109800"},"PeriodicalIF":5.7,"publicationDate":"2026-01-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145974011","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Strategies for predictive digital soil mapping by geophysical, remote sensing and machine learning approaches","authors":"Gustavo Vieira Veloso ,&nbsp;Danilo César de Mello ,&nbsp;Lucas Vieira Silva ,&nbsp;Elpídio Inácio Fernandes-Filho ,&nbsp;Jorge Tadeu Fim Rosas ,&nbsp;Fellipe Alcantara de Oliveira Mello ,&nbsp;José João Lelis Leal de Souza ,&nbsp;Márcio Rocha Francelino ,&nbsp;Sara Ramos dos Santos ,&nbsp;Francis Henrique Tenório Firmino ,&nbsp;Nícolas Augusto Rosin ,&nbsp;Gabriel Pimenta Barbosa de Sousa ,&nbsp;Tiago Osório Ferreira ,&nbsp;Arnaldo Barros e Souza ,&nbsp;José A.M. Demattê","doi":"10.1016/j.catena.2026.109822","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.catena.2026.109822","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;div&gt;&lt;div&gt;Pedology, the study of pedogenesis, includes soil classification and mapping. Digital soil mapping (DSM) has evolved from traditional methods to creating comprehensive spatial soil information systems. This advancement is achieved by integrating field and laboratory data with environmental covariates and incorporating new geotechnologies such as geophysical techniques and remote sensing data, alongside machine learning approaches. This integration in DSM provides novel insights into soil survey and mapping, offering detailed information on soil variability both vertically and laterally. It also raises new research questions that traditional pedology may not have addressed. In this study, we proposed and compared three strategies for DSM in Brazil, creating predictive pedological mapping. These strategies integrate data from three geophysical sensors, remote sensing data, relief, and lithology as input in a machine learning approach testing five algorithms. The four proposed strategies were: &lt;em&gt;i)&lt;/em&gt; the combined use of geophysical variables and remote sensing data (G + RS + DEM); &lt;em&gt;ii)&lt;/em&gt; the use of remote sensing data only (RS + DEM); &lt;em&gt;iii)&lt;/em&gt; the use of geophysical variables only (G + DEM) and; iv) relief data (DEM). Lithology and relief were used as common input data in the predictive pedological mapping modeling process for all four strategies. We conducted a statistical analysis to evaluate the models' performance employing the Kruskal-Walli's test, the F1-score, Kappa, Accuracy, Sensitivity, and Specificity. Additionally, the best strategy was chosen based on the Kruskal-Walli's test and Overall Agreement and Disagreement statistical validation method, utilizing the reference map generated by an expert pedologist. Results revealed that the Random Forest algorithm presented the best performance for modeling predictive pedological mapping in all proposed strategies. Among the predictor variables, the Synthetic Soil Image (a synthetic multi-temporal soil image created by selecting and integrating bare soil observations from satellite data to capture key soil properties for mapping and analysis), relief, and geophysical data had the most significant contributions. While variables associated with remote sensing displayed stronger correlations with surface pedological attributes, geophysical variables demonstrated stronger associations with subsurface pedological attributes and diagnostic horizons. The most effective strategies for predictive digital pedological mapping were the G + RS, while the least effective was DEM. The individual performances of G and RS were comparable. The final predictive digital pedological map had a strong correlation with the traditional one, considering the Agreement/Disagreement validation method. The most significant prediction errors occurred in the transitional zones between pedological and lithological classes. Within the predicted classes, the most substantial errors were observed in class","PeriodicalId":9801,"journal":{"name":"Catena","volume":"264 ","pages":"Article 109822"},"PeriodicalIF":5.7,"publicationDate":"2026-01-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145973916","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The influence of soil physico-chemical properties and land uses on organic carbon stocks in contrasting Mediterranean pedosystems","authors":"Antonio Ganga ,&nbsp;Ludmila Ribeiro Roder ,&nbsp;Iraê Amaral Guerrini ,&nbsp;Rafael Barroca Silva ,&nbsp;Emmanuele Farris ,&nbsp;Alfredo Maccioni ,&nbsp;Gian Franco Capra","doi":"10.1016/j.catena.2025.109746","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.catena.2025.109746","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Soil plays a pivotal role in the processes and behavior of the global carbon cycle, with soil organic carbon stocks (SOCs) representing the largest terrestrial carbon (C) pool. Mediterranean areas are among the world's biodiversity hotspots for conservation priorities. The island of Sardinia (southern Italy), due to the rare convergence of environmental and historical land use factors, is characterized by extremely peculiar soil conditions. This study investigated SOCs and their behavior in two contrasting Mediterranean pedosystems: Cambisols developed on granite (the most common pedosystem) <em>vs</em> Luvisols on limestone (one of the rarest), featuring different land covers with a gradient varying from agricultural (vineyard at different ages) to more natural areas (remnants of natural potential vegetation cover). Several soil physico-chemical features were assessed. An ANOVA was conducted to determine significant differences (<em>p</em> &lt; 0.05) between and among investigated horizons and land uses. The variability and complex multiple relationships were analyzed by factor (FA) and principal component analysis (PCA). Results revealed that areas with natural or near-natural features exhibited significantly higher SOCs compared to more intensively managed and human-influenced land covers. Interestingly, the two investigated pedosystems, originating from diverse substrates and thus contributing to different soil formation processes, are characterized by significantly different SOC amounts and behaviors. Overall, soil features have a greater influence on SOCs than usually expected and previously reported. Consequently, this study suggests that SOC investigations, if not conducted in conjunction with a thorough soil analysis, may lead to inaccurate or misleading outcomes and subsequent conclusions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":9801,"journal":{"name":"Catena","volume":"264 ","pages":"Article 109746"},"PeriodicalIF":5.7,"publicationDate":"2026-01-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145973917","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Comparison of alternative chemical density and physical methods for isolating soil organic matter fractions in high carbon soils","authors":"Hamond Motsi ,&nbsp;Catherine E. Clarke ,&nbsp;Ailsa G. Hardie ,&nbsp;Michele L. Francis ,&nbsp;Alastair J. Potts","doi":"10.1016/j.catena.2025.109788","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.catena.2025.109788","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Soils beneath <em>Portulacaria afra</em> (spekboom) within the evergreen Albany Subtropical Thicket of South Africa contain unusually high soil organic carbon concentrations despite the biome's semi-arid climate. Fractionation of soil organic matter (SOM) into particulate organic matter (POM) and mineral-associated organic matter (MAOM) provide insights into the mechanisms of soil carbon (C) accumulation. Conventionally, sodium polytungstate (SPT) is used in density fractionation, but its high-cost limits sample numbers. Cheaper, reliable alternatives to SPT are therefore required to understand the C dynamics of spekboom and other high-C soils. Particle size (PS) sieving has been proposed as cheaper alternative to density fractionation, but its application in spekboom soils is unknown. This study compared SPT with PS fractionation and density fractionation using cheaper, highly soluble salts: sodium iodide (NaI), potassium iodide (KI), and calcium chloride (CaCl₂). The relationship between permanganate oxidizable carbon (POXC) and POM-C was also explored. High C (&gt;5 %) topsoils with a range of POM:MAOM ratios from the spekboom thicket, a pine forest, a wetland, and a grassland were evaluated. Results demonstrated that fractionation methods significantly affected (<em>p</em> &lt; 0.05) fractions in each soil. NaI showed similar performance to SPT in SOM fractionation followed by KI. The PS method used in this study compared poorly to SPT, underestimating POM-C (34–39 %) and overestimating MAOM-C (39–51 %) in high POM soils (spekboom and pine forest soils) with the opposite effect in lower POM soils (wetland and grassland). The CaCl₂ method was also not ideal due to salt entrainment. Some soils did not conform to the expected linear relationship between POM-C and POXC demonstrating that POXC method is not always suitable. Thus, NaI is proposed as a cheaper alternative to replace SPT in density fractionation of spekboom soils. Findings from this study have significant implications in appropriate method selection for SOM fractionation of high C soils.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":9801,"journal":{"name":"Catena","volume":"264 ","pages":"Article 109788"},"PeriodicalIF":5.7,"publicationDate":"2026-01-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145973835","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Development and application of a distributed hydrology and soil erosion model in a semi-arid catchment, China","authors":"Ang Lu ,&nbsp;Peng Tian ,&nbsp;Guangju Zhao ,&nbsp;Xingmin Mu ,&nbsp;Xiaojing Tian ,&nbsp;Chaojun Gu ,&nbsp;Lin Yang ,&nbsp;Junjian Fan","doi":"10.1016/j.catena.2026.109811","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.catena.2026.109811","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Soil erosion models are efficient tools for quantifying regional soil erosion, estimating long-term soil erosion rates, and assessing the effects of land surface changes on soil erosion and sediment yield. These models offer significant advantages over costly and geographically limited field monitoring. These models are crucial for understanding hydrological and sediment dynamic on the Loess Plateau, which is highly vulnerable to soil erosion due to its complex topography, high erodible loess and frequent storms. To address the need of event-based simulations that can capture the impacts of widespread conservation practices, this study developed a novel distributed hydrology and soil erosion model. The model couples the Vertical Mixed Runoff Model (VMM) with the Morgan-Morgan-Finney (MMF) erosion model and integrates a specialized module to explicitly simulate the interception effects of terraces, which are a key soil and water conservation measure in the region. This integrated model simulates three key components at the flood-event scale, including runoff generation, soil erosion, and sediment transport. The model was calibrated and validated using data from nine flood events in the Xichuanhe catchment, a typical tributary of the Yanhe River on the Loess Plateau. The results demonstrate a high level of accuracy in runoff simulation, achieving Nash-Sutcliffe Efficiency (NSE) coefficients of 0.82 and 0.67 for the calibration and validation periods, respectively. Relative Peak Errors (RPE) were consistently below 23%, indicating a close match between simulated and observed hydrographs. For sediment simulation, the model effectively captured the overall dynamics with an average NSE of 0.80 and RPE between 2.3% and 18.7% during calibration periods, though with some discrepancies during validation periods. The model confirms the significant role of terraces in reducing runoff and sediment yield. On average, terraces could reduce total runoff volume by 12.1% and sediment yield by 17.2% during flood events. These findings demonstrated the model's effectiveness for hydrological and soil erosion simulation and its potential in evaluating soil and water conservation measures on the Loess Plateau. The model can offer a valuable tool for quantitatively assessing the effectiveness of soil and water conservation measures in this critical region and similar semi-arid environments.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":9801,"journal":{"name":"Catena","volume":"264 ","pages":"Article 109811"},"PeriodicalIF":5.7,"publicationDate":"2026-01-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145973918","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}