Linking landscape patterns to rainfall-runoff-sediment relationships: A case study in an agriculture, forest, and urbanization-dominated mountain watershed

Chong Wei; Xiaohua Dong; Yaoming Ma; Xingyun Huang; Jianfeng Gou; Dan Yu; Wenyi Zhao; Bob Su

Ecological Indicators (Mar 2025)

Linking landscape patterns to rainfall-runoff-sediment relationships: A case study in an agriculture, forest, and urbanization-dominated mountain watershed

Chong Wei,
Xiaohua Dong,
Yaoming Ma,
Xingyun Huang,
Jianfeng Gou,
Dan Yu,
Wenyi Zhao,
Bob Su

Affiliations

Chong Wei: College of Hydraulic & Environmental Engineering, China Three Gorges University, Yichang 443002, China; Engineering Research Center for the Ecological Environment of the Three Gorges Reservoir Area, Ministry of Education, Yichang 430072, China; Key Laboratory of River and Lake Regulation and Flood Control in the Middle and Lower Reaches of MWR, Yangtze River Scientific Research Institute, Wuhan 430010, China
Xiaohua Dong: College of Hydraulic & Environmental Engineering, China Three Gorges University, Yichang 443002, China; Engineering Research Center for the Ecological Environment of the Three Gorges Reservoir Area, Ministry of Education, Yichang 430072, China; Corresponding authors at: College of Hydraulic & Environmental Engineering, China Three Gorges University, Yichang 443002, China.
Yaoming Ma: Land-Atmosphere Interaction and Its Climatic Effects Group, State Key Laboratory of Tibetan Plateau Earth System, Resources and Environment (TPESRE), Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; College of Hydraulic & Environmental Engineering, China Three Gorges University, Yichang 443002, China; College of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China; College of Atmospheric Science, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China; National Observation and Research Station for Qomolongma Special Atmospheric Processes and Environmental Changes, Dingri 858200, China; Kathmandu Center of Research and Education, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; China-Pakistan Joint Research Center on Earth Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Islamabad 45320, Pakistan; Corresponding authors at: College of Hydraulic & Environmental Engineering, China Three Gorges University, Yichang 443002, China.
Xingyun Huang: South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510650, China
Jianfeng Gou: Faculty of Architecture and Civil Engineering, Huaiyin Institute of Technology, Huai’an 223003, China
Dan Yu: College of Hydraulic & Environmental Engineering, China Three Gorges University, Yichang 443002, China; Engineering Research Center for the Ecological Environment of the Three Gorges Reservoir Area, Ministry of Education, Yichang 430072, China
Wenyi Zhao: College of Civil Engineering & Architecture, China Three Gorges University, Yichang 443002, China
Bob Su: Faculty of Geo-Information Science and Earth Observation, University of Twente, Enschede 7500 AE, the Netherlands

Journal volume & issue: Vol. 172
p. 113279

Abstract

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Human-induced alterations in Landscape Patterns (LP) significantly influence hydrological processes, yet their comprehensive impact on rainfall-runoff-sediment relationships (RRSR) remains unexplored. This study introduces the Sediment Transport Modulus per unit of erosive Rainfall (STMR) as a novel metric, alongside the Sediment Transport Modulus (STM) and Suspended Sediment Concentration (SSC), to characterize RRSR. Using hydrometeorological data (1963–2022) and land use maps (1990–2022), the Hushan River Watershed (HSRW) in eastern Poyang Lake, China, was selected to examine the effects of LP on RRSR through LP metrics calculation, correlation analysis, redundancy analysis, and multiple linear regression. The results reveal significant increases in STM, STMR, and SSC, accompanied by notable LP changes during the study period. Overall, LP had a stronger influence on RRSR than sediment yield alone. While the LP of cultivated and forest land showed limited effects on RRSR compared to STM, constructed land exhibited a more pronounced impact. Notably, LP influence diminished when sediment yields exceeded a threshold. Key contributors to RRSR variability included Shannon’s Diversity Index, the percentage of cultivated and forest land, and patch density of cultivated and constructed land. It can be concluded that LP effectively predicted RRSR variations. Strategic LP management, such as enhancing the boundaries between forest and cultivated land, reducing the fragmentation of construction land, and strengthening soil erosion control measures along riverbanks can reduce the transfer of soil during the runoff convergence process. These insights are crucial for optimizing landscapes to enhance ecological resilience.

Published in Ecological Indicators

ISSN: 1470-160X (Print); 1872-7034 (Online)
Publisher: Elsevier
Country of publisher: United Kingdom
LCC subjects: Science: Biology (General): Ecology
Website: https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/ecological-indicators

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