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Journal of Arid Land
Journal of Arid Land  2024, Vol. 16 Issue (4): 518-530    DOI: 10.1007/s40333-024-0012-4
Research article     
Effect of coir geotextile and geocell on ephemeral gully erosion in the Mollisol region of Northeast China
QIN Xijin1, SUN Yiqiu2, ZHANG Yan1,*(), GUAN Yinghui1, WU Hailong3, WANG Xinyu3, WANG Guangyu4
1School of Soil and Water Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China
2Tianjin Eco-Environmental Protection Design & Research Institute, Tianjin 300042, China
3College of Environmental Science and Safety Engineering, Tianjin University of Technology, Tianjin 300384, China
4Faculty of Forestry, University of British Columbia, 2424 Main Mall, Vancouver BC V6T 1Z4, Canada
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Abstract  

The unique geomorphological features and farming methods in the Mollisol region of Northeast China increase water catchment flow and aggravate the erosion of ephemeral gully (EG). Vegetation suffers from rain erosion and damage during the growth stage, which brings serious problems to the restoration of grass in the early stage. Therefore, effects of coir geotextile and geocell on EG erosion under four confluence intensities were researched in this study. Results of the simulated water discharge erosion test showed that when the confluence strength was less than 30 L/min, geocell and coir geotextile had a good effect on controlling EG erosion, and sediment yield of geocell and coir geotextile was reduced by 25.95%-37.82% and 73.73%-88.96%, respectively. However, when confluence intensity increased to 40 L/min, protective effect of coir geotextile decreased, and sediment yield rate increased sharply by 189.03%. When confluence intensity increased to 50 L/min, the protective effect of coir geotextile was lost. On the other hand, geocell showed that the greater the flow rate, the better the protective effect. In addition, with the increase in confluence intensity, erosion pattern of coir geotextile developed from sheet erosion to intermittent fall and then to completion of main rill, and the protective effect was gradually weakened. In contrast, the protective effect of EG under geocell was gradually enhanced from the continuous rill to the intermittent rill and finally to the intermittent fall. This study shows that coir geotextile and geocell can prevent EG erosion, and the effect of geocell is better than that of coir geotextile on the surface of EG.

Key words： geocell      coir geotextile      ephemeral gully      confluence intensity      erosion control     
Received: 18 January 2024      Published: 30 April 2024
Corresponding Authors: *ZHANG Yan (E-mail: bltjzhangyan@163.com)
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QIN Xijin
SUN Yiqiu
ZHANG Yan
GUAN Yinghui
WU Hailong
WANG Xinyu
WANG Guangyu
Cite this article:

QIN Xijin, SUN Yiqiu, ZHANG Yan, GUAN Yinghui, WU Hailong, WANG Xinyu, WANG Guangyu. Effect of coir geotextile and geocell on ephemeral gully erosion in the Mollisol region of Northeast China. Journal of Arid Land, 2024, 16(4): 518-530.

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http://jal.xjegi.com/10.1007/s40333-024-0012-4     OR     http://jal.xjegi.com/Y2024/V16/I4/518


Type
Name		 Characteristics of different measures
Interception and water storage characteristics Preventing
undercutting erosion		 Continuous erosion prevention and control on slope surface
Surface continuous covering measure Coir geotextile * * *
Surface discontinuous covering measure Mulch with straw or wood chip * - -
Surface blocking measure Log erosion barrier and log debris dam * - -
Deep interception measure Geocell * * *
Table 1 Characteristics of different measures for erosion control
Fig. 1 An illustration of the experimental device. Coir geotextile is made of coconut fiber and a protective net through mechanical processing. Blanket weight is 334 g/m2, thickness is approximately 3.0-5.0 mm, longitudinal breaking strength is 2.0 kN/m, and transverse breaking strength is 1.9 kN/m. Geocell is made of high density polyethylene material, solder joint peel strength is >3000 N, thickness is 1.3 mm, and height is 60.0 mm.
Fig. 2 A cross-section of runoff plot
Fig. 3 Layout of geocell (a) and expanded geocell (b)
Fig. 4 Layout of coir geotextile (a) and expanded coir geotextile (b)
Fig. 5 Variation in runoff rate under different treatments. (a), 10IR (10 L/min inflow rate); (b), 30IR (30 L/min inflow rate); (c), 40IR (40 L/min inflow rate); (d), 50IR (50 L/min inflow rate). Bars are standard errors.
Fig. 6 Variation in soil loss rate under different treatments. (a), 10IR (10 L/min inflow rate); (b), 30IR (30 L/min inflow rate); (c), 40IR (40 L/min inflow rate); (d), 50IR (50 L/min inflow rate). Bars are standard errors.
Treatment Soil loss (g) Erosion reduction effectiveness (%)
10IR 30IR 40IR 50IR 10IR 30IR 40IR 50IR
Bare slope 8931 9014 11,102 11,962 - - - -
Geocell 3633 5165 5524 6169 59.32 42.70 50.24 48.43
Coir geotextile 929 3894 5680 9770 89.60 56.80 48.84 18.32
Table 2 Soil loss and erosion reduction effectiveness under different treatments
Fig. 7 Microtopography change under geocell (a1-a4) and coir geotextile (b1-b4) treatments. 10IR, 10 L/min inflow rate; 30IR, 30 L/min inflow rate; 40IR, 40 L/min inflow rate; 50IR, 50 L/min inflow rate.
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[1] WANG Xinyu, SU Yu, SUN Yiqiu, ZHANG Yan, GUAN Yinghui, WANG Zhirong, WU Hailong. Sediment yield and erosion-deposition distribution characteristics in ephemeral gullies in black soil areas under geocell protection[J]. Journal of Arid Land, 2023, 15(2): 180-190.