Characteristics of runoff and sediment yield for two typical erodible soils in southern China

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.