Effect of antecedent soil moisture on aggregate stability and splash erosion of krasnozem

Abstract: Rainfall splash erosion, usually the first step in soil loss and sediment transport, is a critical process in hillslope water erosion. It is recognized that antecedent moisture content influences the re-aggregation of soil particles and their subsequent enhanced ability to resist exogenic soil erosional forces. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of antecedent moisture on aggregate stability and splash for Utisols in subtropical China. Four soil samples derived from Shale and Quaternary red soil and five antecedent moisture contents (3 %, 5 %, 10 %, 15 %, and 20 %) were tested in this study. Effects of antecedent moisture on aggregate stability and splash erosion were discussed based on the analysis of aggregate water stability using wet-sieving method and rainfall simulation with an intensity of 60 mm/h for 45 minutes in laboratory. Mean weight diameter of aggregate water stability (MWDwa) was used as the aggregate stability index. The fragments splashed out were measured by wet sieving with sieves of 2.0 mm, 1.0 mm, 0.5 mm, 0.25 mm, respectively. And fragments less than 0.25 mm in size were then measured by a laser diffraction sizer in five classes (0.2-0.25 mm, 0.15-0.2 mm, 0.10-0.15 mm, 0.05-0.10 mm, and < 0.05 mm). The results showed that aggregate water stability significantly increased with increasing antecedent moisture content and slaking was the most efficient breakdown mechanism. With the increase of antecedent moisture content, MWDwa values of the soils derived from Shale significantly increased. However, the MWDwa values of soils derived from Quaternary red clay increased initially then decreased, with the most stable value at the moisture of 15%. With antecedent moisture content increasing, the total mass of splash for soils derived from Shale decreased, but decreased first then increased for soils derived from Quaternary red clay, with a minimum value at the moisture of 15%. The size-selectivity was determined by the size distribution and surface structure at different antecedent moisture contents. For more stable soils, size distribution of the splashed fragments is bimodal with a major peak at 1-0.5 mm and < 0.05 mm. For less stable soils, size distribution of splashed is unimodal with a large peak at 1-0.25 mm except the ones at the moisture of 20 %. The results can provide a reference for agricultural water-soil engineering and water erosion mechanisms of Utisols, which has great significance for improving soil erosion models.