laboratory and in the field of the Loess Plateau by the authors and their
students/research partners in the past two decades. With the state-of-the-art
equipment invented by the authors of the book, both the occurrence of slope failures
and the sediment the failures generated can be monitored during the experiments.
Those experimental studies are concerned with the behavior and trigger of gravity
erosion, stability of different slope geometries under rainfalls, temporal changes of
sediment concentrations and particle sizes before, during and after the occurrence of
slope failures, and so on. This relentless and dedicated effort significantly advances
our understanding of gravity erosion processes and mechanisms. The experimental
results also provide a scientific basis for the optimization of gravity erosion control
measures. However, I would encourage the authors to validate the experimental
results using more field data collected under natural conditions in the future.
The check-dam is one of the most effective measures in soil erosion control on
the Loess Plateau. Rainfall and runoff experiments have been performed to evaluate
the check-dams’ effectiveness in sediment detention and their role in stabilizing
gully development and alleviating gravity erosion. The book also analyzes the
long-term data collected from an experimental catchment to quantify the effectiveness of different biological and engineering measures in retaining water, soil,
and nutrients, which provides practical guidance in the optimization of different
conservation measures in the region. A decades-long comprehensive study on
another much understudied but important erosion process in the Loess Plateau
region, tunnel erosion, is presented in the book. This includes hydrological and
sediment processes of tunnel erosion, initiation and development of tunnel systems,
sediment contribution of tunnel erosion in the catchment, as well as geophysical
methods in mapping tunnel systems in the field. The research has been internationally recognized.
Xiangzhou Xu, the first author of the book, received his doctoral degree at
Tsinghua University ten years ago. During his graduate study, I found that
Xiangzhou was a very diligent, self-motivated, and thoughtful student. What deeply
impressed me is that he always earnestly accepted my advices and creatively
enriched the ideas I told him. He conducted a series of soil conservation experiments and completed his doctoral thesis with distinction. I am pleased that
Xiangzhou continues to show a great passion, perseverance, and unwavering
determination to pursue his research interests after his graduation. Presently, he has
deepened his researches and obtained many new academic achievements highly
recognized by fellow academics in the soil conservation areas.
I applaud the great accomplishments the authors have made and I highly recommend this book to anyone who is in soil erosion or relevant field.
vi
Foreword by Guangqian Wang
students/research partners in the past two decades. With the state-of-the-art
equipment invented by the authors of the book, both the occurrence of slope failures
and the sediment the failures generated can be monitored during the experiments.
Those experimental studies are concerned with the behavior and trigger of gravity
erosion, stability of different slope geometries under rainfalls, temporal changes of
sediment concentrations and particle sizes before, during and after the occurrence of
slope failures, and so on. This relentless and dedicated effort significantly advances
our understanding of gravity erosion processes and mechanisms. The experimental
results also provide a scientific basis for the optimization of gravity erosion control
measures. However, I would encourage the authors to validate the experimental
results using more field data collected under natural conditions in the future.
The check-dam is one of the most effective measures in soil erosion control on
the Loess Plateau. Rainfall and runoff experiments have been performed to evaluate
the check-dams’ effectiveness in sediment detention and their role in stabilizing
gully development and alleviating gravity erosion. The book also analyzes the
long-term data collected from an experimental catchment to quantify the effectiveness of different biological and engineering measures in retaining water, soil,
and nutrients, which provides practical guidance in the optimization of different
conservation measures in the region. A decades-long comprehensive study on
another much understudied but important erosion process in the Loess Plateau
region, tunnel erosion, is presented in the book. This includes hydrological and
sediment processes of tunnel erosion, initiation and development of tunnel systems,
sediment contribution of tunnel erosion in the catchment, as well as geophysical
methods in mapping tunnel systems in the field. The research has been internationally recognized.
Xiangzhou Xu, the first author of the book, received his doctoral degree at
Tsinghua University ten years ago. During his graduate study, I found that
Xiangzhou was a very diligent, self-motivated, and thoughtful student. What deeply
impressed me is that he always earnestly accepted my advices and creatively
enriched the ideas I told him. He conducted a series of soil conservation experiments and completed his doctoral thesis with distinction. I am pleased that
Xiangzhou continues to show a great passion, perseverance, and unwavering
determination to pursue his research interests after his graduation. Presently, he has
deepened his researches and obtained many new academic achievements highly
recognized by fellow academics in the soil conservation areas.
I applaud the great accomplishments the authors have made and I highly recommend this book to anyone who is in soil erosion or relevant field.
vi
Foreword by Guangqian Wang