Foreword by John Zhang
This book is the first to systematically explore the experimental erosion by integrating theory, erosion observation, and conservation application. Although
numerous books have been published on soil erosion both in English and in
Chinese, none has concentrated on the experimental studies on the Loess Plateau of
China, with an attempt of establishing a new sub-discipline: experimental erosion.
The work included in the book represents exemplary studies in the field of soil
erosion and conservation. The new methods and results of the research will also
provide practical guidance for controlling soil erosion. Hence, the book will be
valuable to both soil erosion researchers and conservationists.
The book is clearly written and well structured. First, the authors establish the
theoretical framework and fundamental principles of experimental erosion. Second,
they present a variety of state-of-the-art experimental techniques and innovative
observation methods for designing soil erosion experiments. Finally, they demonstrate experimental case studies on a range of erosion problems and conservation
practices such as mass movement, gully erosion, tunnel erosion as well as
check-dam.
The work described in the book tackles several important, but difficult and
understudied problems in soil erosion research. Rainfall simulation experiments
have long been applied to study soil erosion processes, but largely limited to rain
splash, sheet wash, and rill erosion mostly on gentle to medium slopes. In this book,
several different types of rainfall simulators and a mobile laboratory, designed by
Prof. Xu, were employed to study mass movements on steep slopes both in the
laboratory and fields. A Topography Meter, also invented by Prof. Xu, was used to
quantitatively observe the processes of mass failures during the experiments. The
valuable data acquired by the rainfall simulation experiments are of critical
ix
This book is the first to systematically explore the experimental erosion by integrating theory, erosion observation, and conservation application. Although
numerous books have been published on soil erosion both in English and in
Chinese, none has concentrated on the experimental studies on the Loess Plateau of
China, with an attempt of establishing a new sub-discipline: experimental erosion.
The work included in the book represents exemplary studies in the field of soil
erosion and conservation. The new methods and results of the research will also
provide practical guidance for controlling soil erosion. Hence, the book will be
valuable to both soil erosion researchers and conservationists.
The book is clearly written and well structured. First, the authors establish the
theoretical framework and fundamental principles of experimental erosion. Second,
they present a variety of state-of-the-art experimental techniques and innovative
observation methods for designing soil erosion experiments. Finally, they demonstrate experimental case studies on a range of erosion problems and conservation
practices such as mass movement, gully erosion, tunnel erosion as well as
check-dam.
The work described in the book tackles several important, but difficult and
understudied problems in soil erosion research. Rainfall simulation experiments
have long been applied to study soil erosion processes, but largely limited to rain
splash, sheet wash, and rill erosion mostly on gentle to medium slopes. In this book,
several different types of rainfall simulators and a mobile laboratory, designed by
Prof. Xu, were employed to study mass movements on steep slopes both in the
laboratory and fields. A Topography Meter, also invented by Prof. Xu, was used to
quantitatively observe the processes of mass failures during the experiments. The
valuable data acquired by the rainfall simulation experiments are of critical
ix