importance in studying the mechanism and sediment production of mass movement, due to the difficulties in predicting its timing, location, and magnitude under
natural conditions. Also, rainfall simulation experiments were conducted in the field
to study gully formation and development, which have rarely been done elsewhere.
Check-dams are among the most widespread engineering structures in conserving
soil and water on the Loess Plateau. The efficiency and effectiveness of a
check-dam system in retaining sediment and stabilizing gully development were
investigated by a series of experiments using semi-scaled models as described in the
book. Such research results are of tremendously practical significance in controlling
soil erosion on the Loess Plateau of China.
Soil piping and tunnel erosion have not been widely studied as compared to
surface erosion. Tunnel erosion on the Loess Plateau is the most serious ones in the
non-karst areas in the world. Nevertheless, the hydrological and sediment processes
have never been studied in-depth in the region. The work conducted in the
experimental catchment, Yangdaogou Catchment, was the first attempt to monitor
hydrological and sediment processes of tunnel flows on the Loess Plateau. The
long-term continuous investigations of tunnel formation and its relation to gully
development, mass movements, as well as the sediment and hydrological processes
of tunnel flows represent the most comprehensive study of soil piping/tunnel erosion in semiarid areas in the world.
The authors have long worked in the soil erosion and the related fields and are
outstanding scholars who have earned national and international recognitions.
Dr. Xiangzhou Xu is a professor and Ph.D. supervisor at the Dalian University of
Technology. He has published more than fifty articles and two books, as well as
obtained thirteen patents for developing erosion monitoring and measurement
devices or techniques. Dr. Tongxin Zhu is a professor at the University of
Minnesota Duluth in the USA and has published over thirty articles in books and
leading international hydrological and geomorphological journals. Dr. Hongwu
Zhang is a distinguished professor at Tsinghua University and a leading scientist in
the areas of river management and hydraulics. He has published nine books and
over 200 journal articles and has received numerous prestigious awards and honors.
In conclusion, this book is a valuable piece of scholarship and will be a useful
reference to the graduate students, soil erosion scientists and engineers, and soil and
water conservationists. I am looking forward to its publication with great interest.
x
Foreword by John Zhang
natural conditions. Also, rainfall simulation experiments were conducted in the field
to study gully formation and development, which have rarely been done elsewhere.
Check-dams are among the most widespread engineering structures in conserving
soil and water on the Loess Plateau. The efficiency and effectiveness of a
check-dam system in retaining sediment and stabilizing gully development were
investigated by a series of experiments using semi-scaled models as described in the
book. Such research results are of tremendously practical significance in controlling
soil erosion on the Loess Plateau of China.
Soil piping and tunnel erosion have not been widely studied as compared to
surface erosion. Tunnel erosion on the Loess Plateau is the most serious ones in the
non-karst areas in the world. Nevertheless, the hydrological and sediment processes
have never been studied in-depth in the region. The work conducted in the
experimental catchment, Yangdaogou Catchment, was the first attempt to monitor
hydrological and sediment processes of tunnel flows on the Loess Plateau. The
long-term continuous investigations of tunnel formation and its relation to gully
development, mass movements, as well as the sediment and hydrological processes
of tunnel flows represent the most comprehensive study of soil piping/tunnel erosion in semiarid areas in the world.
The authors have long worked in the soil erosion and the related fields and are
outstanding scholars who have earned national and international recognitions.
Dr. Xiangzhou Xu is a professor and Ph.D. supervisor at the Dalian University of
Technology. He has published more than fifty articles and two books, as well as
obtained thirteen patents for developing erosion monitoring and measurement
devices or techniques. Dr. Tongxin Zhu is a professor at the University of
Minnesota Duluth in the USA and has published over thirty articles in books and
leading international hydrological and geomorphological journals. Dr. Hongwu
Zhang is a distinguished professor at Tsinghua University and a leading scientist in
the areas of river management and hydraulics. He has published nine books and
over 200 journal articles and has received numerous prestigious awards and honors.
In conclusion, this book is a valuable piece of scholarship and will be a useful
reference to the graduate students, soil erosion scientists and engineers, and soil and
water conservationists. I am looking forward to its publication with great interest.
x
Foreword by John Zhang