Volume 50, Issue 6 e70082

RESEARCH ARTICLE

Microtopography-scale research on the sediment connectivity of hillslopes based on optimised M&V depression-filling and a simulated annealing algorithm

Ke Song,

Ke Song

College of Water Conservancy and Hydropower Engineering, Sichuan Agricultural University, Ya'an, China

Contribution: Investigation, Software

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Wenyu Wang,

Wenyu Wang

College of Water Conservancy and Hydropower Engineering, Sichuan Agricultural University, Ya'an, China

Contribution: Investigation

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Xinlan Liang,

Xinlan Liang

College of Water Conservancy and Hydropower Engineering, Sichuan Agricultural University, Ya'an, China

Contribution: Conceptualization, Methodology, Resources

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Yang Liu,

Yang Liu

College of Water Conservancy and Hydropower Engineering, Sichuan Agricultural University, Ya'an, China

Contribution: Investigation

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Ying Cao,

Ying Cao

College of Water Conservancy and Hydropower Engineering, Sichuan Agricultural University, Ya'an, China

Contribution: Software

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Yong Wang,

Corresponding Author

Yong Wang

[email protected]

Forestry Ecological Engineering in the Upper Reaches of the Yangtze River Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, College of Forestry, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, China

Correspondence

Yong Wang, Forestry Ecological Engineering in the Upper Reaches of the Yangtze River Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, College of Forestry, Sichuan Agricultural University, No. 211, Huiming Road, Wenjiang District, Chengdu City, Sichuan Province, 611130, China.

Email: [email protected]

Contribution: Supervision, Writing - review & editing, Funding acquisition

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Ke Song,

Ke Song

College of Water Conservancy and Hydropower Engineering, Sichuan Agricultural University, Ya'an, China

Contribution: Investigation, Software

Search for more papers by this author

Wenyu Wang,

Wenyu Wang

College of Water Conservancy and Hydropower Engineering, Sichuan Agricultural University, Ya'an, China

Contribution: Investigation

Search for more papers by this author

Xinlan Liang,

Xinlan Liang

College of Water Conservancy and Hydropower Engineering, Sichuan Agricultural University, Ya'an, China

Contribution: Conceptualization, Methodology, Resources

Search for more papers by this author

Yang Liu,

Yang Liu

College of Water Conservancy and Hydropower Engineering, Sichuan Agricultural University, Ya'an, China

Contribution: Investigation

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Ying Cao,

Ying Cao

College of Water Conservancy and Hydropower Engineering, Sichuan Agricultural University, Ya'an, China

Contribution: Software

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Yong Wang,

Corresponding Author

Yong Wang

[email protected]

Forestry Ecological Engineering in the Upper Reaches of the Yangtze River Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, College of Forestry, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, China

Correspondence

Email: [email protected]

Contribution: Supervision, Writing - review & editing, Funding acquisition

Search for more papers by this author

First published: 14 May 2025

https://doi.org/10.1002/esp.70082

Funding information:

Natural Science Foundation of China, Grant/Award Numbers: 42277326

National Key Research and Development Program of China, Grant/Award Numbers: 2022YFF1302902

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Abstract

Sediment connectivity serves as a crucial indicator for assessing the extent of soil erosion, thus reflecting the potential sediment transport capacity within a given watershed. Depression filling is one of the most elementary operation procedures in the hydrologic analysis of surface microtopography. However, the influence of microtopography on sediment connectivity calculated by a high-efficiency algorithm at the hillslope scale remains uncertain. In this study, we developed an improved depression-filling algorithm based on digital elevation models (DEMs) to evaluate the sediment index of connectivity (IC) under different microtopographic treatments (surfaces with continuous depressions, alternating depressions, continuous mounds, alternating mounds, continuous mounds and depressions, and alternating mounds and depressions) during rainfall events. A smooth surface was used for the control treatment. The results indicated that the presence of microtopographic conditions and the type of algorithm significantly influenced sediment connectivity and yield. The mean IC values obtained from different algorithms notably differed. The combined M&V depression-filling–simulated annealing algorithms (M&V–SAA) generated relatively few parallel flow directions, thereby promoting the creation of additional continuous sediment connectivity paths. The slope surface with alternating mounds significantly increased the sediment yield, whereas that with alternating mounds and depressions markedly decreased the sediment yield at a rainfall intensity of 60 mm h⁻¹. The IC value calculated via the M&V–SAA algorithm was significantly positively correlated with the sediment yield, whereas the IC values calculated via the other algorithms were not significantly correlated with the sediment yield. A simulated annealing mechanism was integrated into the M&V algorithm, thereby increasing the accuracy of the calculated IC values at the microtopographic scale. These findings could critically inform the optimisation of sediment connectivity models and provide a precise quantitative description of sediment transport during rainfall events.

CONFLICT OF INTEREST STATEMENT

No potential conflicts of interest were reported by the authors.

Open Research

DATA AVAILABILITY STATEMENT

The data will be made available upon request.

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Volume50, Issue6

May 2025

e70082

This article also appears in:

Advances in Soil Erosion and Soil Conservation

Microtopography-scale research on the sediment connectivity of hillslopes based on optimised M&V depression-filling and a simulated annealing algorithm

Abstract

CONFLICT OF INTEREST STATEMENT

Open Research

DATA AVAILABILITY STATEMENT

REFERENCES

References

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Microtopography-scale research on the sediment connectivity of hillslopes based on optimised M&V depression-filling and a simulated annealing algorithm

Abstract

CONFLICT OF INTEREST STATEMENT

Open Research

DATA AVAILABILITY STATEMENT

REFERENCES

References

Related

Information