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Impacts of different vegetation in riparian buffer strips on runoff and sediment loss
  • +2
  • * Dunn,
  • J.M.B. Hawkins,
  • Martin Blackwell,
  • Yusheng Zhang,
  • Adrian Collins
* Dunn
Rothamsted at North Wyke

Corresponding Author:[email protected]

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J.M.B. Hawkins
Rothamsted at North Wyke
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Martin Blackwell
Rothamsted at North Wyke
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Yusheng Zhang
Rothamsted at North Wyke
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Adrian Collins
Rothamsted at North Wyke
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Abstract

Buffer strips continue to feature in the management of agricultural runoff and water pollution in many countries. Existing research has explored their efficacy for reducing environmental problems in different geoclimatic settings but, the evidence on the efficacy of different vegetation treatments is less abundant than that for other buffer strip characteristics, including width, and is more contradictory in nature. With policy targets for various environmental outcomes including water or air quality and net zero pointing to the need for conversion of agricultural land, the need for robust experimental evidence on the relative benefits of different vegetation types in buffer strips is now renewed. Our experiment used a replicated plot scale facility to compare the efficacy of 12 m wide buffer strips for controlling runoff and suspended sediment loss during 30 sampled storms spanning 2017-2020. The buffer strips comprised three vegetation treatments; a deep rooting grass ( Festulolium cv. Prior), a short rotation coppice willow and native broadleaved woodland trees. Over the duration of the monitoring period, reductions in total runoff, compared with the experimental control, were in the order: willow buffer strips (49%); deciduous woodland buffer strips (46%); grass buffer strips (33%). The corresponding reductions in suspended sediment loss, relative to the experimental control, were ordered: willow buffer strips (44%) > deciduous woodland buffer strips (30%) > grass buffer strips (29%). Given the three-year duration of our new dataset, our results should be seen as providing evidence on the impacts during the establishment phase of the of the treatments.
31 Mar 2022Submitted to Hydrological Processes
31 Mar 2022Submission Checks Completed
31 Mar 2022Assigned to Editor
31 Mar 2022Reviewer(s) Assigned
21 May 2022Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending
22 May 2022Editorial Decision: Revise Major
29 Sep 20221st Revision Received
06 Oct 2022Submission Checks Completed
06 Oct 2022Assigned to Editor
06 Oct 2022Reviewer(s) Assigned
06 Oct 2022Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending
09 Oct 2022Editorial Decision: Accept
Nov 2022Published in Hydrological Processes volume 36 issue 11. 10.1002/hyp.14733