- Northwest University, College of urban and environment science, Remote Sensing and Geo-information Science, China (sunzhibo@stumail.nwu.edu.cn)
In recent years, the frequency of extreme rainfall events has significantly increased worldwide, posing severe challenges to river embankments and other soil and water conservation measures. This study focused on the core disaster area of the "July 29, 2023 extreme rainfall" event—the Beizhi River Basin in Lincheng County, China. Using GIS technology, the study analyzed the damage patterns of embankments with different construction standards, the critical topographic conditions, and their protective benefits for land under extreme rainfall conditions. The results showed that: 1) River embankment damage was severe, with the affected areas primarily located in the middle reaches of the river. The overall damage proportion was significant, and embankments built to higher standards suffered less damage than those built to lower standards, indicating greater stability. 2) The damage characteristics of embankments were influenced by a combination of river slope and catchment area. The developed S-A topographic critical model indicated that high-standard embankments required higher critical topographic conditions to sustain damage, demonstrating their ability to maintain structural integrity under harsher conditions. 3) Embankments had significant soil and water conservation benefits. Compared to segments without embankments, areas with embankments experienced significantly less land damage. High-standard embankments exhibited greater efficiency in protecting land compared to low-standard embankments. This study could make an important contribution to the theory of river soil and water conservation under the backdrop of increasing extreme rainfall events due to climate change. It may provide valuable guidance for improving embankment design standards and optimizing soil and water conservation measures.
Keywords: Extreme rainfall; embankment damage; topographic critical conditions; soil and water conservation benefits
How to cite: Sun, Z., Wang, C., Shen, H., and Wang, Q.: Topographic Characteristics of River Embankment Damage and Soil and Water Conservation Benefits Under Extreme Rainfall Conditions, EGU General Assembly 2025, Vienna, Austria, 27 Apr–2 May 2025, EGU25-9666, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu25-9666, 2025.
