Effects of disturbed landforms on the soil water retention function during urbanization process in the Three Gorges Reservoir Region, China

• Urbanization may reduced soil water retention function and caused urban flood.
• Disturbed landform units (DLUs) changed soil structure in original landform units (OLUs).
• Conversion from grassland to construction road caused great decrease on water storage.
• Conversion from forestland to disturbed soil accumulation influenced soil permeability.
• Water retention function of OLUs was greater than DLUs.

Decreases in the water retention function of various artificial disturbed landform units (DLUs) caused by urbanization activities, compared to original landform units (OLUs), are the main factor that causes urban water and soil loss and the aggravation of urban floods under certain rainfall conditions and specially designed drainage network capabilities. Field investigations, laboratorial analyses of soil physical properties and analytic hierarchy process (AHP) composite methods were performed to comprehensively analyse the effects of various DLUs on the water retention function of OLUs. The results indicated as the following: (і) The > 5 mm particle content (> 54%) for various DLUs was higher than that for OLUs (lower than 3%); the natural repose angles of soil-rock mixtures (32–37°) and soil bulk density (1.41–1.74 g/cm3) in the DLUs were all higher than those in the OLUs (30–31°, 1.18–1.14 g/cm3); and the uniformity coefficients and curvature coefficients were 10.00–80.00 and 3.24–5.70 in the DLUs and 6.00–75.00 and 0.17–2.50 in the OLUs, respectively. (ii) The soil steady state infiltration rate in the DLUs decreased from disturbed soil accumulation with 2 months (DSA2m, 15.00 mm/min) to disturbed soil accumulation with 2 years (DSA2a, 5.63 mm/min), disturbed soil accumulation with 4 years (DSA4a, 3.82 mm/min), the slope greening belt (SGB, 1.24 mm/min), and construction roads (CR, 0.51 mm/min). The conversion from forests to DSA2m had the greatest impact on the soil infiltration capacity and soil storage capacity, while the conversion to CR had the lowest impact. (iii) The total reservoir storage in the DLUs' soil was ordered as follows: DSA4a > SGB > DSA2a > DSA2m > CR. The conversion process from grass to CR exerted the greatest impact on storing water and regulating the overland flow. (iv) The water retention functions in the DLUs were all weaker than those in the OLUs: DSA2m was the weakest (0.287), while paddy fields were the strongest (0.668). Thus, the occupied areas of urban water surfaces (e.g., lakes, rivers and ponds), forests and grassland and their spatial distribution during urbanization must be carefully considered. These results could help to understand the ecological service functions of urban soil and water conservation, provide relevant knowledge to landscape rehabilitation, alleviate urban floods during urban development and recover the functions of soil and water conservation ecological services in project areas during the urbanization construction process.