沟蚀是地表径流集中冲刷土壤和母质并切入地内形成沟谷的一种侵蚀方式。作为最主要的外营力，沟蚀在塑造黄土高原地表沟壑纵横、支离破碎、起伏不平的独特的地貌景观的过程中起到了重要的控制作用。本课题拟在深入剖析沟蚀的类型、强度、空间结构等对黄土沟谷地貌的作用的基础上，构建可有效描述区域沟蚀特征的定量指标体系，并研究基于DEM的指标提取算法；然后，通过在黄土高原多样区的实验，研究沟蚀与黄土沟谷形态特征的映射机制，探索沟蚀的空间差异性及沟蚀特征分区；在此基础上，研究沟蚀地貌特征及其分区。通过本研究，可望实现黄土高原数字地形分析由表象到机理的深化，提升对黄土地貌成因、发育机理与地域分异规律的认识，并在黄土高原研究中取得具有创新性的研究成果。

Gully erosion is a kind of soil erosion which causes the forming of gully through runoff erosion and incision. As one of the most important exogenetic force, gully erosion plays an important role in the process of loess gully evolution. Based on a thorough and detailed analysis of the classification, characteristic and spatial distribution and configuration of gully erosion, this project will focus on these contents hereinafter: 1) landform indices of regional gully erosion, which is scientific, systematic, practical and effective; 2) key technologies of landform indices extraction based on fine resolution digital elevation model data; 3) relationship between regional gully erosion and loess gully landform; 4) mechanism of spatial variation of loess gully landform. This study is an exploration in the field of geosciences through digital terrain analysis. Through this project, it is hopeful to enrich the theory and methodology of quantificational loess landform, strengthen the research of geomorphogenesis, mechanism and spatial distribution of loess landform, and gain innovative works in the research of loess plateau.