Relationships between rock fragment cover and soil hydrological response in a Mediterranean environment

Rock fragments are a key factor for determining erosion rates, particularly in arid and semiarid environments where vegetation cover is very low. However, the effect of rock fragments in non-cultivated bare soils is still not well understood. Currently, there is a need for quantitative information on the effects of rock fragments on hydrological soil processes, in order to improve soil erosion models. The main objective of the present research was to study the influence of rock fragment cover on run-off and interrill soil erosion under simulated rainfall in Mediterranean bare soils in south-western Spain. Thirty-six rainfall simulation experiments were carried out at an intensity of 26.8 mm h⁻¹ over 60 min under three different classes of rock fragment cover (<50%, 50–60% and >60%). Ponding and run-off flow were delayed in soils with high rock fragment cover. In addition, sediment yield and soil erosion rates were higher in soils with a low rock fragment cover. The relationship between soil loss rate and rock fragment cover was described by an exponential function. After this first set of experiments, rock fragments were removed from sites with the highest cover (>60%) and the rainfall simulation experiments were repeated. The steady-state run-off rate and soil loss increased significantly, showing that run-off and soil erosion were partly conditioned by rock fragment cover. These results have significant implications for erosion modelling and soil conservation practices in areas with the same climate and soil characteristics.     

Effects of rock fragment cover on soil infiltration, interrill runoff and erosion

Considerable attention has been paid recently to the influence of surface rock fragments on hydrological and erosional processes, although much of this research has been done on disturbed soils under laboratory conditions. I have studied the effects of rock fragments on soil infiltration, runoff and erosion under field conditions using simulated rainfall on bare areas of natural soils within typical Mediterranean scrubland characterized by patchily distributed vegetation. Sample areas were chosen where rock fragments cover more than half the surface within unvegetated patches. Twenty experiments were carried out by applying rain at an intensity of 55 mm h^?1 for 60 minutes. This approach shows that rock fragments (i) retard ponding and surface runoff, and (ii) give greater steady‐state infiltration rates and smaller interrill runoff discharges, sediment concentrations and interrill erosion rates. A second set of six experiments was carried out by applying rainfall at an intensity of 55 mm h^?1 for two runs of 60 minutes. The second run was initiated 10 minutes after the first. During this interval, surface rock fragments were removed in order to measure their effects on infiltration, interrill runoff and erosion rates. In this way, I showed that water and soil losses are reduced by the rock fragments. After the removal of rock fragments the steady‐state infiltration rate diminished from 44.5 to 27.5 mm h^?1 and the runoff coefficient, sediment concentration and erosion rates were, respectively, 3, 33 and 39 times greater than they were before the rock fragments were removed.     

地表砾石对降雨径流及土壤侵蚀的影响

山区土壤表层常有大量砾石覆盖,地表砾石覆盖会对降雨入渗产生影响,从而影响径流和土壤侵蚀。利用人工降雨试验来评价北京山区普通褐土上不同砾石覆盖度对径流和土壤侵蚀的影响。试验降雨强度为30,67,92mm/h,土盘(1m×0.5m)坡度为20°,砾石覆盖度为0,5%,10%,20%,40%和60%。研究结果表明:对试验土壤,径流量随砾石覆盖度增加呈线性减小。水流流速和土壤侵蚀量随砾石覆盖度的增加呈负指数递减。降雨强度对径流量和土壤侵蚀量与砾石覆盖度之间的关系不存在影响。研究结果可为北京山区的土壤侵蚀预报提供数据基础。     

砾石覆盖对土壤水蚀过程影响的研究进展

 土壤中砾石的存在对水蚀过程有着重要的影响,有关砾石特别是表土砾石覆盖对土壤水蚀影响的研究结果表明,表土砾石对溅蚀分散、细沟间及细沟侵蚀等坡面侵蚀过程有重要影响:1)泥沙溅蚀分散量与砾石覆盖度呈负相关关系;2)砾石覆盖与细沟间侵蚀的关系较为复杂,这取决于表土的结构、砾石的位置和大小以及坡度等因素,当砾石嵌入结皮表土时,二者呈负相关关系,当砾石置于表土之上或嵌入具有结构孔隙的表土时,二者呈正相关关系;3)砾石覆盖对细沟间侵蚀产沙的作用效率与砾石粒径呈负相关关系,砾石置于表土之上的表土产沙量总低于砾石嵌入表土的产沙量;4)表土砾石覆盖能抑制细沟的形成,增加细沟糙度,降低细沟径流速率以及径流的侵蚀速率。鉴于砾石对水蚀过程的重要影响,RUSLE、WEPP和EUORSEM等土壤侵蚀模型预报含砾石土壤流失量时对相关参数做了修正。     

Impacts of soil tilth on the effectiveness of biological geotextiles in reducing runoff and interrill erosion

The effectiveness of a surface cover material (e.g. geotextiles, rock fragments, mulches, vegetation) in reducing runoff and soil erosion rates is often only assessed by the fraction of the soil surface covered. However, there are indications that soil structure has important effects on the runoff and erosion-reducing effectiveness of the cover materials. This study investigates the impact of soil pre-treatment (i.e. fine tilth versus sealed soil surface) on the effectiveness of biological geotextiles in increasing infiltration rates and in reducing runoff and interrill erosion rates on a medium and steep slope gradient. Rainfall was simulated during 60 min with an intensity of 67 mm h⁻¹ on an interrill erosion plot having two slope gradients (i.e. 15 and 45%) and filled with an erodible sandy loam. Five biological and three simulated geotextiles with different cover percentage were tested on two simulated initial soil conditions (i.e. fine tilth and sealed soil surface). Final infiltration rates on a sealed soil surface (7.5–18.5 mm h⁻¹) are observed after ca. 10 min of rainfall compared to ca. 50 min of rainfall on an initial seedbed (16.4–56.7 mm h⁻¹). On the two tested slope gradients, significantly (α = 0.05) smaller runoff coefficients (RC) are observed on an initial seedbed (8.2% < RC < 59.8%) compared to a sealed soil surface (75.7% < RC < 87.0%). On an initial seedbed, decreasing RC are observed with an increasing simulated geotextile cover. However, on an initial sealed soil surface no significant effect of simulated geotextile cover on RC is observed. On a 15% slope gradient, calculated b-values from the mulch factor equation equalled 0.054 for an initial fine tilth and 0.022 for a sealed soil surface, indicating a higher effectiveness of geotextiles in reducing interrill erosion on a fine tilth compared to a sealed soil surface. Therefore, this study demonstrates the importance of applying geotextiles on the soil surface before the surface tilth is sealed due to rainfall. The effect of soil structure on the effectiveness of a surface cover in reducing runoff and interrill erosion rates, as indicated by the results of this study, needs to be incorporated in soil erosion prediction models.     

Soil losses under simulated rainfall in semi-arid shrublands of the Ebro Valley, Spain

Abstract. Runoff and soil loss were measured using simulated rainfall at nine shrubland sites on gypsiferous soils in the Ebro Valley. The sites represented diverse physiographical situations, including three soil types, three slopes and different percentages of rock outcrop and vegetation cover. Soil type, slope and vegetation cover significantly affected runoff and soil losses. An average of 40% of the simulated rainfall (48 mm/h) appeared as runoff and amounts were positively correlated with soil losses. The greatest runoff and soil losses were from plots with the steepest slopes. Rock outcrops decreased soil losses.     

Interrill soil erosion as affected by tillage and residue cover

No-till cropping systems are effective in reducing soil erosion. The objective of this study was to determine whether high infiltration rates and low runoff and soil loss under long-term, no-till conditions in loessial regions of the Midwest US result from both the well-structured, porous condition of the soil and the protective cover of crop residue or primarily from residue cover. Soil loss, runoff, and infiltration were measured using a rainfall simulator on interrill erosion plots with and without residue cover on a conventional and two no-till systems in central Illinois. For both conventional till and no-till conditions, removing surface residue significantly decreased infiltration rates and increased soil loss. Tilling the no-till surface while maintaining an equal surface cover as with the no-till system slightly increased interrill erosion. Removing residue on a no-till system, however, increased soil loss significantly. A no-till soil condition without adequate residue cover will seal, crust, and erode with extremely high soil losses following surface drying.     

半干旱典型草原区退耕地土壤结构特征及其对入渗的影响

坡地土壤降雨入渗、径流和侵蚀过程与土壤结构密切相关.试验样地为宁夏固原云雾山自然保护区的坡耕地、退耕6a、退耕11 a(前8 a放牧,后3 a禁牧)和退耕16 a坡地,室内测定土壤结构指标,野外采用基于径流-入流-产流方法的新型降阿仪器在17、43和56 mm/h雨强下观测坡地土壤的入渗性能,分析土壤结构特征对入渗的影响.对土壤结构的稳定性指标、孔隙性指标和分形维数指标进行分析,结果表明,随着退耕年限的延长,土壤团聚体稳定性增强,土壤结构孔隙状况得到明显改善.模拟降雨结果显示,随着雨强的增大,退耕地的土壤入渗率增加,但坡耕地反而降低.退耕11 a样地受放牧牲畜践踏影响,入渗性能最差.通过逐步同归分析可知,在17 mn/h和56 mm/h阿强下,影响土壤稳定入渗率的土壤结构因子主要是容重和有机碳含量,而在43 mm/h雨强下主要是毛管孔隙度和非毛管孔隙度.土壤有机碳含量和孔隙状况的差异致使土壤结构特征不同,从而对入渗性能和过程产生明显的影响.     

湿润速率和粘粒含量对红壤沟间侵蚀的影响

An aggregate stability test and a simulated rainfall test were conducted on four representative Ultisols from southeastern China. The soils selected, with clay contents ranging between 117 and 580 g kg-1 , were derived from shale and Quaternary red clay. The stability of aggregates (2–5 mm in diameter) obtained from the soil samples were determined by the Le Bissonnais method. For determination of infiltration, runoff, and erosion, the soil samples were packed in 30 cm × 60 cm trays, wetted at rates of 2, 10, and 60 mm h-1 , and then exposed to simulated rainfall at 60 mm h-1 for 1 h. The results indicated that both aggregate stability and slaking caused by fast wetting increased with increasing clay content. The effect of wetting rate (WR) on infiltration and seal formation varied with clay contents. In the soil with low clay content (sandy loam), the infiltration rate was affected slightly by WR due to low aggregate stability and slaking. In the soils with medium clay content (silt clay loam and clay), WR affected infiltration significantly due to the high aggregate slaking force. In the soil with high clay content, the effect of WR on infiltration was significant, but not as evident as in the soils with medium clay content, which may be related to high aggregate stability by wetting partially compensating for slaking force. The effect of WR on soil loss was similar to that of runoff, but more pronounced. The findings from this study indicated that the relationship between wetting rate and clay content should be considered when predicting interrill erosion in Ultisols.     

人工降雨条件下秸秆覆盖减少水土流失的效应研究

采用人工模拟降雨试验,研究秸秆不同用量对径流、入渗和土壤侵蚀的影响.结果表明:秸秆覆盖有增加入渗和减少水土流失的作用;覆盖率大于40%条件下能有效地控制水土流失,但当覆盖度低于40%时对控制水土流失的作用不明显.在土壤含水量10%,降雨强度120 mm/h的雨强条件下,秸秆覆盖能推迟起流时间1～15min,增加累积人渗量37%～113%,减少径流总量3%～40%,减少土壤侵蚀10%～80%.     

Effects of rock fragments on physical degradation of cultivated soils by rainfall

To understand better the role of rock fragments in soil and water conservation processes, the effects of rock fragments in maintaining a favourable soil structure and thus also in preventing physical degradation of tilled soils was studied. Laboratory experiments were conducted to investigate the effects of rock fragment content, rock fragment size, initial soil moisture content of the fine earth and surface rock fragment cover on soil subsidence by rainfall (i.e. change in bulk density by one or more cycles of wetting and drying). A total of 15 rainfall simulations (cumulative rainfall, 192.5 mm; mean intensity, 70 mm h⁻¹) were carried out. Before and after each rainfall application the surface elevation of a 19-cm thick plough layer was measured with a laser microrelief meter. In all experiments, the bulk density of the fine earth increased with applied rainfall volume to reach a maximum value at about 200 mm of cumulative rainfall. From the experimental results it was concluded that the subsidence rate decreased sharply for soils containing more than 0.50 kg kg⁻¹ rock fragments, irrespective of rock fragment size. Fine earth bulk densities were negatively related to rock fragment content beyond a threshold value of 0.30 kg kg⁻¹ for small rock fragments (1.7–2.7 cm) and 0.50 kg kg⁻¹ for large rock fragments (7.7 cm). Initial soil moisture content influenced subsidence only in the initial stage of the experiments, when some swelling occurred in the dry soils. Surface rock fragment cover had no significant effect on subsidence of the plough layer. Therefore, subsidence of the plough layer in these experiments appears to be mainly due to changing soil strength upon drainage rather than the result of direct transfer of kinetic energy from falling drops. The relative increase in porosity of the fine earth as well as the absolute increase in macroporosity with rock fragment content will cause deeper penetration of rainfall into the soil, resulting in water conservation. Therefore, crushing of large rock fragments into smaller ones is to be preferred over removal of rock fragments from the plough layer.     

Soil infiltration, runoff and sediment yield from a shallow soil with varied stone cover and intensity of rain

Stones on the surface of the soil enhance infiltration and protect the soil against erosion. They are often removed in modern mechanized agriculture, with unfortunate side‐effects. We evaluated experimentally the influence of surface stones on infiltration, runoff and erosion under field conditions using a portable rainfall simulator on bare natural soil in semi‐arid tropical India, because modernization and mechanization often lead to removal of these stones in this region. Four fields with varied cover of stones from 3 to 65% were exposed to three rainfall intensities (48.5, 89.2 and 136.8 mm hour^?1). Surface stones retarded surface runoff, increased final infiltration rates, and diminished sediment concentration and soil loss. The final infiltration ranged from 26 to 83% of rainfall when the rainfall intensity was 136.8 mm hour^?1. The reduction in runoff and soil erosion and increase in infiltration were more pronounced where stones rested on the soil surface than where they were buried in the surface layer. The sediment yield increased from 2 g l^?1 for 64.7% stone cover with rainfall of 48.5 mm hour^?1 to 70 g l^?1 for 3.5% stone cover with rain falling at 136.8 mm hour^?1. The soil loss rate was less than 2 t ha^?1 hour^?1 for the field with stone cover of 64.7% even when the rainfall intensity was increased to 136.8 mm hour^?1. The effects of stones on soil loss under the varied rainfall intensities were expressed mathematically. The particles in the sediment that ran off were mostly of silt size.     

红壤丘陵区坡长对作物覆盖坡耕地土壤侵蚀的影响

坡长对坡耕地土壤侵蚀的影响随雨强的不同而变化,为解决南方红壤丘陵区坡耕地水土流失问题,该文采用野外人工模拟降雨的方法,研究了南方红壤丘陵区作物覆盖坡耕地上不同雨强下坡长对其土壤侵蚀的影响,并探讨了侵蚀增强的临界雨强和设置水土保持措施的合理坡长,结果表明:产沙量随坡长延长整体呈增大趋势,但存在一定的波动,二者的关系可用幂函数(决定系数0.84)表示。坡长延长相同长度时,产沙量不呈比例增加,但每隔4 m产沙量增量有减少的趋势,且径流侵蚀产生的泥沙中主要为粒径0.002~0.02 mm的粉粒及粒径0.002 mm的黏粒,加剧了耕地土壤粗化,因此,可每隔4 m设置水土保持措施,有效减少坡耕地水土流失。坡面径流侵蚀产沙量随着雨强的增大而增加,坡长越长,产沙量随雨强增加速度越快,二者呈幂函数关系(决定系数0.76),60 mm/h是红壤丘陵区侵蚀增强的临界雨强;雨强、坡长与产沙量均呈正相关关系,且雨强对坡耕地产沙量的影响较坡长大。对不同雨强下坡长对作物覆盖坡耕地土壤侵蚀的影响研究,可以为南方红壤丘陵区坡耕地水土流失的治理提供一定的理论依据。     

Erosion processes and erodibility of cultivated soils in North Rhine‐Westphalia under artificial rain. I. Site characteristics and results of laboratory experiments

Soil erosion by water causes substantial on‐site degradation and off‐site damages in the densely populated state of North Rhine‐Westphalia (Germany). Measures of soil conservation should be adjusted to soil erodibilities and should be based on an understanding of the processes involved in water erosion including aggregate breakdown, rainsplash erosion, surface sealing, and soil loss. For a state‐wide assessment of erosion processes and erodibilities, we tested representative cultivated soils of North Rhine‐Westphalia in laboratory and field experiments with artificial rain. In the laboratory experiments described in this paper, rainsplash erosion, sealing susceptibility, and interrill erodibility of 25 topsoils filled in 0.5 m² boxes were investigated. Results of different aggregate‐stability tests correlate with organic‐matter contents but not with parameters of rainsplash or soil loss. On most soil materials, rainsplash increases or maintains constant rates in the course of the simulation runs indicating that the soil surface did not attain a higher shear resistance. High sealing susceptibilities are found for soils of quite different textures ranging from loam sand to silt clay, whereas other silt clays, clay loams, and some clay silts maintain high infiltration rates. A trend of increasing sealing susceptibility and total soil loss with increasing clay content is observed for the loam sands to sand loams. Dynamics of soil loss is largely governed by runoff rates. Total soil loss is also determined by sediment concentration in surface runoff, which is low on most clayey soils, on loam sands poor in clay, and on a sand loam, and high in the case of highly erodible clay silts, loam sands, and sand loams. The most crust prone soils are not necessarily the most erodible. On most soils, soil‐loss rates do not stabilize until the end of the rainfall experiments. For comparing the interrill erodibilities of the soils, total soil loss is preferred instead of interrill erodibility factors (K_i, K_iq) published in the literature.     

Effects of rainfall intensity and slope gradient on the dynamics of interrill erosion during soil surface sealing

Soil erosion during rainfall is strongly affected by runoff and slope steepness. Runoff production is drastically increased when a seal is formed at the soil surface during rainfall. Therefore, a complex interaction exists between soil erosion and surface sealing. In this study, the dynamics of interrill erosion during seal formation is studied under different simulated rainfall and slope conditions. A sandy soil was exposed to 70 mm of rainfall at two intensities, 24 mm h^− 1 and 60 mm h^− 1, and five slope gradients, from 5% to 25%. Infiltration, runoff and soil loss rates were monitored during rainfall. Final infiltration rates increased with slope gradient at both rainfall intensities, this effect being stronger for the higher intensity. Cumulative runoff at the end of the rainfall event was lower as slopes were steeper, while an opposite trend was obtained for soil loss. For the 5% and the 9% slopes, the sediment concentration in runoff reached quickly a stable value during the whole rainfall event, while it reached a peak value before declining for the higher slopes. The peak value and its timing were rainfall intensity dependent. Soil erodibility during seal formation was evaluated using two empirical multiplication-of-factors type models. It seems that slope and rainfall erosivity are accounted for only partly in these models. For mild slope gradients below 9%, the value of K_i estimated by means of the two expressions becomes practically constant shortly after runoff apparition. Consequently, the estimates resulting from this type of expressions remain valuable from the practical point of view.     

Removal of rock fragments and its effect on soil loss and crop yield, Tigray, Ethiopia

Abstract. When the farmers of the Highlands of Tigray (northern Ethiopia) consider rock fragment cover in their fields to be excessive, they remove some of them. In addition, large amounts of rock fragments of all sizes are removed from fields for building stone bunds. Semi-structured interviews indicate that the farmers are often reluctant to take away the smaller rock fragments (i.e. < 5 cm across) from their fields, since they believe these benefit soil moisture conservation and protect topsoil from erosion. A field experiment was carried out on a Vertic Cambisol (average slope: 0.125 m m^–1), 2 km east of Hagere Selam (subhumid climate). Rock fragments were totally, partially or not removed from the 12 runoff plots (5 m × 6 m) before the beginning of the 1999 cropping season, during which a local mixture of wheat varieties ( Triticum spp.) was sown. After harvest, erosion rates were assessed by measuring deposited sediment volume in trenches at the lower side of each subplot, and grain and straw yields were assessed. We found a significant negative relationship between rock fragment cover and soil loss by water erosion. However, the resulting positive relationship between rock fragment cover and grain and straw yield was weak. This might be explained by the fact that the plot did not suffer from drought due to soil and climatic conditions. Detailed analysis showed that cover by medium and large rock fragments (> 2 cm diameter) showed an optimum percentage cover above which crop yields decrease. A recommendation resulting from this study is to rely on the farmers' experience: smaller rock fragments should never be removed from the surface of fields during soil and water conservation works; instead rock fragment rich soil can be used to top the stone bunds.     

Erodibility and infiltration characteristics of five major soils of southwest Spain

Equations used to calculate erodibility in the Water Erosion Prediction Project soil erosion model (WEPP) are based on erodibility studies in the USA and may not function well in another region. This study was conducted to: (i) analyze erodibility and infiltration characteristics of some predominant soils of southern Spain, and (ii) test equations used to calculate interrill erodibility in the WEPP model on these soils. The five soils chosen for this study in Andalusia, southwest Spain, were: two terrace soils (referred to as ‘Red and Yellow Alfisols’), an alluvial soil (‘Fluvent’), a shallow hillside soil (‘Inceptisol’), and a cracking clay soil (‘Vertisol’). A static, solenoid operated rainfall simulator was operated at an intensity of approximately 60 mm h⁻¹ during a 60-min dry run followed by a 30-min wet run the next day on 0.75 m² plots with 30% ridge slopes. Infiltration rates were high (always exceeding 50% except for the wet run of the Fluvent). The Fluvent had the lowest infiltration rate (0.00 mm min⁻¹ at the end of the wet run) and highest soil loss (985 g m⁻² h⁻¹ in the dry run and 1557 g m⁻² h⁻¹ in the wet run). The Vertisol, Inceptisol and Red Alfisol had low soil loss (415, 605, and 527 g m⁻² h⁻¹ in the dry run and 824, 762 and 629 g m⁻² h⁻¹ in the wet run, respectively). Soil loss of the Vertisol doubled between dry and wet run and infiltration rate did not stabilize, suggesting that erodibility of Vertisols increases when they are wet. The Yellow Alfisol had lower final infiltration rate in the dry run (0.33 mm min⁻¹) than in the wet run (0.58 mm min⁻¹) and higher soil loss in dry run (1203 g m⁻² h⁻¹) than in wet run (961 g m⁻² h⁻¹), the reason still being unclear. Soil loss was significantly correlated to silt+very fine sand content (r=0.96), indicating that erodibility of these soils is determined by similar properties as soils in these soil orders in the USA. However, the equation for WEPP-interrill erodibility overestimated erodibility significantly (two to four times), indicating the need to develop new erodibility equations for the Mediterranean region. Infiltration rates were generally high and soil loss rates low compared to reports from the USA, suggesting that limited runoff generation is a primary reason for low erodibility of these soils.     

Spatial distribution of rock fragments on steep hillslopes in karst region of northwest Guangxi,China

Rock fragments (> 5 mm in diameter) at the soil surface and within the topsoil have a large effect on the intensity of various hydrologic and geomorphic processes. However, little information is available on the spatial distribution of rock fragments in subtropical regions. The objective of this paper was to investigate the relationship between the spatial distribution of rock fragments and landforms on two different steep karst hillslopes in northwest Guangxi, southwest China. On the first hillslope (a disintegrated landslide failure) with the presence of several large rock outcrops (> 2 m in height), the spatial distribution of rock fragment cover had no obvious relationship with topographic position except that the mean cover percentage of small rock fragments (5–20 mm) decreased from bottom to top. On the second hillslope (an avalanche slope) without the presence of large rock outcrops, the mean total rock fragment cover (5–600 mm) increased from bottom (5%) to top (21%) with decreasing variability and rock fragments with various sizes (5–20, 20–75, and 75–250 mm) showed a similar increasing trend. The mean total rock fragment cover increased linearly with slope gradient on the second hillslope and tended to increase and then decrease with gradient but their relationship was not obvious on the first hillslope. This indicated that the spatial distribution of surface rock fragment cover had a close relationship with the presence of large rock outcrops and slope gradient. However, the median diameter (D₅₀) of the surface rock fragments had an increase–decrease trend with slope gradient but there was no obvious relationship on both hillslopes with low overland flow. Therefore, the dominant factor for the spatial distribution of rock fragment cover and size at the soil surface might not be soil erosion by water, but slope gradient, vegetation and geomorphologic condition of the slope. The mean total volumetric rock fragment content (5–250 mm) within the topsoil (10–20 cm thick) increased linearly from bottom (16%) to top (39%) with slope gradient on the first hillslope, and had a logarithmic increase from bottom (10%) to top (27%) with gradient on the second hillslope. This suggested that rock fragment content within the topsoil was mostly controlled by slope gradient and topographic positions and had not a close relationship with the presence of large rock outcrops.     

Effects of intra-storm variations in rainfall intensity on interrill runoff and erosion

Five simulated rainstorms, each with a different rainfall intensity pattern but all delivering the same total kinetic energy to the soil surface, were applied to three different soils in a laboratory flume. The storm patterns were: constant rainfall intensity, increasing intensity, decreasing intensity, increasing then decreasing intensity and decreasing then increasing intensity. The three soils were: a clay loam, a sandy loam and a sandy soil. No differences in total runoff were observed that were consistent across the three soil types. However, consistent differences were observed in the amount and size distribution of the eroded sediment. In particular, the constant-intensity storm yielded an average soil loss of 75% of the varying-intensity storms, and the eroded sediment from the constant-intensity storms had a lower clay content than that from the varying-intensity storms. In contrast to the differences in amount and size distribution of eroded sediment, splashed sediment exhibited much smaller differences. Interrill erosion rates are widely assumed to vary with rainfall intensity to the power 2, but this relationship has been obtained from experiments over a range of rainfall intensities, but in which rainfall intensity has been constant in each experiment. The experiments reported here, undertaken using variable rainfall intensity within each experiment, indicates an exponent of 2.55. The experiments demonstrate that the assumption that a given rainfall intensity falling on a given soil for a given amount of time will result in a given amount of runoff and erosion is unsound. They point to the need for a greater understanding of the processes of interrill sediment detachment and transport in order to model successfully erosion under temporally varying rainfall.     

Simulated rainfall evaluation of revegetation/mulch erosion control in the Lake Tahoe Basin—1: method assessment

Revegetation of road cuts and fills is intended to stabilize those drastically disturbed areas so that sediment is not transported to adjacent waterways. Sediment has resulted in water quality degradation, an extremely critical issue in the Lake Tahoe Basin. Many revegetation efforts in this semiarid, subalpine environment have resulted in low levels of plant cover, thus failing to meet project goals. Further, no adequate physical method of assessing project effectiveness has been developed, relative to runoff or sediment movement. This paper describes the use of a portable rainfall simulator (RS) to conduct a preliminary assessment of the effectiveness of a variety of erosion‐control treatments and treatment effects on hydrologic parameters and erosion. The particular goal of this paper is to determine whether the RS method can measure revegetation treatment effects on infiltration and erosion. The RS‐plot studies were used to determine slope, cover (mulch and vegetation) and surface roughness effects on infiltration, runoff and erosion rates at several roadcuts across the basin. A rainfall rate of ≈60 mm h⁻¹, approximating the 100‐yr, 15‐min design storm, was applied over replicated 0·64 m² plots in each treatment type and over bare‐soil plots for comparison. Simulated rainfall had a mean drop size of ≈2·1 mm and approximately 70% of ‘natural’ kinetic energy. Measured parameters included time to runoff, infiltration, runoff/infiltration rate, sediment discharge rate and average sediment concentration as well as analysis of total Kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN) and dissolved phosphorus (TDP) from filtered (0·45 μm) runoff samples. Runoff rates, sediment concentrations and yields were greater from volcanic soils as compared to that from granitic soils for nearly all cover conditions. For example, bare soil sediment yields from volcanic soils ranged from 2–12 as compared to 0·3–3 g m⁻² mm⁻¹ for granitic soils. Pine‐needle mulch cover treatments substantially reduced sediment yields from all plots. Plot microtopography or roughness and cross‐slope had no effect on sediment concentrations in runoff or sediment yield. RS measurements showed discernible differences in runoff, infiltration, and sediment yields between treatments. Runoff nutrient concentrations were not distinguishable from that in the rainwater used. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.