A model of the redistribution of disaggregated soil particles by rainsplash

A model of the dispersion of splash droplets from a single raindrop impact on a sloping soil surface is combined with a theory of the entrainment of mineral particles from a disaggregated mixture in splash droplets to obtain a model of the dispersion of such particles by a raindrop impact. Stochastic modelling techniques extend this further to a model of the spatial redistribution of soil on a plot after a period of rainfall. Since the model is probabilistic and physically based it enables the incorporation of further advances in the understanding of splash erosion at all stages and can simulate the effect of the stochastic nature of rainfall and soil properties on the process. Several different situations are simulated. These include the movement of marked soil particles from point sources and the spatial patterns of erosion on a sloping plot. The model can also simulate the differential erosion of different soil particle size fractions.     

Field studies of rainsplash erosion

Studies on sandy soils of the Cottenham Series in mid-Bedfordshire confirm in the field the relationships between splash erosion, rainfall energy and ground slope obtained in the laboratory experiments of other workers. Only 0·06 per cent of the rainfall energy contributes to splash erosion and rates are low, attaining a maximum of 0·082 kg m^?2 y^?1 on a slope of 11°. The major role of splash action is in the detachment of soil particles prior to their removal by overland flow.     

The influence of slope angle on soil entrainment by sheetwash and rainsplash

Although a number of studies of the variation of soil transport with increase in slope angle have appeared, few include an information on the interaction of sheetwash and rainsplash on high slope angles, which is necessary to test Horton's proposed polynomial relationship. Virtually no studies are available which compare the influence of changes in soil type or antecedent moisture on established relationships. This paper reports the testing of eight soils from Alberta, Canada, under simulated rainfall on ten slopes from 3° to 30°. Material eroded was separated into that transported by rainsplash and that by sheetwash. In general, it was found that the influence of changes in slope angle on soil transport is best described by polynomial relationships, but these are shown to vary considerably between rainspash and sheetwash, between different soil types and for different antecedent moisture conditions. Despite careful control of all factors other than slope angle very high variability of results was experienced. Causes of variability are examined and the need for evaluation of the effect of test plot size on variability of results is suggested.     

SPLASH TRANSPORT OF ORGANIC CARBON AND ASSOCIATED CONCENTRATION AND MASS ENRICHMENT RATIOS FOR AN OXISOL,HAWAII

Rainsplash is an important component of interrill erosion. To date, few studies have critically examined the linkages between aggregate entrainment by splash and associated nutrient flux. An Oxisol was used in laboratory rainfall experiments with two different antecedent moisture contents (AMC) and ten different rainfall energy flux densities (EFD). Splash and soil organic carbon (SOC) flux increased with increased EFD regardless of initial AMC. Aggregates were not transported in proportion to their content in the original soil matrix, those of 2000–4000 μm and <105 μm were found to be the most resistant to splash. Energy required to detach 1 gC varied from a median of 1870 J for the 2000–4000 μm fraction to 120 J for the 425–850 μm fraction. Temporal variation in cumulative splash flux and carbon flux for various combinations of AMC and EFD indicated distinct patterns. Under dry AMC, splash increased during 1 h duration storms and this was explained by increased aggregate breakdown by air-slaking, decreased soil strength and increased erodibility as soil moisture increased. Wet soil runs exhibited the opposite pattern of decreased flux with time, probably indicating a complex response to limited aggregate availability, increased seal development by raindrop compaction, and transient water layer effects in drop impact craters. The formulation of mass-based SOC enrichment ratios (ER) clearly indicated preferential detachment and transport of splashed aggregates between 250 and 2000 μm. A reliance of chemical transport models on concentration-based ER values can be misleading, because it is the balance between nutrient concentration and sediment quantity that is important for soil quality and non-point source modelling.     

影响降雨击溅侵蚀过程的多元回归正交试验研究

根据多元正交设计,对马兰黄土进行了降雨(人工模拟)溅蚀试验。得到了计算降雨溅蚀分散量(Y)和降雨溅蚀向下坡搬运量(Z)的两个回归方程。方程揭示影响降雨击溅侵蚀诸因素之间的交互作用,以及各个因素在降雨溅蚀过程中的地位和对各种降雨溅蚀临界值的明显影响。     

The effect of a new zealand beech forest canopy on the kinetic energy of water drops and on surface erosion

Rain and throughfall drops were sampled during rain events in a New Zealand beech forest and the frequency distributions of drop mass and kinetic energy calculated. The kinetic energy of throughfall under the canopy was always greater than that of rainfall in the open, notwithstanding interception losses. During a typical rain event in which 51 mm fell in 36 h, the total kinetic energy of throughfail was 1.5 times greater than that of rainfall, and the mean amount of sand splashed from sample cups was 3.1 times greater under the canopy than in the open. It appears that where mineral soil is exposed at the surface, by animal trampling or burrowing for example, rates of soil detachment by splash under a forest canopy will probably exceed those in the open.     

Aggregate stability and colluviation in the Luxembourg ardennes; an experimental and micromorphological study

To obtain a better understanding of the colluvial deposits in two catchments in the Luxembourg Ardennes, structural aggregates from forest and farmland soils were subjected to the impact of falling water drops. The changes that the aggregates underwent and the material eroded from them were studied in thin section. Predictably, forest aggregates were more resistant to water-drop impacts than those from farmland. Farmland aggregates tended to slake upon wetting and to break down into many micro-aggregates having a size-frequency distribution similar to that of the micro-aggregates in the undisturbed soil. The forest aggregates were eroded slowly under water-drop impact, losing material from their surfaces or occasionally shearing into several smaller equally resistant aggregates. The size-frequency distributions of the break-down products differed from the micro-aggregates in the untreated aggregates or original forest soil, probably because of bonding by organic material. The differing composition of the aggregates points to the importance of oriented clay and planes for the lack of stability of the farmland aggregates. It can be concluded that agricultural colluvium is probably largely deposited by processes other than splash and that splash is an important process, but not the only one, in the formation of colluvium under forest.     

The variation of soil erodibility with slope position in a cultivated canadian prairie landscape

This study examined the variation in soil erodibility along hillslopes in a Prairie landscape. The soil loss produced by simulated rainfall on undisturbed soils was used as an index of relative soil erodibility. Relative erodibility, and several soil properties, were measured at the summit, shoulder, midslope footslope and toeslope of 11 slope transects in an area of cultivated grassland soils on hummocky glacial till. The variation of erodibility with slope position was statistically significant, and slope position explained about 40 per cent of the variation in the erodibility measurements. Erodibility was 14 per cent higher on the shoulder and midslope, and 21 per cent lower on the toeslope, than on the summit and footslope. Local variation in erodibility along slopes was considered to be an important control on patterns of soil erosion in the landscape. The variation of erodibility along the slopes reflected soil property trends. The greatest erodibility was associated with upper slope positions where soils tended to be shallow, coarse, poorly leached and low in organic matter, while lower erodibility was found at lower slope positions with deep, organic-rich and leached soils. Of the individual soil properties considered, silt and sand content were the most highly correlated with erodibility. The results, together with results from other studies, also suggest that net erosion and erodibility are positively related.     

The significance of rainsplash in the surficial debris cascade of the colorado front range foothills

The surficial characteristics and precipitation regime of sparsely vegetated hillslopes in the montane zone of the Colorado Front Range suggest that rainsplash may be an important component of the surficial debris cascade. Site sediment flux data from two study periods reveal marked spatial and temporal variability. Comparison of these date with sediment movement data from splashcups suggests the following conclusions: (1) Detachment rates of the rainsplash process appear great enough to account for the sediment flux in the open Gerlach-type traps; (2) Areal extrapolation of rainsplash transport suggest that 88 per cent of the fine sediment flux in 1982 can be attributed to rainsplash; (3) Estimates of rainfall energy and changes in the potential energy of hillslopes by mass transport suggests a process efficiency of 0.05 per cent for rainsplash. If this procedure is applied to sediment flux values from open traps, the low precipitation-energy cascade of 1982 appears to be largely rainsplash-transported sediment. Extrapolation with the 1981 data suggests more aggressive overland flow erosion and transport.     

A physically-based model of the dispersion of splash droplets ejected from a water drop impact

A model has been developed which predicts the dispersion of splash droplets produced by the impact of a water drop on a sloping soil surface. Experimental results of the ejection velocities and ejection angles of the splash droplets are generalized to a planar slope and the resulting splash distances are calculated taking into account the effects of air resistance. The predictions are presented in terms of the numbers of splash droplets from the impact point to surrounding squares arranged in a grid on the slope. The model explains many experimentally observed features of raindrop splash in terms of the mechanics of the processes involved and can make predictions of the effects of slope, wind, raindrop size, and soil properties on droplet dispersion. The component of the raindrop velocity parallel to the surface of the slope is identified as the main factor determining the degree and the direction of the asymmetry in the splash droplet dispersion. By combining the model with a theory of the entrapment of soil in the splash droplets it is possible to extend it to predict the dispersion of soil particles by raindrop impact, which is the basis of a model of soil erosion by rainsplash.