On predicting upland erosion losses from rainfall depth

Point rainfall triggers the complex processes of overland flow and surface erosion. The probability density functions of rainfall duration and intensity are coupled with a physically based dynamic formulation of rainfall-runoff-sediment transport relationships for upland areas. When considering a single storm, rainfall depth alone is a poor predictor of sediment transport because of the dispersion introduced by the effect of rainfall intensity. On a long terms basis, however, the total amount of rainfall can be used to predict total erosion losses.