Soil property patterns and topographic parameters associated with ephemeral gully erosion

Lentz, R.D. and Dowdy, R.H. and Rust, R.H. (1993) Soil property patterns and topographic parameters associated with ephemeral gully erosion. Journal of Soil and Water Conservation. 48(4):354-361.

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Abstract

The pattern of ephemeral gully erosion and associated soil properties
were investigated in three southeastern Minnesota soilscapes during 1988 and
1989. The associations between topographic attributes and erosion characteristics
of sample sites were also examined. No ephemeral erosion was measured after the
investigation began in the drought year of 1988. In 1989 soil lost from ephemeral
gullies ranged from 0.8 to 1.6 Mg/ha (.4 to .7 ton/ac) at the study sites, or one-tenth
of that reported in the literature for similar watersheds. Pre-1988 data available
at one site showed that soil voidage was an order of magnitude greater during
the wetter-than-normal 1986 season. A simple erosion model predicting topsoil
removal and subsoil mixing in upper reaches and deposition in lower ephemeral
gully reaches, does not accurately describe erosion processes in these landscapes.
Impact of ephemeral erosion on soil properties in landscapes varied depending on
relative 1) rill and interrill contributions, 2) proclivity for channel drifting, and 3)
occurrence of depositional sorting in channels. Topographically sensitive controls
of ephemeral erosion, such as surface saturation and stream transport capacity,
played different roles in channel formation at each site. Topographic indices most
useful for predicting ephemeral erosion were planform curvature, profile curvature•slope, Ln (unit area/slope), unit area•slope, and planform curvature•upstream
contributing area•slope.

Item Type:	Article
NWISRL Publication Number:	0814
Subjects:	Soil > Erosion Research methodology Mass Import - autoclassified (may be erroneous)
Depositing User:	Users 6 not found.
Date Deposited:	20 Nov 2010 21:53
Last Modified:	01 Dec 2016 21:23
Item ID:	602
URI:	https://eprints.nwisrl.ars.usda.gov/id/eprint/602