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Modeling Interrill Sediment Delivery

USDA-ARS National Soil Erosion Research Lab., Purdue Univ., West Lafayette, IN 47907-1196

W. P. Miller and L. T. West

Dep. of Crop and Soil Sciences, Univ. of Georgia, Athens, GA30602-7272

*Corresponding author (zhangxun{at}ecn.purdue.edu).

ABSTRACT

Shallow surface runoff is a primary transport agent for interrill sediment delivery. Runoff, rainfall intensity, and slope interactively affect interrill erosion. We hypothesized that the inclusion of a runoff factor in an interrill erosion model can reduce the dependence of the interrill soil erodibility (K_i) on soil infiltration characteristics as well as improve model predictability. A complete factorial rainfall simulation experiment with two soils (Cecil sandy loam, a clayey, kaolinitic, thermic Typic Kanhapludult, and Dyke clay, a clayey, mixed, mesic Typic Rhodudult), four rainfall intensities, four slopes, and two replicates was conducted under prewetted conditions to measure runoff and sediment delivery rates. Tap water with electrical conductivity <0.2 dS m^–1 was used in all the runs. Rainfall intensity I, unit discharge q, slope S, soil type, and their interactions significantly affected sediment delivery per unit area (D_i). Sediment delivery had the greatest correlation (r = 0.68) with unit discharge; however, neither discharge nor rainfall alone adequately predicted sediment delivery. The equation D_i = K_iIq^1/2S^2/3 was proposed. The linear intensity term (I) represents detachment of soil by raindrop impact and enhancement of transport capacity of sheet flow, while the product of q^1/2S^2/3 describes sediment transport by sheet flow. Validation with independent data showed that the model predicted soil erodibilities well. The mean r² for four validation soils was 0.93 when the proposed model was fitted to validation data to predict interrill erodibility (K_i). The better estimation of K_i indicates that interrill erosion processes were adequately described by the model.

Received for publication March 6, 1997.

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