ARS | Publication request: THE EFFECTS OF LANDSCAPE POSITION AND HYDROLOGY ON EROSION

Submitted to: Agronomy Abstracts
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: October 29, 1995
Publication Date: N/A

Technical Abstract: Different hydrological conditions, especially seepage and drainage, at different positions on a hillslope have a profound effect on the dominant erosion processes. A laboratory study was designed to quantify erosion from two different sized soil pans with slope gradients and hydrologic conditions representing the setting of a hillslope segment at different positions and times. Runoff samples were taken during rainfall and rainfall with added inflow. Results showed that, under drainage conditions, rilling is limited and the surface had scattered crescent- shaped pits after the run. Under seepage conditions, rilling started during rainfall and the added inflow further enhanced the flow concentration and caused severe rilling. This indicates that rills and gullies on the backslopes and footslopes may be attributed to seepage conditions rather than increased hydraulic shear.