Comparing grain size distribution of sediment and original soil under raindrop detachment and raindrop-induced and flow transport mechanism

ABSTRACT

The grain size distribution (GSD) of sediment in comparison with the original soil GSD is discussed under different slopes (5, 15 and 25%) and rainfall intensities (30, 60 and 90 mm h^–1 with respective duration of 30, 15 and 10 min) but identical runoff (15 mm). The sediment quantification was carried out by raindrop-induced flow transport (RIFT) or/and transport by flow (FT) using a rainfall simulator and a 6 × 1 m² erosion plot and a silt loam. The results show a high degree of enrichment for size classes of 2–4 and 4–8 μm and a high degree of depletion for size classes of >63 μm under different slopes and rainfall intensities. In addition, the results show that the experimental enrichment ratio (ER) for particle size <16 μm under different slopes and rainfall intensities was greater than 1, while the ER for particle size >32 μm was less than 1.

KEYWORDS:

• erosion evolution
• eroded sediment
• erosion plot
• grain size distribution
• rainfall simulation
• sediment transportation

Editor A. Castellarin

Associate editor Y. Gyasi-Agyei

Editor A. Castellarin

Associate editor Y. Gyasi-Agyei

Acknowledgements

The authors wish to thank Professor Vito Ferro and Professor Vincenzo Bagarello (Dipartimento di Scienze Agrarie e Forestali, Università degli Studi di Palermo, Italy) for their guidance and for hosting the first author during her stay at their university.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.