What is the difference between erodibility and erosivity?
Conceptually, rainfall erosivity is the capacity of rain to produce erosion, whereas soil erodibility is the susceptibility of the soil to be eroded.
What is rainfall erosivity?
Rainfall erosivity is the kinetic energy of raindrop’s impact and the rate of associated runoff. The rainfall erosivity is calculated by multiplying the kinetic energy by the maximum rainfall intensity during a period of 30-minutes for each rainstorm.
What is soil Erosivity?
Erosivity is a measure of the potential ability of soil, regolith, or other weathered material to be eroded by rain, wind, or surface runoff.
Why is soil erosion a problem?
Why Is Soil Erosion Such a Big Problem? Soil erosion decreases soil fertility, which can negatively affect crop yields. It also sends soil-laden water downstream, which can create heavy layers of sediment that prevent streams and rivers from flowing smoothly and can eventually lead to flooding.
Which type of erosion is most highly visible?
In cultivation or pastures, advanced rill erosion can develop into gully erosion. This type of erosion is highly visible and affects soil productivity, restricts land use, and can damage roads, fences and buildings.
What is sheet erosion caused by?
Cause and dynamics of sheet erosion. Sheet erosion is caused by the force of raindrops impacting on bare soil (Ellison 1944) and dislodging particles of earth. This force is dependent on the speed of fall (a function of the length of fall and the wind-speed) and the weight (a function of the diameter of drops).
How do you calculate Rusle?
RUSLE maintains the same empirically based equation as USLE to compute sheet and rill erosion as follows: A=RKLSCP where A is computed soil loss, R is the rainfall-runoff erosivity factor, K is a soil erodibility factor, L is the slope length factor, S is the slope steepness factor, C is a cover management factor, and …
What is rainfall intensity?
Rainfall intensity is defined as the ratio of the total amount of rain (rainfall depth) falling during a given period to the duration of the period It is expressed in depth units per unit time, usually as mm per hour (mm/h).
What are the factors that affect soil erodibility?
Soil Erodibility Factors
- Infiltration rate, movement of water through the soil, and water storage capacity.
- Dispersion, detachability, abrasion, and mobility by rainfall and runoff.
What is Erosivity factor?
The rainfall erosivity factor (R) is defined as the average annual sum of individual storm erosion. index values, E130, where E is the total storm kinetic energy per unit area, and I3o is the maximum 30. minute rainfall intensity.
What are the negative effects of erosion?
The effects of soil erosion go beyond the loss of fertile land. It has led to increased pollution and sedimentation in streams and rivers, clogging these waterways and causing declines in fish and other species. And degraded lands are also often less able to hold onto water, which can worsen flooding.
Which is a function of erosivity and erodibility?
Thus, the soil erosion is the function of both erosivity and erodibility. When rainfall erosivity exceeds the soil erodibility, soil erosion occurs. Rainfall erosivity is a term that is used to describe the potential for soil to be washed off from disturbed, de-vegetated areas and move with into surface waters during storms.
Is there an absolute value for rainfall erosion?
However, no absolute numerical values can be determined for them because rainfall erosion results from various forms of erosion (splash erosion, sheet erosion, rill erosion, interrill erosion) that are driven by different forces.
How does erosivity of rain affect soil erosion?
Increased rain erosivity indicates greater erosive capacity of the overland water flow. Soil erosion by running water occurs where the intensity and duration of rainstorms exceeds the capacity of the soil to infiltrate the rainfall.
How is soil erosion control achieved by knowing soil susceptibility?
Soil erosion control can be attained by knowing soils’ susceptibility and the factors responsible for the susceptibility.