Concentrated flow erosion rates as affected by rock fragment cover and initial soil moisture content

Concentrated flow experiments using a small hydraulic flume and a constant flow discharge and bed slope have been conducted in order to investigate the effects of rock fragment cover (Rc) on sediment yield for an initially wet and an initially air-dry loamy topsoil. The experimental results indicate that Rc reduces concentrated flow erosion rates (E) in an exponential way (i.e., E=e−bRc), which is similar to previously reported relations for other water erosion processes such as interrill erosion and sheet-rill erosion measured on runoff plots. The decay rate (b) of this exponential relationship increased throughout the experiments because of scour-hole development and bed armouring. The concentrated flow erosion rates and b-values also depend on the initial moisture content of the topsoil. Depending on Rc, mean concentrated flow erosion rates were 20% to 65% less on initially wet compared to initially air-dry topsoils. The mean value for b was 0.032 for the initially wet, but only 0.017 for the initially air-dry topsoil, indicating that a rock fragment cover is less efficient in reducing concentrated flow erosion rates when the topsoil is initially air-dry than when it is initially wet. The results help explain the data scatter in reported relationships between Rc and interrill–rill erosion rates. They also indicate that a given surface rock fragment cover will offer more protection to wet topsoils than to dry topsoils, which are very common in Mediterranean environments. Event-based water erosion models should incorporate effects of antecedent soil moisture content as well as those of Rc on concentrated flow erosion rates.