A kinematic overland flow model to determine depression storage tilled surfaces

Abstract

A method of predicting a spatial average value for depression storage of tilled surfaces is proposed. The method is based on the kinematic flow approximation to overland flow on a plane. In the laboratory, only the aspects of tillage, rainfall intensity and slope were investigated. The following impermeable models, simulating various tillage techniques, were used: plastic corrugations; concrete ridges; contrete mounds; concrete plane surface as reference. The experiments were repeated for each tillage model with different slopes (varying from 0.5 to 4%), and for each slope with different rainfall intensities (varying from 0.009 to 0.109 mm s −1). The method was verified by comparing predicted depression storage with depression storage obtained from water-balance consideration based on the experimental data. It is believed that the model can be used to estimate spatial average depression storag if infiltration is known.