Abstract
In this study, the particle size distribution (PSD) of the soil sediment from topsoil obtained from soil erosion experiments under different conditions was measured. Rainfall simulators were used for rain generation on the soil erosion plots with slopes 22°, 30°, 34° and length 4.25 m. The influence of the external factors (slope and initial state) on the particle and aggregate size distribution were evaluated by laser diffractometer (LD). The aggregate representation percentage in the eroded sediment was also investigated. It has been found that when the erosion processes are intensive (steep slope or long duration of the raining), the eroded sediment contains coarser particles and lower amounts of aggregates. Three methods for the soil particle analyses were tested: (i) conventional–sieving and hydrometer method; (ii) PARIO Soil Particle Analyzer combined with sieving; and (iii) laser diffraction (LD) using Mastersizer 3000. These methods were evaluated in terms of reproducibility of the results, time demands, and usability. It was verified that the LD has significant advantages compared to other two methods, especially the short measurement time for one sample (only 15 min per sample for LD) and the possibility to destroy soil aggregates using ultrasound which is much easier than using hexametaphosphate.
Highlights
IntroductionSoil erosion by water is commonly mentioned as a worldwide environmental problem.During a rainfall, the soil surface is disturbed by rain drops and surface runoff, the soil particles get mobilized and washed out of the surface [1]
Soil erosion by water is commonly mentioned as a worldwide environmental problem.During a rainfall, the soil surface is disturbed by rain drops and surface runoff, the soil particles get mobilized and washed out of the surface [1]
This study aims to investigate soil erosion processes on steep slope land, which has not been studied thoroughly before
Summary
Soil erosion by water is commonly mentioned as a worldwide environmental problem.During a rainfall, the soil surface is disturbed by rain drops and surface runoff, the soil particles get mobilized and washed out of the surface [1]. It removes the most fertile topsoil, reduces the thickness of the soil profile and decreases the content of nutrients and soil organic matter. It causes significant degradation of agricultural soils and reduces the quality of surface water in which the eroded sediment is transported [3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12]. The soil must be protected as much as possible from degradation and the negative effects of water erosion must be reduced. The processes of water erosion must be thoroughly researched and understood in order to protect soil and reduce soil erosion effectively
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