Abstract
Gully erosion is a global problem that degrades land and reduces its utility for agriculture, development, and water quality. Quantification of sediment yield and control of sediment sources is essential for environmental protection. Five methods to evaluate erosion rates and sediment yield on an east Tennessee, USA, hillslope were compared: (1) physical measurement by removal of accumulated sediment using 10 L buckets; (2) repeated measurement of erosion pins in gully (erosional) and delta (depositional) areas; (3) geometric model using a combination trapezoidal prism-cylinder segment; (4) geometric model using a series of trapezoidal pyramids; and (5) 3D solid computer modeling. The 3D solid model created in SolidWorks was selected as the reference model and all other methods overestimated sediment yield to varying degrees. Erosion pin methods overestimated sediment yield by 368% in deltas and 123% in gullies. Volumetric measurement of sediment using buckets overestimated sediment yield by 160% due to void space in the buckets. The trapezoidal prism-cylinder segment model overestimated sediment yield by 66% and the trapezoidal pyramids method overestimated sediment yield by 5.7%. For estimation of sediment trapped behind an elliptical or circular silt fence dam, use of the trapezoidal pyramid method provides a good approximation comparable to 3D solid computer modeling.
Highlights
Erosion is a global problem that degrades land and reduces its utility for agriculture, development, and water quality
In a comprehensive review of gully erosion research [4], gully erosion research sites were classified by climate; ~40% of gully erosion research was found to be conducted in humid climates (Koppen-Geiger precipitation classification “fully humid” (f))
This study provided a comparative, quantitative analysis of sediment yield measurement in an elliptical delta setting, using five different methods including buckets, erosion pins, two geometric elliptical delta setting, using five different methods including buckets, erosion pins, two geometric models, and a 3D solid model
Summary
Erosion is a global problem that degrades land and reduces its utility for agriculture, development, and water quality. Erosion begins with overland flow that concentrates into rivulets and erodes small rills. Over time rills erode into gullies which are a significant cause of land degradation and soil loss worldwide [1,2]. Eroded sediment from gullies is a primary sediment source, increasing nutrient loadings in runoff that impacts water quality downstream [2]. In a comprehensive review of gully erosion research [4], gully erosion research sites were classified by climate; ~40% of gully erosion research was found to be conducted in humid climates (Koppen-Geiger precipitation classification “fully humid” (f)). Sites were classified by land use (grazing—40.5%, agriculture—43.2%, forest—13.2%, and urban—3.1%)
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