Enrichment of soil organic carbon in the eroded sediments due to the simultaneous occurrence of rain and wind

Abstract

Study of the simultaneous effect of wind and rain is of great importance in the environmental studies of erosion for more accurate measurement and modeling of soil loss. There is little information on the combined effects of rain and wind on soil erosion as well as soil organic carbon (SOC) loss. The purpose of this study was to investigate interrill erosion in relation to SOC loss and enrichment ratio (ERoc) as influenced by rain intensity and wind velocity linking to flow hydraulic characteristics. Three rain intensities of 20, 40 and 60 mm h−1 and four wind velocities of 0, 6, 9 and 12 m s−1 were generated on three different soil samples (sandy, sandy loam and loam), each at three replicates (totally 108 runs). The SOC loss was determined through the concentration of organic carbon in sediment and the measured sediment load. The values of SOC loss and ERoc ranged from 0.04 to 4.04 mg m−1 s−1 and from 0.52 to 9.40, respectively. The measured interrill erosion rates and SOC losses increased at higher wind velocities and rain intensities, especially when wind velocity became more than a threshold value of 9 m s−1. For each soil, a direct linear relationship was distinguished between the losses of soil and SOC. Accordingly, SOC loss accounted for 0.36%, 0.17%, and 2.19% of the total soil loss in the sandy, sandy loam and loam soils, respectively. The ERoc was nearly constant for each soil and not changed with the increased soil erosion rate. Finally, flow velocity and unit stream power were found as the best predictors of soil and SOC losses in a wind-driven interrill erosion system.