Processes of accelerated pluvial erosion on desert hillslopes modified by vehicular traffic

Abstract

AbstractAccelerated pluvial erosion on hillslopes modified by off‐road vehicles (ORVs) is analysed using results from 50 rainfall simulation experiments conducted in the Mojave Desert, California. Sediment yield from 1 m2 hillslope plots subjected to intense, 20‐minute rainfalls is typically increased 10 to 20‐fold following ORV use. Salient effects of vehicle traffic, which reduce infiltration, increase runoff sediment transport efficiency, and enhance gully formation, are further studied by combining simple theoretical relations with experimental data. This analysis helps identify factors controlling erosion on natural desert hillslopes, as well as those used by ORVs.Erosion of natural or vehicle‐used desert surfaces is heavily influenced by runoff hydraulics. Calculated Darcy‐Weisbach friction factors decrease by an average of 13‐fold following vehicular slope modification, whereas runoff Reynolds numbers increase by an average of 5 1/2‐fold. The capacity of overland flow to transport sediment is related to runoff power and its degree of localization, which usually increase considerably following ORV activity; however, the ability of overland flow to move large grains (competency) is related to a combination of factors not always systematically influenced by ORV use. Kinematic runoff routing, which is used to extrapolate experimental results to longer slope lengths, leads to the suggestion that the hydraulic roughness of desert hillslopes strongly influences their erosional behaviour.