Abstract
Soil erosion is a complex, destructive process that endangers food security in many parts of the world; thus, its investigation is a key issue. While the measurement of interrill erosion is a necessity, the methods used to carry it out vary greatly, and the comparison of the results is often difficult. The present study aimed to examine the results of two rainfall simulators, testing their sensitivity to different environmental conditions. Plot-scale nozzle type rainfall simulation experiments were conducted on the same regosol under both field and laboratory conditions to compare the dominant driving factors of runoff and soil loss. In the course of the experiments, high-intensity rainfall, various slope gradients, and different soil surface states (moisture content, roughness, and crust state) were chosen as the response parameters, and their driving factors were sought. In terms of the overall erosion process, the runoff, and soil loss properties, we found an agreement between the simulators. However, in the field (a 6 m2 plot), the sediment concentration was related to the soil conditions and therefore its hydrological properties, whereas in the laboratory (a 0.5 m2 plot), slope steepness and rainfall intensity were the main driving factors. This, in turn, indicates that the design of a rainfall simulator may affect the results of the research it is intended for, even if the differences occasioned by various designs may be of a low order.
Highlights
Preventing soil erosion is one of the most significant environmental challenges that an increasing global population has to face
This may suggest that the disturbed soil transported in the laboratory yielded comparable infiltration values with that measured in the field, even though the high variance makes the comparability difficult
Concerning the constant runoff and constant runoff rate measured in this study, we found that the values from the experiments were similar when conducted on similar slope gradients (Figures 3 and 4)
Summary
Preventing soil erosion is one of the most significant environmental challenges that an increasing global population has to face. The term “rainfall simulator” refers to the applied research design including the entire measurement system. Both field and laboratory rainfall simulators are widely used for modeling eroded environments [17,18,19,20]. They are useful for understanding the parameters and interactions influencing sediment transport and selective mechanisms under interrill erosion
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