The variation of soil erodibility with slope position in a cultivated canadian prairie landscape

Abstract

AbstractThis study examined the variation in soil erodibility along hillslopes in a Prairie landscape. The soil loss produced by simulated rainfall on undisturbed soils was used as an index of relative soil erodibility. Relative erodibility, and several soil properties, were measured at the summit, shoulder, midslope footslope and toeslope of 11 slope transects in an area of cultivated grassland soils on hummocky glacial till. The variation of erodibility with slope position was statistically significant, and slope position explained about 40 per cent of the variation in the erodibility measurements. Erodibility was 14 per cent higher on the shoulder and midslope, and 21 per cent lower on the toeslope, than on the summit and footslope. Local variation in erodibility along slopes was considered to be an important control on patterns of soil erosion in the landscape. The variation of erodibility along the slopes reflected soil property trends. The greatest erodibility was associated with upper slope positions where soils tended to be shallow, coarse, poorly leached and low in organic matter, while lower erodibility was found at lower slope positions with deep, organic‐rich and leached soils. Of the individual soil properties considered, silt and sand content were the most highly correlated with erodibility. The results, together with results from other studies, also suggest that net erosion and erodibility are positively related.