Method-induced variations in soil erodibility in erosion experiments with rain-impacted flow

Abstract

Laboratory experiments on erosion by rain-impacted flow were performed on crusted surfaces that had either been eroded or not been eroded previously by rain-impacted flow. Differences in the erodibility of the surfaces were obtained between the 2 methods. The differences in erodibility were associated with the development of a layer of coarse pre-detached material on the previously eroded surfaces. The influence of this layer on erodibility is such that changing the experimental procedure may influence the results obtained from experiments designed to determine soil erodibility under rain-impacted flow.