Influence of surface zones with zero detachment on erosion by rain-impacted flow

Abstract

Zones of zero detachment occur on the soil surface when cryptogamic cover protects the soil surface from erosion by rain-impacted flow. The effect of spatial variation in the distribution of these zones was examined through a computer simulation of erosion by rain-impacted flow on small (0·5-m-long) surfaces. The results from the simulations indicate that the effect of spatial variations in cryptogam cover decreases as the susceptibility of the exposed surfaces to detachment by rain-impacted flow increases. They also indicate that when the sediment being transported is dominated by fine particles, the effect of the cover on erosion will be more closely related to the average cover than when the sediment is dominated by coarse particles.