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Snowmelt‐generated runoff and soil erosion in Fife, Scotland
Author(s) -
Wade R. J.,
Kirkbride M. P.
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
earth surface processes and landforms
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.294
H-Index - 127
eISSN - 1096-9837
pISSN - 0197-9337
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1096-9837(199802)23:2<123::aid-esp818>3.0.co;2-d
Subject(s) - snowmelt , snowpack , surface runoff , hydrology (agriculture) , erosion , environmental science , snow , meltwater , physical geography , geology , geomorphology , geography , ecology , geotechnical engineering , biology
The hydrology and contrasting erosional responses of two snowmelt events on arable farmland in Fife, Scotland, are compared. Snowmelt‐generated runoff in January 1993 caused widespread soil erosion across eastern Scotland. Gullying was exemplified by three sites in Fife, where thaw of a drifted snowpack was augmented by rainfall to produce a larger erosive response than meteorological data alone would have predicted. Up to 127 m 3 of soil was lost from individual gullies in fields sown to winter cereals. In February 1996 snowfall of comparable depth again covered the field area, but a more uniform snowpack, slower thaw, greater crop cover and lower rainfall during the thaw phase combined to lessen the impact of erosion. These case studies demonstrate the complexity of the erosion/runoff relationship for rain on snow events, in which erosional severity depends not just on snow depth but on snow distribution, thaw rate and the amount and timing of rainfall during the thaw phase. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.