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A flume design for the study of slope length effects on runoff
Author(s) -
Stomph T. J.,
De Ridder N.,
Van De Giesen N. C.
Publication year - 2001
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/esp.213
Subject(s) - flume , surface runoff , infiltration (hvac) , environmental science , hydrology (agriculture) , soil loss , soil science , erosion , geotechnical engineering , geology , geomorphology , mathematics , ecology , geography , flow (mathematics) , meteorology , geometry , biology
Recent publications from field and simulation studies indicate that runoff per unit area decreases as the length of the slope being observed is increased. This scale effect has been observed and documented for slopes with a uniform infiltration capacity as well as for slopes along which infiltration capacity is variable. This paper presents the design and testing of a laboratory flume for the study of the processes that lead to this scale effect, particularly for the case of slopes covered with crops. The features of the flume include reliable experimental control of soil water content prior to rainfall, high intensity rainfall without erosion, uniform crop growth along the slope, and the option of varying the infiltration rate independently of rainfall and soil characteristics. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.