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The erodibility of some Nigerian soils: A comparison of rainfall simulator results with estimates obtained from the Wischmeier nomogram
Author(s) -
Vanelslande A.,
Lal R.,
Gabriels D.
Publication year - 1987
Publication title -
hydrological processes
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.222
H-Index - 161
eISSN - 1099-1085
pISSN - 0885-6087
DOI - 10.1002/hyp.3360010304
Subject(s) - silt , soil water , surface runoff , environmental science , infiltration (hvac) , soil science , hydrology (agriculture) , sediment , geology , geotechnical engineering , materials science , geomorphology , ecology , composite material , biology
The erodibility ( K ) of 55 surface soils, sampled from different regions of Nigeria, was assessed using a rainfall simulator, and compared with estimates ( K c ) obtained using the Wischmeier nomogram method (Wischmeier et al. , 1971). Soil erodibility values ranged from 0.000 to 0.535. The actual measured erodibility was greater than that estimated, often by several orders of magnitude. In soils with high silt content, however, the estimated K c was slightly higher than the measured K . The K factor was significantly and negatively correlated with the infiltration rate, organic carbon content, sand fraction, wet density, and percentage stable aggregates. In contrast, the K factor was positively correlated with per cent reduction in infiltration rate, clay, and silt content, and the instability indices proposed by Henin and De Leenheer‐De Boodt. Slaking of aggregates and surface sealing were important factors governing runoff rate and sediment transport. Possible modifications to the nomogram for adaptation to tropical soils are also discussed.