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Modeling the dynamics of soil erosion and size‐selective sediment transport over nonuniform topography in flume‐scale experiments
Author(s) -
Heng B. C. P.,
Sander G. C.,
Armstrong A.,
Quinton J. N.,
Chandler J. H.,
Scott C. F.
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
water resources research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.863
H-Index - 217
eISSN - 1944-7973
pISSN - 0043-1397
DOI - 10.1029/2010wr009375
Subject(s) - flume , erosion , sediment transport , wepp , sediment , soil science , environmental science , hydrology (agriculture) , geology , geotechnical engineering , flow (mathematics) , geomorphology , mechanics , soil conservation , ecology , physics , biology , agriculture
Soil erosion and the associated nutrient fluxes can lead to severe degradation of surface waters. Given that both sediment transport and nutrient sorption are size selective, it is important to predict the particle size distribution (PSD) as well as the total amount of sediment being eroded. In this paper, a finite volume implementation of the Hairsine‐Rose soil erosion model is used to simulate flume‐scale experiments with detailed observations of soil erosion and sediment transport dynamics. The numerical implementation allows us to account for the effects of soil surface microtopography (measured using close range photogrammetry) on soil erosion. An in‐depth discussion of the model parameters and the constraints is presented. The model reproduces the dynamics of sediment concentration and PSD well, although some discrepancies can be observed. The calibrated parameters are also consistent with independent data in the literature and physical reason. Spatial variations in the suspended and deposited sediment and an analysis of model sensitivity highlight the value of collecting distributed data for a more robust validation of the model and to enhance parametric determinacy. The related issues of spatial resolution and scale in erosion prediction are briefly discussed.