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Updated: May 11, 2026

Laboratory and Field Protocol for Estimating Sheet Erosion Rates from Dendrogeomorphology
Published on: January 7, 2019
[Analysis of hydrodynamics parameters of runoff erosion and sediment-yielding on unpaved road]
Peng-Fei Huang1, Wen-Long Wang, Ting Luo
1Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Chinese Academy of Sciences and Ministry of Water Resources, Yangling 712100, Shaanxi, China. huangpengfeihpf@sina.com
Abstract:
By the method of field runoff washout experiment, a simulation study was conducted on the relationships between the soil detachment rate and the hydrodynamic parameters on unpaved road, and the related quantitative formulas were established. Under the conditions of different flow discharges and road gradients, the averaged soil detachment rate increased with increasing flow discharge and road gradient, and the relationships between them could be described by a power function. As compared with road gradient, flow discharge had greater effects on the soil detachment rate. The soil detachment rate had a power relation with water flow velocity and runoff kinetic energy, and the runoff kinetic energy was of importance to the soil detachment rate. The soil detachment rate was linearly correlated with the unit runoff kinetic energy. The averaged soil erodibility was 0.120 g m-1.J-F-1, and the averaged critical unit runoff kinetic energy was 2.875 g.m-1.J-1. Flow discharge, road gradient, and unit runoff kinetic energy could be used to accurately describe the soil erosion process and calculate the soil erosion rate on unpaved road.
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