Publication Date:
2014-06-18
Description:
This study estimates the rates of soil erosion by slope wash in an arid region and the various factors that control these rates. Decadal-scale erosion rates were estimated on hillslope scales using inventories of 137Cs that were sampled from 46 soil profiles in four different study sites in the Mojave Desert. Calculated mean soil erosion rates per site range from −3.6 to −24.3 t ha−1 yr−1. Higher mean rates were associated with gently sloping sites that exhibit low percentage of rock and vegetation coverage, whereas lower mean rates corresponded to steep and rocky sites. Individual erosion rates were not correlated to slope gradient or curvature but were negatively correlated with the volume fraction of rocks in the upper soil profile (i.e., upslope rock coverage). Since the slopes get rockier as they get steeper, any increase in erosion rates with increasing slope is outweighed by the inhibiting effect of greater rock cover. This, together with sandy-loam soil texture on the steep slopes hinders runoff and erosion. Our findings are supported by soil data that show greater heterogeneity in the degree of calcic soil development and higher soluble salt contents in more gently sloping sites that are characterized by high erosion rates. The erosion rates reported here for the gently sloping sites are higher than rates calculated for semi-arid regions, probably due to the lower rock and vegetation coverage in these sites compared to wetter areas. These rates are also higher than millennial-scale rates estimated for the Mojave Desert on watershed scales, and suggest that at least part of the eroded sediments are stored in the adjacent streams and do not reach the piedmonts.
Electronic ISSN:
2196-6338
Topics:
Geosciences
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