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Research Article

A transport-distance approach to scaling erosion rates: 2. sensitivity and evaluation of Mahleran

  1. John Wainwright1,*,
  2. Anthony J. Parsons1,
  3. Eva N. Müller2,
  4. Richard E. Brazier3,
  5. D. Mark Powell4,
  6. Bantigegne Fenti5

Article first published online: 15 JAN 2008

DOI: 10.1002/esp.1623

Issue

Earth Surface Processes and Landforms

Earth Surface Processes and Landforms

Volume 33, Issue 6, pages 962–984, May 2008

Additional Information

How to Cite

Wainwright, J., Parsons, A. J., Müller, E. N., Brazier, R. E., Powell, D. M. and Fenti, B. (2008), A transport-distance approach to scaling erosion rates: 2. sensitivity and evaluation of Mahleran. Earth Surf. Process. Landforms, 33: 962–984. doi: 10.1002/esp.1623

Author Information

  1. 1

    Sheffield Centre for International Drylands Research, Department of Geography, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK

  2. 2

    Institut für Geoökologie, Universität Potsdam, Potsdam, Germany

  3. 3

    Department of Geography, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK

  4. 4

    Department of Geography, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK

  5. 5

    Queensland Department of Natural Resources, Mines and Energy, Indooroopilly, Queensland, Australia

*Sheffield Centre for International Drylands Research, Department of Geography, University of Sheffield, Winter Street, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK.

Publication History

  1. Issue published online: 29 APR 2008
  2. Article first published online: 15 JAN 2008
  3. Manuscript Accepted: 27 SEP 2007
  4. Manuscript Revised: 7 SEP 2007
  5. Manuscript Received: 21 MAY 2007

Funded by

  • NERC. Grant Number: GR3/12754
  • NSF. Grant Number: DEB 00-80412

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Keywords:

  • erosion;
  • sediment transport;
  • soil-erosion model;
  • scaling;
  • validation

Abstract

In the first paper in this series, we demonstrated that most process-based erosion models have a series of in-built assumptions that led us to question their true process basis. An alternative soil-erosion model (Mahleran – Model for Assessing Hillslope-Landscape Erosion, Runoff And Nutrients) based upon particle-travel distance has been presented in the first paper in this series and this paper presents the first of two evaluations of the model. Here, a sensitivity analysis shows that the numerical model is consistent with the analytical model of Parsons et al. (2004) and demonstrates that downslope patterns of sediment flux on hillslopes are a complex interaction of rainfall intensity, duration and pattern; hillslope gradient; surface roughness and sediment size. This result indicates that the spatial scaling of sediment transfers on hillslopes is a non-trivial problem and will vary from point to point and from event to event and thus from year to year. The model is evaluated against field data from a rainfall-simulation experiment on an 18 m × 35 m plot for which there are sub-plot-scale data on runoff hydraulics and sediment flux. The results show that the model is capable of reproducing the sedigraph with an overall normalized root-mean-square error of 18·4% and Nash–Sutcliffe efficiency of 0·90. Spatial and temporal patterns of particle-size distributions of the eroded sediment are also reproduced very well, once erosion parameters have been optimized for the specific soil conditions. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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