Laboratory experiments on the influence of slope length on runoff, percolation and rill development

Abstract

Abstract Experiments to test relationships between slope length, percolation, and runoff were carried out in a laboratory flume under simulated rainfall at intensities from 24·2‐26 mm h −1 . A composite soil subject to sealing was mixed from a clay and a sand and tested on 2·39 m, 7·18 m, and 17 m slopes for a minimum of 200 min. Runoff discharge is not a simple function of rainfall excess and slope length but shows a complex pattern dominated by surface sealing, rill development and headcut incision. Rill development by concentrated surface wash conformed to established threshold hydraulic conditions, but subsequent headcut incision was necessary to breach the seal and significantly affect percolation/runoff ratios. Headcut evolution is complex, apparently reflecting hydraulic instability and possibly different stages in seal development. Headcut and rill incision shows a cyclic pattern interspersed with broad areas of sheetwash and colluvial deposition where percolation rates are very low.