Negligible soil erosion in a burned mountain watershed, Canadian Rockies : field and modelling investigations considering the role of duff

Auteur(s) et Affiliation(s)



Description :
The field site was located in a closed canopy, subalpine forest in Kootenay National Park, British Columbia that was subjected to a high-intensity crown fire in the summer of 2003. Low soil erosion values were documented at the study site in the years immediately following the 2003 wildfire. Following the wildfire, notable duff coverage (the duff layer is the combined fermentation and humus soil organic layers) remained above the mineral soil. The Green-Ampt model of rainfall infiltration is employed to better assess how interactions between rainfall duration/intensity and soil/duff properties affect hydrological response and the generation of overland flow. Model results show that duff provides an effective zone for detention storage and that duff accommodates all rainfall intensities to which it was subjected without the occurrence of surface ponding. In addition, the penetration of the wetting front is relatively slow in duff due to its high porosity and water storage potential.


Type de document :
Article de périodique

Source :
Earth surface processes and landforms, issn : 0197-9337, 2011, vol. 36, n°. 15, p. 2097-2113, nombre de pages : 17, Références bibliographiques : 2 p.

Date :
2011

Editeur :
Pays édition : Royaume-Uni, Chichester, Wiley