14
ERDC/CRREL TN-03-3
4
CONCLUSIONS
The average width of the rills that developed in the control and FT bins was
similar, but rill depth was 2 cm greater in the FT bin when the soil moisture was
1518%. The rill depths developed in the FT bins when the soil moisture was
3638% ranged from 2 to 10 times larger than in the control bin. At low soil
moisture, the sediment mass from FT samples exceeded that of corresponding
control samples by 39%.
For mid-range soil moisture the mass contained in the FT samples exceeded
that of the controls by a factor of 2.9, and at high soil moisture this factor in-
creased to 6.2. The differences in rates and quantity of soil eroded increased
dramatically with the water content due to the FT cycle. These results are the first
to quantitatively define the differences in sediment loss in rill formation caused
by FT cycling.
We will complete additional analyses and experiments with the frost-
susceptible soil used here to further define the effects of FT in the soil-erosion
process. However, further investigation of FT affects on other soils is needed to
establish a more complete and quantitative understanding with which to build a
robust, soil-erosion model for regional sediment management.
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