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Measurements of Water Erosion and Infiltration in Alberta Using a Rainfall Simulator | |
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| | Introduction
Topsoil loss is a serious threat to the sustainability of agriculture in Alberta. Traditional management practices often leave the soil susceptible to erosion. New farming equipment and practices aim to protect topsoil from erosion. However, we know little about the relative effects of these new practices on erosion from Alberta soils.
Soil erosion by water is difficult to study in field conditions as natural rainstorms are unpredictable, difficult to characterize and impossible to repeat. Rainfall simulators have been developed as tools which allow the controlled application of rainfall to undisturbed field conditions. However, their use is complicated by the difficulty in relating simulated rainfall to natural rainfall.
Erosion measurements after rainfall simulation
We built a rainfall simulator to apply typical rainfall amounts to representative Alberta agricultural conditions. We measured erosion from farmer's fields at many locations in Alberta, representing a range of typical agricultural conditions and common farming practices. At the same time as measuring water erosion (soil and water moving off of an area), we studied water infiltration (water movement into a soil). Increased infiltration (and decreased runoff) increases the water available for crop growth.
For more information about our research results, click on the following:
Methods
Erosion studies
This information is provided by Sheilah Nolan and Tom Goddard. |
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Other Documents in the Series |
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Measurements of Water Erosion and Infiltration in Alberta Using a Rainfall Simulator - Current Document
Measurements of Water Erosion and Infiltration in Alberta Using a Rainfall Simulator: Methods
Measurements of Water Erosion and Infiltration in Alberta Using a Rainfall Simulator: Erosion Studies
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For more information about the content of this document, contact Sheilah Nolan.
This document is maintained by Laura Thygesen.
This information published to the web on October 22, 1998.
Last Reviewed/Revised on July 4, 2018.
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