Gully geometry: what are we measuring?
Much of the research on (ephemeral) gully erosion comprises the determination of the geometry of these eroded channels, especially their width and depth. This is not a simple task due to uncertainty generated by the wide range of variability in gully cross section shapes found in the field. However,...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Copernicus Publications
2015-07-01
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| Series: | SOIL |
| Online Access: | http://www.soil-journal.net/1/509/2015/soil-1-509-2015.pdf |
| Summary: | Much of the research on (ephemeral) gully erosion comprises the
determination of the geometry of these eroded channels, especially their width
and depth. This is not a simple task due to uncertainty generated by the wide
range of variability in gully cross section shapes found in the field.
However, in the literature, this uncertainty is not recognized so that no
criteria for their measurement are indicated. The aim of this work
is to make researchers aware of the ambiguity that arises when characterizing
the geometry of an ephemeral gully and similar eroded channels. In addition,
a measurement protocol is proposed with the ultimate goal of pooling criteria
in future works. It is suggested that the geometry of a gully could be
characterized through its mean equivalent width and mean equivalent depth,
which, together with its length, define an "equivalent prismatic gully"
(EPG). The latter would facilitate the comparison between different gullies. |
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| ISSN: | 2199-3971 2199-398X |