Discussion and analysis of the critical slope in hillslope erosion

Slope is an important factor affecting soil erosion and is significant in the theoretical study of erosion. Currently, theoretical analysis methods for the critical slope in erosion include flow shear stress, erosion dynamics, erosion rate, flow energy, sediment transport rate, etc. However, the critical slopes concluded by numerous different researchers vary enormously. In this paper, the stream power method is applied to critical slope analysis. Results indicate that the critical slope is about 45 degrees, which is close to many theoretical analysis results. The proposed method extends existing theoretical methods to determine for critical slope and provides an important reference for erosion control.