Effect of slope borders in reducing splash erosion during sediment transport by rain-induced overland flow

Splash erosion plays a vital role in the loss of eroded materials. Unlike those in slope central areas, laterally ejected splashed materials in slope border areas cannot be replenished easily because slope edges prevent splash erosion particles from entering the slope. Thus, splashed materials in slope border areas are less than those in slope central areas because of the lack of source areas for splash-eroded materials. However, this phenomenon, called the slope border effect, has received minimal attention by researchers. The partially missing splash erosion induced by the slope border effect on sediment transport was investigated to understand the slope erosion mechanism further in this paper. A modified soil pan divided into four areas, namely, central erosion test area (length = 100cm, width = 35cm, depth = 45cm), border erosion test area (length = 100cm, width = 35cm, depth = 45cm), splash compensate border area (length = 110cm, width = 30cm, depth = 45cm) and splash collection area (length = 100cm, width = 2.5cm, depth = 45cm) was used to monitor diffusion and splash erosion under simulated rainfall. Results showed that the splash detachment rate increased with the increase in slope but initially decreased and then increased with the increase in rainfall intensity. The runoff rate and diffuse erosion rates for complete splash erosion (SE) treatments were higher than those without partial splash erosion (SEL). Under low rainfall erosive power and runoff transport capacity (e.g., 5 degrees slope and 60mmh(-1)), the transported clay in SE treatments was approximately 2% more than that in SEL treatments. This amount changed to more than 2% sand under high rainfall and runoff erosive power. However, the mass fraction accounted for by silt particles in the sediments of the SEL treatments was more than that in the SE treatments. Thus, the partially missing splash erosion can weaken the selective transport ability of runoff for sediments. The effect of missing partial splash erosion on diffuse erosion was enhanced with an increase in erosive power. The results of our paper will provide insights into the effect of the boundary effect zone of slope on soil erosion and its related mechanisms.