Post-fire bedload sediment delivery across spatial scales in the interior western United States
Wagenbrenner, J.W.; Robichaud, P.R. 2014.
Post-fire bedload sediment delivery across spatial scales in the interior western United States.
Earth Surface Processes and Landforms 39, 865–876.
Keywords: erosion; hillslope; catchment; sedimentation; rainfall intensity
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Abstract:
Post-fire sediment yields can be up to three orders of magnitude greater than sediment yields in unburned
forests. Much of the research on post-fire erosion rates has been at small scales (100m2 or less), and post-fire sediment
delivery rates across spatial scales have not been quantified in detail. We developed relationships for post-fire bedload
sediment delivery rates for spatial scales up to 117 ha using sediment yield data from six published studies and two
recently established study sites. Sediment yields and sediment delivery ratios (SDRs; sediment delivered at the catchment
scale divided by the sediment delivered from a plot nested within the catchment) were related to site factors
including rainfall characteristics, area, length, and ground cover. Unit-area sediment yields significantly decreased with
increasing area in five of the six sites. The annual SDRs ranged from 0.0089 to 1.15 and these were more closely
related to the ratio of the plot lengths than the ratio of plot areas. The developed statistical relationships will help
quantify post-fire sediment delivery rates across spatial scales in the interior western United States and develop
process-based scaling relationships.
Moscow FSL publication no. 2014e
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