A Comparison of Two Methods of Measurement of Soil Erosion Due to Raindrop Splash

Measurements of the downhill splash transport due to single rain fall events were made using a splash board and a modified Bollinne splash trap set up in a field plot of sandy loam soil. The splash board was found to consistently record a greater amount of splash transport than that recorded by the modified Bollinne splash trap. A previously published model of the splash transport process is used to develop an expression for the overestimate by the splash board and this shows good agreement with the observed overestimate. This analysis suggests that the overestimation effect is due to direct in fall of splashed soil particles into the splash board trough in addition to the particles that are initially intercepted by the vertical surface of the splash board. It is concluded that, since this effect is difficult to avoid under field conditions, the modified Bollinne splash trap is to be preferred for accurate measurement of splash transport.