Abstract
The development of erosive landforms such as rills, ditches, slits, and gullies depends on many environmental factors; thus, the rate of the development of each individual form differs. In this paper, the author presents a case study of two erosion rills located on a hiking trails (Holy Cross Mts.) resulting after 2 years of monitoring in which the process of their evolution was precisely analyzed. Once established, such landforms develop over time with variable rates and can represent multiple different stages. Moreover, the final result of the rill development hardly reminds their original form and does not allow for interpretation of the events that affected it in the recent past. Therefore, the main objective was to determine the volumetric changes of erosion rills created by the surface runoff on both sections, during two years of observation. Additional objectives included a description of the physical and meteorological parameters, important in the development process and a comparison of them to the volumetric changes of each period. Using the Structure-from-motion (SfM) photogrammetry technique, monitoring procedures have been performed quickly offering sufficient accuracy. For direct comparison, the digital elevation model of difference (DoD) method was used, enabling the calculation of volume. The results showed that the erosion to deposition ratio was more disproportionate during storm events or periods with higher depth of rainfall. Total erosion to deposition balance for the entire monitoring period was negative and equal to 1448.84 kg or 410 Mg/ha for the first erosion rill and 1059.5 kg or 300 Mg/ha for the second rill. Both erosion rills developed differently. The first erosion rill developed by linear cut into deeper and wider form, while the other, steeper rill, evolved from plunge pools merging together into deeper and wider form.
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Acknowledgments
The author acknowledges financial support through the project “AKCELERATOR ROZWOJU Uniwersytetu Jana Kochanowskiego w Kielcach” (Development Accelerator of the Jan Kochanowski University of Kielce), co-financed by the European Union under the European Social Fund, with no. POWR.03.05.00-00-Z212/18. Acknowledgments are necessary as well for the Institute of Meteorology and Water Management for providing data.
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Kopyść, P.T. Analysis of erosion rill development under rainfall events using structure-from-motion photogrammetry — a case study from Kielce (Holy Cross Mts., Poland). J. Mt. Sci. 19, 1231–1244 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11629-021-7025-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11629-021-7025-7