Ephemeral gully erosion research: processes and modeling

Abstract

The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) defines ephemeral gullies as small channels that can be filled in by normal tillage operations only to reform in the same location by subsequent runoff events. Ephemeral gullies contribute significantly to soil erosion in agricultural fields, and NRCS has consistently identified gully erosion as their number one problem to solve. Moreover, headcut development and migration is closely coupled to the initiation of ephemeral gullies and their extension on hillslopes. Research is needed to further understand the physics of these processes, to derive robust predictive algorithms and methodologies, and to develop reliable control methods.