WIND EROSION INTENSITY DETERMINATION USING SOIL PARTICLE CATCHER DEVICES

To analyze wind erosion events in the real terrain conditions, we proposed to construct a prototype of soil particle catcher devices to trap soil particles. With these devices we are able to measure the intensity of wind erosion at six different heights above the soil surface in one location or at three different heights in two places. It is possible to use them for six different places at the same time as well. We performed field measurements to determine the amount of soil particles transported by the wind between 26th – 31st March 2012. Each measuring took 60 minutes. After this time the soil particle catchers were emptied and further measurements carried out. At the beginning we selected two places for measurement (soil HPJ 16 and 37) at two heights, one above the other. Then we used two measuring systems 40 m apart at two sites (D2 and D4) and the soil captured at two heights (0, 1). The maximum weight of soil particles trapped in measuring system D2 at height (0) was 1242.7 g at a wind speed of 9.6 ms-1. At measurement height (1) the maximum weight was 72.7 g trapped at the same average hourly rate, but during different measurement events. The measuring system at D4 trapped the highest amount of soil at a wind speed of 8.9 ms-1 (1141.7 g) at height (0) and at a speed of 9.3 ms-1 (22.3 g) at height (1). During the measurements with the two basic measuring systems D4 and D2, we measured the wind erosion intensity together with soil particle catchers D1 and D3. D3 was placed between devices D4 and D2, D1 was 20 m ahead D2. Soil particle catchers were placed on the soil surface at height position (0). We measured increasing soil erosion downwind on four locations spaced at 20 m. The results show that with there is an increasing quantity of particles collected as the erosive surface length increases, due to the so-called snowball effect. We analyzed selected trapped soil samples in order to determine the size of the soil particles and their proportion in the sample at different wind speeds. Samples were subjected to aggregate analysis (laser soil particle analyzer FRITSCH ANALYSETTE 22) in order to set the size and percentage of soil particles.