Erosion from Melt of a Mountain Snowpack

Authors

George E. Hart
Steven A. Loomis

Document Type

Article

Journal/Book Title/Conference

Journal of Soil and Water Conservation

Publication Date

1982

Volume

37

Issue

1

Abstract

Soil erosion from clear-weather snowmelt was measured on four .01-acre (.004-hectare) plots located on a bare mountain slope in northern Utah. Soil loss was minimal during three seasons, ranging from 3 to 26 pounds per acre (3.4-29.1 kilograms/hectare). Surface runoff accounted for between 1 and 3.5 percent of the snowpack's water equivalent, and infiltration during snowmelt likely was much higher than snowmelt. Such small soil losses do not warrant vseof the snowmelt factor, fis, in the universal sril loss equation in mountain terrain where a moderately deep snowpack persists throughout winter.

Comments

Originally published by the Soil and Water Conservation Society. Abstract available through remote link. Subscription required to access article fulltext.

First Page

55

Last Page

57

Recommended Citation

Hart, G.E. and S.A. Loomis (1982). Erosion from melt of a mountain snowpack. J. Soil and Water Conv. 37(1): 55-57.