Marcus Bursik, Bettina Martinez-Hackert

Rainsplash is significant for interrill erosion since it facilitates the movement of loosened soil frangments. Because it is a technically dicult process to measure, many studies focus on experimental simulation under controlled conditions both in field and laboratory. Raindrop erosion studies have produced models to predict the erosivity due to raindrop impact on varying ground surfaces, with a focus on agricultural soils and generally low slope gradients.
This study focuses on rainsplash measurements under natural slope and rainfall conditions. We recorded natural precipitation, local slope angle, vegetation cover locally modified by wildland fire, and soil bulk density for areas where rainsplash was collected on two scoria cones in the San Francisco Volcanic Field, AZ. Samples were collected using splashboards, hence allowing the measurement of netdownslope sediment yield by collecting upslope splashed and downslope splashed sediment. Results of this study indicate a large amount of slope material being moved in the first rain- fall events of the season with increased erosion rates in areas affected by wildland fire. Using multiple regresssion we are able to distinguish between three different types of fire severity populations.