Rain erosion is designates the destruction the erosion of materials by the impact of rain drops.

Special attention is given to this effect in the connection by soil erosion (e.g. erosion of earth layers e.g. in the agriculture) and in the technology, for example at turbine sheets of airplanes, rotor blades of helicopters, or also at other construction units of fast-flying missiles.

Soil rain erosion

The initially erosive effect of rain drops is particularly based on the so-called "splash effect", detaching and transporting soil particles with the impact, on uncovered floor spaces. Besides still laminar rinsing off arises on bent area. The further transport is transferred by the discharge to grooves or gutters. The gutters are more deeply than 0.5 m speak one of classical Gully erosion. This "Gullys" gives it also as temporary features, which are course-washed with removing discharge again with sediment. The erosion ends usually in one "sinks", to the deposition on a deposit surface or in a waters.

As strongly erosiv a rain event works depends apart from rain duration and rain intensity also on the relief and the slope lengths. The so-called critical slope length is important in this case, starting from which larger losses at soil material arise.

For the computation of the soil misalignments there are different methods, admit is above all the USLE (universal soil loss equation). Many free and commercial software uses this equation for the modelling of the erosion by rains. A newer, revised variant is the RUSLE (Revised USLE). In the FRG the adjustment was concretized to European conditions in the general soil erosion equation (ABAG).

The rain erosion is harmful because of the fertility reduction by losses at finest soil parliamentary groups and simultaneous washing of adsorbed (N, P) and Pestiziden. Secondarily continuous erosion promotes the formation of e.g. "bath country".

Related links

USLE data base English.

Adjustment of USLE to northEuropean conditions, ERONOR English.

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