Sediment Yield

Soil erosion is the result of soil exposure to erosive energy of rainfall and flowing waters. Although extensive efforts have been made in the past to model the processes of erosion and sediment transport, the understanding on the subject is still less than complete. Consequently, there exists lack of a universally accepted formula for determination of the sediment yield from a watershed (Shen and Julien, 1992). Recent advancements have employed approximate solutions of the full dynamic equations for determination of sediment yield. Erosion, degradation, and sediment yield from watersheds are related to a complex interaction between topography, geology, climate, soil, vegetation, land use, and man-induced influences. Water, wind, and ice are the primary agents of soil erosion, with water being the most prominent of them.