Experimental Determination of the Effect of Time of Exposure to Heat on Erosion Development in Different Soil Types

Abstract

Tropical forests are increasingly exposed to devastating bushfires, leading to increased erosion. This work involves the study of the effect of exposure to heat on erosion development. Four different soil samples from the study area were used for the study. In this study, the postfire impacts of a laboratory fire representing a bushfire and a subsequent rainfall simulation experiment representing postfire rainfall were compared to evaluate the short-term impact of fire on heated bare soil. Laboratory observations show that bushfire or wildfire affects the erodibility of different types of soil. When the soil under consideration contains a meaningful amount of clay, initial exposure to heat tends to cement the soil sample, because clay minerals harden on exposure to bush burning. However, it is generally observed that at 6 hours of exposure to burning, the cementation is adversely affected, leading to increased soil loss.