Physically-based modeling of runoff and soil erosion in slopes with mountain tracks

The paper proposes a quantitative physically-based modeling of water runoff, soil erosion and deposition along a slope. This topic is dealt with for selected laboratory flume tests and for a slope cut by a mountain trackway with three bends. For both the cases, the GIS-implemented LImburg Soil Erosion (LISEM) model is used to simulate the erosion and deposition scenarios caused by different rainstorms and soil suction. The numerical results achieved for the flume tests provide a validation of the selected model. Furthermore, the simulations about the slope outline the bend as a major confluence path for water runoff, consistently with the in-situ evidences. In addition, it is highlighted that the maximum soil loss is computed at the areas beside and downslope the bends.