Articles | Volume 11, issue 6
https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-11-1275-2023
https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-11-1275-2023
Short communication
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11 Dec 2023
Short communication |  | 11 Dec 2023

Short communication: Concentrated impacts by tree canopy drips – hotspots of soil erosion in forests

Ayumi Katayama, Kazuki Nanko, Seonghun Jeong, Tomonori Kume, Yoshinori Shinohara, and Steffen Seitz

Video supplement

Structurally-mediated woody surface drip points for beech tree Ayumi Katayama https://av.tib.eu/media/61199

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Short summary
Even under forests, soil is eroded by rainfall. This is particularly true when human impact damages vegetation layers. We found that the erosion risk can be greatly increased by structural drip points at branches forming large drops under the tree canopy in the foliated and non-foliated seasons. Our measurements with sand-filled splash cups in Japanese beech forests showed drop energies up to 50 times greater than under freefall precipitation, indicating locally severe sediment detachment.