Rainfall simulation data: Effects of rainfall intensity and mulch coverage on runoff and sediment concentration

This publication contains runoff and sediment volume and concentration data collected as part of an experiment to further our understanding of how slope, rainfall intensity, and mulch coverage affect runoff and erosion from hillslopes. In July 2023, rainfall simulations were conducted on indoor soil plots at the Colorado State University Hydraulics Laboratory in Fort Collins, CO. Three rainfall intensity rates (30, 60, and 90 millimeters per hour) and two slopes (20% and 40%) were tested on mulched and unmulched pre-wet plots, yielding a total of 12 simulations.
These experiments were conducted to further our understanding of how slope, rainfall intensity, and mulch coverage affect runoff and erosion from hillslopes. Mulching is often used as a post-fire hillslope treatment in efforts to prevent downstream flooding and sedimentation problems, and our experiments were designed to investigate the range of slopes and rainfall intensities similar to those experienced in field sites burned in the 2020 Cameron Peak Fire in Northern Colorado.