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Science 22 May 1981:
Vol. 212. no. 4497, pp. 915 - 917
DOI: 10.1126/science.212.4497.915
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Articles

Physical Effects of Vehicular Disturbances on Arid Landscapes

RICHARD M. IVERSON 1, BERN S. HINCKLEY 1, ROBERT M. WEBB 1, and BERNARD HALLET 2

1 Department of Applied Earth Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305
2 Quaternary Research Center and Department of Geological Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle 98195

Field experiments indicate that the use of off-road vehicles on arid land increases the amount and frequency of water runoff and erosion by decreasing soil porosity, infiltration capacity, effectiveness of surface stabilizers, and hydraulic resistance to overland flow. These effects are long-lived and may result even when the use of these vehicles is slight.

Submitted on June 17, 1980
Revised on November 18, 1980


THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
Biological Feedbacks in Global Desertification.
W. H. Schlesinger, W. H. Schlesinger, J. F. Reynolds, G. L. Cunningham, L. F. Huenneke, W. M. Jarrell, R. A. Virginia, and W. G. Whitford (1990)
Science 247, 1043-1048
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Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)