Gullies are responsible for as much as 40% of the accelerated erosion impacting the Great Barrier Reef lagoon. Consequently, to protect the reef from the impacts of poor water quality associated with eroded sediment, the remediation of gullied landscapes is important. The geographic location and geomorphic characteristics of gullies affects their erosion characteristics and the extent to which eroded sediments may be transported to the reef. Existing models of gully erosion are predominantly empirical in nature, and are poorly suited to represent the potential benefits of different interventions in the data scarce environment that exists. The Queensland Government, through the Queensland Water Modelling Network, identified the development of process-based models of gully erosion as necessary to support efforts to protect the reef. MERGE (modelling erosion resistance for gully erosion) was developed to address this need. MERGE exhibits the expected characteristics for gully erosion including achieving a steady concentration under constant conditions, the development of a depositional layer, as well as first flush effects and hysteresis in the dynamic case. Analytical steady-state solutions are found to be excellent approximations to the full dynamic solutions. The suitability of the model to represent interventions is demonstrated for the example cases of porous check dams and improved ground cover.

中文翻译：

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MERGE：对冲沟侵蚀的抗侵蚀性建模——一种基于过程的理想化线性冲沟侵蚀模型

在影响大堡礁泻湖的加速侵蚀中，沟壑占了 40%。因此，为了保护珊瑚礁免受与侵蚀沉积物相关的不良水质的影响，对沟壑景观进行修复非常重要。冲沟的地理位置和地貌特征影响其侵蚀特征以及侵蚀沉积物向礁体输送的程度。现有的沟壑侵蚀模型本质上主要是经验性的，并且不太适合代表存在的数据稀缺环境中不同干预措施的潜在益处。昆士兰州政府通过昆士兰州水模型网络，确定开发基于过程的沟渠侵蚀模型是支持保护珊瑚礁工作的必要条件。MERGE（针对沟壑侵蚀的抗侵蚀建模）就是为了满足这一需求而开发的。MERGE 展示了冲沟侵蚀的预期特征，包括在恒定条件下实现稳定浓度、沉积层的发展以及动态情况下的首次冲刷效应和滞后。分析稳态解被发现是全动态解的极好近似。该模型适用于代表干预措施的多孔检查坝和改进的地面覆盖的示例案例得到了证明。以及动态情况下的首次冲洗效果和滞后。分析稳态解被发现是全动态解的极好近似。该模型适用于代表干预措施的多孔检查坝和改进的地面覆盖的示例案例得到了证明。以及动态情况下的首次冲洗效果和滞后。分析稳态解被发现是全动态解的极好近似。该模型适用于代表干预措施的多孔检查坝和改进的地面覆盖的示例案例得到了证明。