Rainfall simulators are being used since the 30’s by scientists and technicians to study the soil erosion and soil hydrology. They were and they are one of the most used and most successful tools for Agronomist, Hydrologist, Geomorphologist, and others related disciplines. They move from simple drop-formers and nozzle to sophisticated apparatus, from small to large, and from mechanical to electronic devices. Rainfall simulators speed up the research as they allowed repeated and multiple measurements. They give opportunities to a more controlled and more accurate measurements, and they are plenty of advantages. However, when mismanagement and misunderstanding take place rainfall simulators can result in disadvantages and waste on time and money.
The session on “Rainfall simulation as a tool for soil erosion and soil hydrology studies” will join researchers that used simulated rainfall experiments as a main tool to investigate soil erosion and soil hydrology. A special attention will be paid to the rainfall simulators design, construction and use, the experimental design and the measurement of the rainfall characteristics. Research on soil erosion and soil hydrology by means of rainfall simulators (from drop former to large plot rainfall simulators) will be shown. Discussion and State-of-the-Art papers are also welcome.
Publication. Selected papers from the session will be published in a peer reviewed journal.

Solicited speakers

David Dunkerley. School of Geography and Environmental Science. Monash University. AUSTRALIA. david.dunkerley@arts.monash.edu.au

Dr. Jens Lange. Institute of Hydrology. University of Freiburg. GERMANY. jens.lange@hydrology.uni-freiburg.de

Dr. Hiroaki Kato. Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences. University of Tsukuba. JAPAN.
hiros980@ies.life.tsukuba.ac.jp

professor Wang Yukuan. Institute of Moutain Hazards and Environment. Chinese Academy of Science. Sichuan, CHINA. wangyukuan@imde.ac.cn

Dr. Gary Sheridan. Department of Forest and Ecosystem Science. The University of Melbourne. AUSTRALIA sheridan@unimelb.edu.au

Dr. Mel Neave. Division of Geography. School of Geosciences. University of Sydney. Australia. m.neave@usyd.edu.au

Dr. Maria Cristina Rulli. Department of Hydraulic, Roadways, Environmental, and Surveying Engineering
Politecnico di Milan. Italy. cristina.rulli@polimi.it

Prof. João Pedroso de Lima. Department of Civil Engineering. Faculty of Science and Technology. Pólo II Univ. Coimbra. Portugal. plima@dec.uc.pt

Cedric Legout. Department of hydrology and the environment. University of Grenoble, France cedric.legout@hmg.inpg.fr


Jan Jacob Keizer. CESAM - Centre for Environmental and Marine Research, Dept. Environment and Planning, Aveiro. Portugal. jjkeizer@ua.pt