Measuring and Predicting Erosion on Sandy Roads to Inform Strategies for Sustainable Transport Network Management: A Case Study of the Great Sandy National Park, Australia

Abstract

Different surveying methods were used to assess and illustrate road profile changes and sediment displacement over a six-month period at four sites on a sand road at Cooloola, Queensland, Australia. Total monthly traffic and total monthly rainfall (two-way ANOVA without replication, p < 0.05) had an effect on the mean centre dumpy level depths and sediment displacement at one site (correlation 0.81 for total monthly traffic/mean centre dumpy level depths), but not at the other three sites. Traditional road-surface field measurements showed large changes in volume and weight of sediment movement and Water Erosion Prediction Project (WEPP) modelling predicted an annual sediment yield (i.e., sand displacement from road) of 115.37 kg with a total sediment loss of 7,551.36 kg for each 120 m by 6 m site over the next 80 years. The methodology used can be applied to other national parks and protected areas and for the effective and sustainable management of sand road networks.