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Soil surface roughness is commonly identified as one of the dominant factors governing runoff and interrill erosion. Yet, because of difficulties in acquiring the data, most studies pay little attention to soil surface roughness. This is particularly true for soil erosion models which commonly don't include a roughness factor, or use a simplified, discrete roughness factor. This study aimed at analyzing the influence of surface roughness on runoff and soil erosion rates by simulated rainfall. Secondly, several indices to characterize microtopography were compared. Finally, the implementation of a roughness factor in sediment transport models is discussed.