干旱区生态环境知识资源中心

Arid rangeland erosion is dependent on several interacting factors, including landscape and climate characteristics, as well as current and historic disturbance. Generally, changes to the landscape due to anthropogenic activity rapidly increase the soil instability, posing the risk of erosion. However, the response due to current and historic disturbance may take several years to become evident. To evaluate the relative potential for erosion based on overland flow, physically based distributed models can provide an effective approach for estimating and predicting soil loss.

Infiltration and runoff was simulated using the USDA-ARS Water Erosion Prediction Project (WEPP) model on five hillslope profiles representing a small watershed in northeastern California. Single event and five-year continuous simulations will be used to evaluate runoff and erosion potential on variable slope, vegetation, and rock cover. The single storm events are based on maximum depths for 6hr and 24hr storms provided by atlas maps (NOAA, 1973) for the general area. The continuous simulation examines the relative differences of soil loss over a five-year period. The continuous climate data will be generated using the Climate Generator (CLIGEN) model, which is a separate model developed for use with the WEPP model. The relative predictions will aid in development of basin management strategies for Sierra Army Depot.