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Research Project:
Processes, Control, and Prediction of Erosion and Runoff on Upland Areas in Agricultural Watersheds
Location:
Upland Erosion Processes Research
Project Number: 6408-12130-012-00
Project Type:
Appropriated
Start Date: Jul 02, 2002
End Date: Apr 30, 2007
Objective:
Determine and evaluate effect of soil properties, profile, surface conditions on soil, sediment and water movement on upland areas. Identify and develop environmentally friendly, economically profitable soil erosion control, and land and cropping management systems and practices for watershed scale adoption and TMDL reductions. Develop, refine, validate, and test soil erosion control and prediction models for watershed scale applications. Develop reliable acoustic and seismic technologies for the nondestructive measurement of both soil and crop variables that affect water availability and plant growth in food and fiber production systems.
Approach:
Laboratory and field studies will be conducted. Process oriented research primarily consists of laboratory studies with rainfall simulation and flume equipment emphasizing detachment and transport processes by sediment laden overland flow on smooth and rough surfaces simulating field conditions. Changes in soil matrix properties, soil cohesion, and cracking/swelling, deformation will be studied by seismic/acoustic and laser measurement and the development of acoustic and seismic techniques that can be used to characterize soils and crops to permit the non-destructive determination of important physical properties of cropland soils, such as detecting hard pans and soil water content, and the monitoring of plant growth and to determine how the different soil and plant properties affect the transmission, absorption, and scattering of acoustic waves, and assess the feasibilty and reliability of using acoustic and seismic technologies for the characterization of cropland conditions important to crop production and natural resource conservation. Control oriented work consists primarily of field studies of agronomic and structural practices or combinations thereof, such as cover crops, grassed waterways, buffer strips, stiff grass hedges, sediment traps, subsurface drainage, and reduced or no-till field size or small watershed areas. Prediction oriented research primarily consists of model development, refinement, and maintenance (RUSLE, AGNPS) and their application to complex field scenarios. Much of the research is designed to test and evaluate the conversion of CRP land of DEC areas into cropland and reduce TMDLs in offsite streams and lakes.
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