Empirical and physical modelling of soil erosion in agricultural hillslopes
Author:
Bueno-Hurtado Palmira12, Seidou Ousmane1
Affiliation:
1. Department of Civil Engineering , University of Ottawa , 161 Louis Pasteur Private, K1N 6N5 , Ottawa , Ontario, Canada . 2. National Institute of Agricultural, Forestry and Livestock Research , National Center for Disciplinary Research on Water, Soil, Plant and Atmosphere , kilometer 6.5 right bank Sacramento Canal , , Gómez Palacio , Durango, México .
Abstract
Abstract
Soil erosion is a complex and highly heterogeneous process with a wide range of environmental and economic impacts. Its estimation is particularly challenging and modelling is typically used for erosion estimation over large areas. The aim of this study was to compare the two leading empirical and physical erosion estimation models, i.e. the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) and the Water Erosion Prediction Project (WEPP). The models were calibrated and validated using data collected from field experiments conducted in agricultural lands of Mexico. The simulated rainfall experiments involved measuring erosion from field plots subjected to four tillage systems (No crop, Conventional tillage, Conventional tillage + residues, and Handspike) under two antecedent soil moisture conditions (dry and wet). Different calibration approaches based on the factors K and C for RUSLE, and interrill erodibility and hydraulic conductivity in WEPP were tested. The best-performing methods in RUSLE involved measuring the K factor and adopting the recommended C factor by the National Forestry Commission of Mexico. In WEPP, the best results were obtained when interrill erodibility was estimated from experimental measurements. Overall, RUSLE outperformed WEPP in most of the treatments except for CT under WAMC.
Publisher
Walter de Gruyter GmbH
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