Erosion

Hydrologic vulnerability of sagebrush steppe following pinyon and juniper encroachment

View article. Woodland encroachment on United States rangelands has altered the structure and function of shrub steppe ecosystems. The potential community structure is one where trees dominate, shrub and herbaceous species decline, and rock cover and bare soil area increase and become more interconnected. Research from the Desert Southwest United States has demonstrated areas under…

Vegetation, ground cover, soil, rainfall simulation, and overland-flow experiments before and after tree removal in woodland-encroached sagebrush steppe: The hydrology component of the Sagebrush Steppe Treatment Evaluation Project (SageSTEP)

View article. Rainfall simulation and overland-flow experiments enhance understanding of surface hydrology and erosion processes, quantify runoff and erosion rates, and provide valuable data for developing and testing predictive models. We present a unique dataset (1021 experimental plots) of rainfall simulation (1300 plot runs) and overland-flow (838 plot runs) experimental plot data paired with measures…

Assessing runoff and erosion on woodland‐encroached sagebrush steppe using the Rangeland Hydrology and Erosion Model

View article. The transition of sagebrush-dominated shrublands to pinyon and juniper woodlands markedly alters resource-conserving vegetation structure typical of these landscapes. Land managers and scientists in the western United States need knowledge and predictive tools for assessment and effective targeting of tree-removal treatments to conserve or restore sagebrush vegetation and associated hydrologic function. This study…

New erodibility parameterization for applying WEPP on rangelands using ERMiT

View article. The USDA Water Erosion Prediction Project (WEPP) is a process-based soil erosion prediction model. WEPP uses three soil erodibility parameters: rill erodibility (Kr), interrill erodibility (Ki), and critical hydraulic shear stress (τc). In this study, a new parameterization approach for estimating erodibility was developed for WEPP applications on rangelands. Data from overland flow…

Post-treatment hydrologic response to mechanical shredding in a juniper woodland

View thesis. Juniper woodland expansion in the western United States is thought to result in increased wildfires throughout its range and has prompted land managers to search for effective fuel control methods. Recently, mechanical shredding (Bull Hog ®) has been used to reduce juniper trees to a mulch residue on or around the juniper mound.…

Ecohydrologic evaluation of runoff and erosion processes on disturbed rangeland ecosystems

View dissertation. Millions of hectares of rangeland in the western US are undergoing vegetation transitions with important hydrologic ramifications. At low elevations, annual grass invasions have increased wildfire frequency and size. Infilling of pinyon and juniper woodlands and their encroachment of shrub steppe at mid-elevations have increased the modern occurrence of high-severity fires. Conversion of…

Ecohydrologic impacts of rangeland fire on runoff and erosion: A literature synthesis

View synthesis. Fire can dramatically influence rangeland hydrology and erosion by altering ecohydrologic relationships. This synthesis presents an ecohydrologic perspective on the effects of fire on rangeland runoff and erosion through a review of scientific literature spanning many decades. The objectives are: (1) to introduce rangeland hydrology and erosion concepts necessary for understanding hydrologic impacts…

Vegetation, ground cover, soil, rainfall simulation, and overland-flow experiments before and after tree removal in woodland-encroached sagebrush steppe

View article. We present a unique dataset (1021 experimental plots) of rainfall simulation (1300 plot runs) and overland flow (838 plot runs) experimental plot data paired with measures of vegetation, ground cover, and surface soil physical properties spanning point to hillslope scales. The experimental data were collected at three sloping sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) sites in…

Concentrated flow erodibility for physically based erosion models: Temporal variability in disturbed and undisturbed rangelands

View article. This study showed that burning increases erosion by amplifying the erosive power of overland flow through removing obstacles and by changing the soil properties affecting erodibility itself. However, the magnitude of fire impact varied among sites due to inherent differences in site characteristics and variability in burn severity. In most cases we observed…

Risk assessment of erosion from concentrated flow on rangelands using overland flow distribution and shear stress partitioning

View article. Erosion rates of overland flow on rangelands tend to be relatively low, but under certain conditions where flow is concentrated, soil loss can be significant. Therefore, a rangeland site can be highly vulnerable to soil erosion where overland flow is likely to concentrate and exert high shear stress on soil grains. This concept…

Posts Tagged ‘Erosion’