Location: National Soil Erosion Research Laboratory
Project Number: 5020-12130-004-001-S
Project Type: Non-Assistance Cooperative Agreement
Start Date: Aug 1, 2017
End Date: Jul 31, 2022
Objective:
Evaluate hydrologic flow pathways and biogeochemical processes controlling phosphorus fate and transport across the field-stream continuum in intensively managed agricultural watersheds. Evaluate ARS natural resource models for simulation of chemical losses from agricultural fields and associated tile flow, surface runoff, sediment, and nutrient losses. Evaluate and improve climatic inputs to ARS natural resource models.
Approach:
Conduct laboratory soil column experiments to simulate water and phosphorus transport to tile drains under different antecedent conditions; use edge-of-field monitoring to identify hydrologic and biogeochemical processes influencing phosphorus loss; quantify in-stream phosphorus dynamics and its affect on downstream transport. Apply and validate WEPP and other models (e.g. APEX, SWAT) for simulation of chemical losses from homogeneous and nonhomogeneous fields, and test and incorporate model improvements as appropriate to better predictions. Evaluate hydrologic (climatic) inputs to erosion and water quality models, and develop guidance and recommendations for best simulating current baseline and future predictions of climate.
