Location: Range Management Research
Project Number: 3050-11210-009-057-A
Project Type: Cooperative Agreement
Start Date: Jun 1, 2019
End Date: Jun 30, 2020
Objective:
The first objective is to conduct field work to measure incoming and outgoing
reflectance (albedo), surface soil conditions, sediment mass flux, and wind velocity profiles to establish soil surface aerodynamic properties at the USDA ARS Jornada Experimental Range. A network of Irwin pressure sensors, calibrated to calculate surface shear stress, will be installed on two USDA-managed erosion monitoring sites in the Jornada Basin of New Mexico. These measurements will be used to establish modeled relationships between albedo and surface shear stress.
2. The second objective is to calculate surface aerodynamic properties using data
collected in Objective 1. Reflectance (albedo) measurements will be corrected for
illumination conditions and evaluated for sensitivity to soil surface conditions.
These will be used to establish relationships between albedo and soil surface
parameters; and 3. Use the established relationships to model sediment mass flux and compare to actual measured flux. The ability of the modeled relationships to predict sediment flux will be evaluated.
Approach:
1. Install field site instrumentation on the Jornada Experimental Range;
2. Conduct regular equipment maintenance as needed;
3. Provide CRREL with access to sensor data;
4. With CRREL, uphold a communications protocol for working at the Jornada
Experimental Range;
5. Be responsible for removing all equipment at the end of the instruments’ life
cycle;
6. Collect measurements of local dust emission, reflectance, and various
meteorological measurements;
7. Jointly conduct a comprehensive analysis modeled relationships between albedo and surface aerodynamic properties with CRREL; and
8. Jointly assess the modeled relationships and their ability to predict sediment
mass flux with CRREL.
