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ARS Home » Midwest Area » Columbia, Missouri » Cropping Systems and Water Quality Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #95932
Title: COMPARISON OF MEASURED AND WEPP PREDICTED RUNOFF AND SOIL LOSS FOR A CLAYPAN SOIL

Author
item GHIDEY, FESSEHAIE - U OF MO
item Alberts, Edward
item Kramer, Larry

Submitted to: Journal of Soil and Water Conservation
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/5/1998
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: The USDA-Water Erosion Prediction Project (WEPP)is a new generation runoff and erosion prediction technology for use by federal agencies and other organizations concerned with soil and water conservation and environmental planning assessment. WEPP is a process-oriented, continuous simulation model that predicts runoff and erosion from either a hillslope or small watershed. This research compared runoff and soil losses predicted by WEP to measured values observed from experimental erosion plots on a Udollic Ochraqualf soil located in north-central MO. Annual runoff and soil losses were compared to 24 years of measured data from a continuous corn cropping system using conventional and chisel tillage. WEPP over predicted runoff and erosion for both tillage systems. Over prediction was due to two factors. First, the model over predicted the number of runoff events compared to those that were measured. And second, the model routinely over rpredicted runoff and soil loss values for small events. Mean annual runof values were over predicted by 5 and 20% for the conventional and conservation tillage systems, respectively, while mean annual soil loss values were over predicted by 40 and 70%.