Applications of Hydrology and Erosion Models for Sustainable Management

Dear Colleagues,

Rangelands are a dominant landform throughout the world and include natural grasslands, savannas, shrublands, many deserts, tundra, alpine communities, marshes, and meadows. Heitschmidt and Stuth (1991) and Mannetje (2002) estimate that rangelands occupy 47%–50% of the world’s land area. Rangelands throughout the world are and will continue to be affected by the world’s increasing population (projected to increase by 40% by 2050), especially for food and fiber production and other ecosystem services. In arid and semiarid rangelands, soil erosion and loss are of major concern and are often associated with plant community changes that may be irreversible. In rangelands, exacerbated runoff and soil erosion and loss are episodic in nature because of extremes in precipitation from year to year and from storm to storm. Long-term, average, and annual soil loss on rangeland are important parameters for land managers; however, water-induced soil erosion may not occur on arid or semiarid rangelands for many consecutive years to decades because of limited precipitation. The predominant driver of erosion and soil loss in rangelands is initiated during infrequent, intense storms that generate a large amount of runoff that scours the soil surface (Weltz and Spaeth 2012). There are an array of hydrology and erosion models (e.g., the Rangeland Hydrology and Erosion Model (RHEM), Kinematic Runoff and Erosion model (KINEROS2) linked with the Automated Geospatial Watershed Assessment tool (AGWA)) that can provide estimates of runoff, erosion, and risk assessment analysis with existing rangeland site conditions and/or projected outcomes of various kinds of management. Modeling of soil erosion based on quantitative site data can be used to predict the effectiveness of various current management actions and estimate the benefits of proactive conservation implementation before significant erosion events occur. 

Reference:

Heitschmidt, R.K., and J.W. Stuth. 1991. Grazing management: an ecological perspective (No. 633.202 G7).

Mannetje, L. 2002. Global issues of rangeland management 8p. Available at: http://www.date/hu/acta-agraria/2002-08i/ mannetje.pdf.

Weltz, M., and K. Spaeth. 2012. Estimating effects of targeted conservation on nonfederal rangelands. Rangelands. 34:35-40. 

Dr. Kenneth E. Spaeth
Guest Editor

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• rangeland
• hydrology and erosion modeling
• sustainable management
• hydrologic assessments