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Simulation Approaches and Potential Improvements of Ephemeral Gully Erosion Prediction in the Water Erosion Prediction Project (WEPP) Model

Published by the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers, St. Joseph, Michigan www.asabe.org

Citation:  Soil Erosion Research Under a Changing Climate, January 8-13, 2023, Aguadilla, Puerto Rico, USA  .(doi:10.13031/soil.23009)
Authors:   Tian Guo, Dennis C. Flanagan, Anurag Srivastava, Nathaniel H. LaPlante
Keywords:   Agricultural watersheds, Concentrated overland flow, Channel erosion processes, Land degradation, Process-based models.

Abstract

Soil losses caused by ephemeral gully erosion (EGE) have been considered a major soil erosion source around the globe, which negatively impact soil quality, agricultural economy, downstream water quality, and ecosystem health. However, few studies have thoroughly investigated the status, needs, and opportunities of EGE research. It is unclear how much and where monitoring EGE data is available to improve our understanding of EGE processes, and to support model validation of EGE simulation in various regions.

Moreover, the simulation of ephemeral gullies (Figures 1-2) in hydrologic and soil erosion models is still in early stages and needs major improvements to represent EGE processes accurately. For example, the Water Erosion Prediction Project (WEPP) model has broadly been used to estimate runoff and soil losses at various spatial scales worldwide. There is a need to improve our understanding of current EGE research and enhance the representation of EGE processes in simulation models and assess the ability of models to simulate EGE. This paper is to review the status of monitoring and modeling research on EGE, identify the research needs and opportunities of EGE, and discuss the potential improvements of erosion models, using the Water Erosion Prediction Project (WEPP) as our base model. Collection of more EGE monitoring data is needed, especially data directly from these eroding channels in the field. Relevant components in the model, such as variable non-erodible layers, cross-sectional shapes, and dimensions of ephemeral gullies, can be considered. Enhancing soil erosion parameters, considering rock fragments in the soil, and improving soil freezing and thawing cycles induced soil erosion also may benefit EGE predictions. It is also important to improve the representation of EGE conservation practices in the model to support selecting the most suitable erosion control technologies. The conclusions from this study can guide further monitoring and modeling research on EGE processes to better understand and control this important soil erosion source.

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