A strategic plan for future USDA- Agricultural Research Service erosion research and model development

Weltz A, Mark and Huang, Chi Hua and Newingham A, Beth and Tatarko, John and Nouwakpo, S.K. and Tsegaye D, Teferi (2020) A strategic plan for future USDA- Agricultural Research Service erosion research and model development. Journal of Soil and Water Conservation. 75(6):137A-143A. 20 November 2020. Available: https://doi.org/10.2489/jswc.2020.0805A

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Abstract

Soil erosion is a natural process, and the erosion potential of a site is the result of complex interactions among soil, vegetation, topographic position, land use and management, and climate. Soil erosion occurs when aeolian and hydrologic processes exceed a soil’s inherent resistance to these forces. Soil erosion was recognized as a significant problem at both local and national scales in the United States in the 1920s; by 1935 soil erosion was considered a national disaster, covering over one-half of the country (Sampson and Weyl 1918; Weaver 1935), and is still a concern with 21% of the western United States degraded and vulnerable to accelerated soil erosion (Herrick et al. 2010; Weltz et al. 2014a; Duniway et al. 2019). In 1995, it was estimated that 4 × 109 t (4.4 × 109 tn) of soil was lost from US cropland (Pimentel et al. 1995). The most vulnerable areas for soil movement and thus erosion occur where annual precipitation is 100 to 400 mm y–1 (4 to 16 in yr–1), which limits soil moisture available to sustain plant growth. Anthropogenic-driven dust emissions have dramatically increased across the globe (Webb and Pierre 2018) and in the United States (Neff et al. 2008) over last several decades. On-site and off-site costs associated with wind erosion exceeds US$8 billion y–1 Huszar and Piper 1986; USDA 1993). The combined off-site and on-site costs of erosion from agriculture in the United States is estimated to be about US$44 billion y–1, or about US$100 ha–1 (US$40 ac–1) of cropland and pasture (Pimentel et al. 1995), and US$44.5 billion in the European Union (Montanarella 2007). Cropland and livestock production contribute US$132.8 billion or 1% of the US gross domestic product. Erosion increases production costs by ~25% each year.

Item Type:	Article
NWISRL Publication Number:	1717
Subjects:	Soil > Erosion Soil
Depositing User:	Users 6 not found.
Date Deposited:	15 Nov 2021 21:47
Last Modified:	15 Nov 2021 21:47
Item ID:	1755
URI:	https://eprints.nwisrl.ars.usda.gov/id/eprint/1755