Evaluating WEPP-predicted infiltration, runoff, and soil erosion for furrow irrigation

EVALUANDO LA INFILTRACION, EL DESLAVE Y LA EROSION DEL SUELO PREDECIDO POR WEPP PARA LA irrigación EN SURCOS

Bjorneberg, D.L. and Trout, T.J. and Sojka, R.E. and Aase, J.K. (1999) Evaluating WEPP-predicted infiltration, runoff, and soil erosion for furrow irrigation. Transactions of the ASAE. 42(6):1733-1741.

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Abstract

The Water Erosion Prediction Project (WEPP) model contains a furrow irrigation component to simulate
hydrology and erosion in irrigation furrows. It currently is the only multiple-event furrow erosion simulation model
available for public use. However, the furrow irrigation component has not been evaluated yet. Therefore, we evaluated
the WEPP model for furrow irrigation by comparing predicted infiltration, runoff, and soil loss with field measurements
from three southern Idaho studies on Portneuf silt loam (coarse-silty, mixed, superactive, mesic Durinodic Xeric
Haplocalcids). Baseline effective hydraulic conductivity, rill erodibility, and critical shear were calibrated using data
measured from the upper quarter of two fields. Calibrated effective hydraulic conductivity was within the range of WEPP-defined
values for Portneuf soil. Calibrated rill erodibility of 0.0003 s m-1 was almost two orders of magnitude less than
the WEPP-defined value of 0.02 s m- 1 , while calibrated critical shear of 1.2 Pa was about one-third of the WEPP-defined
value of 3.5 Pa. Predicted infiltration correlated poorly with measured infiltration for most fields. Regression coefficients
for predicted versus measured infiltration ranged from -0.07 to 0.35, indicating that predicted infiltration did not vary
with measured infiltration. Predicted soil loss correlated well (R2 = 0.57) with measured soil loss from the upper end of
the two fields used to calibrate erodibility parameters. At the field ends however; runoff was underpredicted and soil loss
was overpredicted. When runoff was predicted reasonably well for an irrigation, cumulated predicted soil erosion across
a field did not match cumulated measured erosion at field quarter segments because transport capacity was overpredicted.
Deposition was not predicted unless runoff was greatly under-predicted. The WEPP model cannot be recommended for
use with furrow irrigation until erodibility parameters and sediment transport are better defined for irrigation furrows.

Item Type:	Article
NWISRL Publication Number:	0997
Subjects:	Irrigation > Furrow irrigation > Erosion Irrigation > Furrow irrigation > Infiltration Irrigation > Furrow irrigation > Runoff losses Soil > Erosion Mass Import - autoclassified (may be erroneous)
Depositing User:	Users 6 not found.
Date Deposited:	20 Nov 2010 21:54
Last Modified:	16 Nov 2016 17:51
Item ID:	717
URI:	https://eprints.nwisrl.ars.usda.gov/id/eprint/717