WEPP

WEPP is expected to become a major component of the "conservation toolkit." It is a group of computer programs designed to be employed by the same personnel currently using USLE. By analyzing how farming and land use affect soil erosion and sediment delivery, WEPP promises better conservation planning, better project planning, and optimum resource inventory and assessment. It will help users select the best erosion control practices, aid in choosing optimum locations for future project sites, and evaluate erosion and sedimentation over specified areas.

WEPP is a process-oriented, continuous simulation, erosion prediction model. It is applicable to small watersheds (field-sized) and can simulate small profiles (USLE types) up to large fields. It mimics the natural processes that are important in soil erosion. Everyday it updates the soil and crop conditions that affect soil erosion. When rainfall occurs, the plant and soil characteristics are used to determine if surface runoff will occur. If predicted, then the program will compute estimated sheet & rill detachment and deposition, and channel detachment and deposition.

The WEPP model includes a number of conceptual components which are used to predict and calculate these estimates of soil detachment and deposition.

They include:

  1. Climate - ( Rainfall Parameters, Temperature, Solar Radiation, Wind)
  2. Winter - ( Freeze - Thaw, Snow Accumulation, Snow Melting)
  3. Irrigation - (Stationary Sprinkler, Furrow)
  4. Hydrology - (Infiltration, Depressional Storage, Runoff)
  5. Water Balance - (Evapotranspiration, Percolation, Drainage)
  6. Soils - (Types and Properties)
  7. Crop Growth - (Cropland, Rangeland, Forestland)
  8. Residue Management and Decomposition
  9. Tillage Impacts On Infiltration and Erodibility
  10. Erosion - (Interrill, Rill, Channel)
  11. Deposition - (Rills, Channels, and Impoundments)
  12. Sediment Delivery, Particle Sorting and Enrichment

WEPP is comprised of a family of models which can be applied in three ways:


Hillslope Applications
Watershed Applications
Grid Applications

The ability to use WEPP for hillslope, watershed and grid simulations allow the single WEPP program to be applied to almost every situation each of the previous soil erosion model could.

Any Comments Would Be Appreciated
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