Project Number: 5430-11120-009-00
Project Type: Appropriated

Start Date: Oct 25, 2010
End Date: Oct 24, 2015

Objective:
1) Improve and extend the Wind Erosion Prediction System (WEPS) model and 2) integrate WEPS with the National Soil Erosion Research Lab (NSERL) Water Erosion Prediction Program (WEPP) model to consolidate research resources for the two models and to improve the ease of simulating both wind and water erosion.

Approach:
1. a) Extend WEPS beyond the current homogenous simulation area approach to improve simulation of field-scale variability by: i) further modularizing the erosion science code, ii) adding sub-field capability, iii) refining WEPS gridding algorithms, and iv) adding landscape terrain effects to WEPS; b) improve model inputs and science for WEPS through: i) updating weather, ii) adding crop competition and improved crop growth, iii) adding seasonal wind barrier porosity variability, and iv) improving soil and vegetation measurements with laser distance techniques; c) extend WEPS to additional soil types (i.e., organic dominated soils) and treatments (i.e., applied biosolids); and d) modify WEPS for application to special problems (i.e., regional air quality modeling, add PM2.5 emission, batch mode for WEPS, develop a single-event model); and e) publish the WEPS technical document. 2. Utilize common science and interface code for WEPP and WEPS to: a) provide common runoff and evaporation processes between the two models; b) provide common “winter processes” (simulation of freezing, thawing, freeze-drying processes); c) add water erosion specific input (hillslope length, slope, etc.) and output (water erosion, runoff, etc.) to the current standalone WEPS interface; d) address restrictions to simulating a homogeneous region represented by a single soil with common management practices applied to the entire field; and e) provide the necessary inputs to represent water erosion specific practices, such as terraces, artificial drainage, etc. to the user interface.