A Strategic Plan for Future USDA Agricultural Research Service Erosion Research and Model Development

Abstract

Abstract The Agricultural Research Service (ARS) has a long history of conducting basic research in soil erosion and developing erosion assessment tools that are used for conservation planning and risk assessment. In the United States, these wind and water erosion models are used by the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) nationwide for erosion planning and implementation of Farm Bill programs. Research methodologies, field measurements, and erosion prediction models developed by ARS scientists have also been adopted worldwide. ARS scientists currently work separately on wind and water erosion research, and work in these two areas is additionally distinguished by land use and land cover (i.e., cropland and rangeland). These differences result in diverse input data requirements, spatial representation, and time steps that present challenges in developing an integrated erosion tool interface. There is an urgent need for ARS to formulate a coordinated effort to develop the next generation soil erosion prediction system that contains the most current erosion science with similar internal processes, use of common databases, and graphical user interfaces. To initiate the process, ARS scientists and stakeholders, i.e., NRCS and US Forest Service, met in September 2019 to discuss future needs in erosion science sand modeling. A strategic plan was developed in the spring of 2020 and an associated paper published (Weltz et al., 2020). The goals for the plan are: 1: Advance Wind and Water Erosion Science: Continue to build a basic science framework for next-generation erosion models that incorporate dynamic soil erodibility, sediment transport, and transient surface condition at the landscape scale. 2: Improve the Climate Model for Erosion Prediction: Incorporate near real-time and modern data inputs, enhance climate representation, and add capabilities for forecasting climate variability and assessing climate change scenarios. 3: Quantify Factors Affecting Erosion: Improve the understanding of the impact of natural and anthropogenic factors on erosion, such as wildfire, winter processes, cropping, management, and conservation practices. 4: Develop an Integrated Wind and Water Erosion Prediction System: A transparent and sustainable software system with common interface and databases for erosion assessment across spatial and temporal scales that serves user needs. The plan also includes a model user support center to lead the development of user interfaces, and to facilitate development of training modules to accelerate the sped of technology transfer.