Soil erosion assessment tools from point to regional scales—the role of geomorphologists in land management research and implementation

Abstract

Geomorphological research has played an important role in the development and implementation of soil erosion assessment tools. Because policy and management approaches include the use of soil erosion assessment tools, soil erosion research directly affects the public in terms of providing information on natural hazards and human impacts, and also as the basis for regulatory policy on land management. For example, soil loss calculations and geomorphological expertise are used to support soil conservation planning, both through agricultural legislation that defines maximum tolerable soil loss rates, and through federal and local legislation that requires soil erosion controls on many construction sites. To be useful for decision makers, soil erosion models must have simple data requirements, must consider spatial and temporal variability in hydrological and soil erosion processes, and must be applicable to a variety of regions with minimum calibration. The growing use of erosion models and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in local to regional scale soil and water conservation raises concerns about how models are used. This has prompted interest in methods to assess how models function at management scales and with the types of data that are commonly available to users. A case study of a GIS-based soil erosion assessment tool using the process-based Water Erosion Prediction Project (WEPP) shows that using commonly available data rather than research grade data can have (predictably) a significant impact on model results. If model results are then used in management decisions, it is critical to assess whether the scale and direction of variation in results will affect management and policy decisions. Geomorphologists provide unique perspectives on soil erosion and can continue to affect policy through soil erosion research. This research should focus on fundamental processes, but equally important is continued development and evaluation of models that are matched to real world data availability, geomorphic settings, and information needs.