USLE & Other Models

NREM 461
Dr. Greg Bruland

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I Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE)
I.
A. In math terms Erosion = [(Erositivity)(Erodibility)]
[( y)( y)]

EROSIVITY ERODIBILITY

RAINFALL PHYSICAL MANAGEMENT

CHARACTERISTICS

ENERGY
CROP LAND
MGMT MGMT

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B. USLE developed
p by y scientists at ARS,, SCS,, Purdue
Univ. under leadership of Walter Wishmeier

1 1st took form in

1.

2. Equation published by Wishmeier & Smith in

3. Developed to predict long-term average annual soil

loss from erosion on uniform cultivated
fields in eastern U.S.

How universal is it?

Dr. W.
Wischmeier

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 USLE Term English Units Metric Units
A: avg. annual tons/acre-year Mg/hectare-year
soil loss
R rainfall
R: i f ll 100s off ft
100 ft-tons
t rainfall/ac-yr
i f ll/ (MJ mm)/(ha
)/(h h yr))
erosivity range: 0-2000 range: 0-700

K: soil erodibility
y tons soil/100 ft tons rainfall ( g ha h)/(ha
(Mg ) ( MJ mm))
range: 0.01-0.7 range: 0.001-0.09

LS: slope length & dimensionless dimensionless

gradient factor range: range:
C: cover-mgmt dimensionless dimensionless
factor range:
g range:
g

P: supporting- dimensionless dimensionless

practice factor range: range:

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 Components
p of USLE

Rainfall Erosivity Factor (R)

A = R x K x LS x C x P

R estimated from maximum 30 minute rainstorm

intensity values displayed on map in Troeh pg. 140

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Troeh et al. (2004)

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 Soil Erodibility Factor (K)
Rate of soil loss on a standard plot 72
72.6
6 ft
(22 m) long with 9% slope

A = R x K x LS x C x P

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K factors tabulated for
soilil series
i iin C
County
t
Soil Surveys

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 Slope Length
g & Steepness
Factor (LS)
Ratio
R ti off soilil lloss per unitit area off plot
l t with
ith
slope X, compared to what would be lost
f
from a fallow
f ll 72
72.6-ft-long
6 ft l plot
l t with
ith 9%
slope (can be <1 or >1)

A = R x K x LS x C x P

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LS can be determined from lookup tables or from the
empirical equation:

LS = (x/22.13)n (0.065 + 0.045s + 0.0065s2)

Where x =
s=
n = empirical parameter that should be varied
based on slope steepness

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Cover-Management
Cover Management Factor (C)

Ratio of soil loss under specific

cover conditions compared to fallow

A = R x K x LS x C x P

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Supporting-Practice
Supporting Practice (P) Factor
The fractional amount of erosion that
occurs when special practices, i.e.
contour cultivation
cultivation, contour strip cropping
cropping,
& terracing are used compared to erosion
that would occur w/o them
A = R x K x LS x C x P

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4. Notes about USLE

a. USLE is an empirical equation based on

measurements
easu e e ts rather
at e tthan
a ttheory
eo y

b. Designed for Eastern U.S. needs to be

reparameterized

c. Provides annual estimates-

d. Interdependence
p among
g variables & nonlinear
relationships

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 Example USLE Calculations

With conventional tillage:

A= 170 x 0.26 x 1.62 x 0.20 x 1.0 = 14.3 t/a-y
y
With contour cultivation:
A= 170 x 0.26 x 1.62 x 0.20 x 0.61 = 8.7 t/a-y
With conservation tillage & contouring:
A = 170 x 0.26 x 1.62 x 0.11 x 0.61 = 4.8 t/a-y
With conventional tillage & terracing:
A = 170 x 0.26
0 26 x 0.60
0 60 x 0.20
0 20 x 1.0
1 0 = 5.3
5 3 t/a-y
t/a y
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C. MUSLE (Modified USLE 1978)
1. R: expanded to cover western U.S. including HI (20-
450), but not AK

2. K: erodibility nomograph developed based on clay, silt,

sand OM,
sand, OM structure,
structure & permeability

3. LS: adapted to handle multi-segmented slopes

4. C: expanded to 6 crop stage periods, C values provided

for

5. P: not changed for contour cult, & contour strip,

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K factor nomograph: K = (5 soil properties)

(
(Troeh et
al. 2004)

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Multi-segmented slopes (2-5)

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D. RUSLE (Revised USLE 1992)
1. Improved mapping of R values in lower 48 &
Hawaii

2. K & C allowed to vary seasonally by climatic

data

3. C becomes a continuous function w/ 5 subfactors

a. Prior land use
b. Surface cover
c. Cropp canopy
py
d. Surface roughness
e. Soil moisture

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4. Data gathered to develop local databases for C
factors

5 P factor includes data from

5.

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II Other
II. Oth erosion
i models
d l
A Empirical Models
A.

1. RUSLE2: computerized extension of RUSLE

a. includes much more detailed information

about slope, veg, residues, P factors, etc.

b. used to compare erosion under

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2. AGNPS: Agricultural Nonpoint Source
Pollution Model

a. developed by USDA ARS to estimate

runoff
ff water
t quality
lit from
f AG watersheds
t h d

b. cell-based, distributed-parameter,
event-driven model

c requires >
c. input parameters

d.

e. integrated with Arcview GIS interface &

includes RUSLE subroutines
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3. EPIC: Erosion Productivity Impact Calculator

a. designed to assess effect of erosion on

p
productivity
y

b. computes erosion from a single point on the

landscape

c.

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B. Process-based models

1. WEPP: Water Erosion Prediction Project

a. process-based,
b d di
distributed
t ib t d parameter,
t
continuous simulation, erosion prediction model

b. 1st model for erosion prediction in the

U.S. not based on USLE

c. Based on equation:

Qs = sediment load per unit width per unit time

x = distance downslope
Di = delivery rate of particles detached by interrill erosion
Df = rate of detachment/deposition by rill flow
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 Di = KiI2CeGe(Rs/w)

Di = interrill erosion rate

Ki = interrill erodibility
I=
Ce = effect of plant canopy
Ge = effect of ground cover
Rs = spacing of rills
w = width of rills

Ce = 1 Fe-0.34PH

Fe = fraction of soil protected by canopy

PH =

Ge = e-2.5gi

gi = fraction of interrill surface covered by vegetation or residue

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 Df = Dc(1-Qs/Tc)

Df = rate of detachment of soil particles by rill flow

Dc = detachment capacity
Qs = sediment load in the flow
Tc = sediment load at transport capacity

Dc = Kr( - c)

Kr =
= flow sheer stress acting on soil
c = critical flow sheer stress for detachment to occur

Tc = kt3/2

kt = is a transport coefficient
= hydraulic shear acting on the soil

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 d. When tested for 4,000 storm events across
9 experimental
i t l stations
t ti iin th
the U.S.,
U S WEPP
model gave predictions of mean annual soil
loss at the plot scale of similar accuracyy to
those of USLE & RUSLE (Zhang et al. 1996)

e Web version:
e.

http://milford.nserl.purdue.edu/wepp/weppV1.html

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2. European Soil Erosion Model (EUROSEM)

a. Funded by EU, developed by scientists in

late 80s & early 90s

b. Modular structured, process-based model that

incorporates
p terms of erodibility,
y, roughness
g that
change w/ time

c.

d.

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(Morgan
2005)

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