EPIC

 

Erosion Productivity - Impact Calculator
Environmental Policy Integrated Climate

CONTACTS

Jimmy Williams	Hydraulic Engineer	TAES	(254) 774-6124
Avery Meinardus	Computer Programmer	TAES	(254) 774-6110
			(254) 774-6107

MODEL OBJECTIVE

Assess the effect of soil erosion on productivity. Predict the effects of management decisions on soil, water, nutrient, and pesticide movements and their combined impact on soil loss, water quality, and crop yields for areas with homogeneous soils and management.

MODEL COMPONENTS

Weather, surface runoff, return flow, percolation, ET, lateral subsurface flow and snow melt. Water erosion; Wind erosion; N & P loss in runoff, nitrogen leaching; Organic N & P transport by sediment; N & P mineralization, immobilization and uptake; Denitrification; Mineral P cycling; N fixation; Pesticide fate and transport; Soil temperature; Crop growth and yield for over 20 crops; Crop rotations; Tillage; Plant environment control (drainage, irrigation, fertilization, furrow diking, liming); Economic accounting; Waste management (feed yards, dairies with or without lagoons).

MODEL OPERATION

• Daily time step - long term simulations (1-4000 yrs)
• Soil, weather, tillage and crop parameter data supplied with model
• Soil profile can be divided into ten layers
• Homogeneous areas up to large fields
• Weather generation is optional

APPLICATIONS

• 1985 RCA analysis
• 1988 Drought assessment
• Soil loss tolerance tool
• Australian sugarcane model (AUSCANE)
• Pine tree growth simulator
• Global climate change analysis
• Farm level planning
• Drought impacts on residue cover
• Nutrient and pesticide movement estimates for alternative farming systems for water quality analysis

USERS

• NRCS (Temple & other locations)
• Universities - Iowa State, Texas A & M, Washington State
• INRA - Toulouse, France
• Other countries - Australia, Syria, Jordan, Canada, Germany, Taiwan
• ARS and other research and extension agencies