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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Oxford, Mississippi » National Sedimentation Laboratory » Water Quality and Ecology Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #223874
Title: A Review of Effectiveness of Riparian Buffers in Agricultural Areas

Author
item YUAN, YONGPING - UNIV. OF MISSISSIPPI
item Bingner, Ronald - Ron
item Locke, Martin

Submitted to: National Sedimentaton Laboratory (NSL)- 50 Years of Soil & Water Research in a Changing Agricultural Environment
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/1/2008
Publication Date: 9/30/2008
Citation: Yuan, Y., Bingner, R.L., Locke, M.A. 2008. A review of effectiveness of riparian buffers in agricultural areas. National Sedimentaton Laboratory (NSL)- 50 Years of Soil & Water Research in a Changing Agricultural Environment. CD-ROM.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: There has been growing recognition of the importance of riparian buffers between agricultural fields and waterbodies in recent years. Riparian buffers play an important role in mitigating the impacts of land use activities on water quality and aquatic ecosystems. Riparian buffer systems have been studied for the enhancement of water quality through control of non-point source pollution. However, evaluating the effectiveness of riparian buffer systems on a watershed scale is complex, and watershed models have limited capabilities for simulating riparian buffer processes. Thus, the overall objective of this paper is to develop an understanding of riparian buffer processes towards water quality modeling/monitoring and non-point source pollution assessment. The paper provides a thorough review of relevant literature on erosion characteristics of riparian soils, riparian buffer water quality functions and dynamics and field evaluations of the performance of riparian buffers on sediment and nutrient reduction. This analysis can be used as the basis for planning future studies at the National Sedimentation Laboratory on watershed scale simulation of riparian buffer systems, design of effective riparian buffers for non-point source pollution control or water quality restoration and design of riparian buffer monitoring programs in watersheds including the Beasley Lake watershed in Mississippi.