Research Project: Science and Technologies for Improving Soil and Water Resources in Agricultural Watersheds

Location: Watershed Physical Processes Research

2023 Annual Report

Accomplishments
1. Design of conservation plans can improve water quality in agricultural watersheds and downstream waterways. A challenge for conservationists is managing limited resources, while minimizing agricultural production loss and reducing sediment loads. ARS researchers in Oxford, Mississippi, integrated GIS-based analyses with hydrological modeling at watershed scales, which provided additional capabilities to quantify the effect of conservation practices to sediment loads by spatially characterizing different types of conservation practices and scenarios and their relative impact on sediment reduction. The proposed methodology was applied to a west Tennessee watershed that has been identified as impaired due to high loads of suspended sediments from agricultural sources. This investigation demonstrated the need for inclusion of more variables in the decision-making process, such as costs of implementation, costs of maintenance, and potential loss of income from a reduced production area. The inclusion of machine learning algorithms could also aid in the task of selecting and simulating a combination of different types of practices by controlling their associated model parameters, and their location in the watershed. This technology could lead to the development of hybrid customized solutions for impaired watersheds utilized by conservationists to target the most effective practices at the optimal locations for sediment load reductions throughout the landscape.

2. Global analysis of cover management and support practice factors that control soil erosion and conservation planning. The effects of land management and conservation practices on soil loss are represented by the factors C and P for the conservation planning tool Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE). Globally, very limited field studies have been conducted to quantify C and P values across a broad range of climate, soils, crops, management and conservation practices. ARS researchers in Oxford, Mississippi, in collaboration with researchers from Belgium, Ethiopia, Italy, Japan, and Switzerland, reviewed values of the C and P factors published in 255 peer-reviewed journal papers. The published values varied widely across climatic zones, land use or cover types, and support practices. The C-factor was highest in areas with low rainfall and in cropland, whereas the P-factor was largest at high elevation and in areas with a humid climate and high rainfall. Because RUSLE is an important tool to assess land degradation globally, the compiled datasets of C- and P-factor values can be used by researchers and policymakers to support large-scale planning and evaluation of integrated catchment management interventions. This is particularly beneficial for areas where it is difficult to obtain empirical information about the impact of land or cover type changes and support practices.

3. New managed aquifer recharge technology utilizing riverbank filtration and groundwater transfer and injection demonstrated in the Mississippi Delta. The Mississippi River Valley Alluvial Aquifer (MRVAA) provides over 90% of the irrigation water used in the intensively cultivated Delta region of northwestern Mississippi, with more than 20,000 irrigation wells supplying water to 1.8 million acres of cropland. Reliance on groundwater has resulted in long-term declines in MRVAA water levels over much of the region. ARS researchers in Oxford, Mississippi, have been operating the Groundwater Transfer and Injection Pilot (GTIP) project to test the feasibility of pumping groundwater from near a large river and injecting the water into an area where the aquifer is depleted to be used later for irrigation. Two test injections with durations of three and six months demonstrated the technical feasibility of combining riverbank filtration with groundwater transfer and injection to increase the amount of groundwater in the Delta. However, they also illustrated several challenges for potential implementation of managed aquifer recharge technology in the region. Stakeholders have requested input from ARS on expansion of the system beyond the pilot scale, including potential modifications of or alternatives to current extraction and injection technologies.

4. RUSLE2 climate update incorporates climate records from 1971-2022. The climate files used with the current Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation version 2 (RUSLE2) conservation management planning tool were generated between 1971-1999. ARS researchers in Oxford, Mississippi, collaborated with Middle Tennessee State University researchers to download all National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration-National Climate Data Center (NCDC) records for the 1971-2022 period. The states and territories served by the Natural Resources Conservation Service were gridded and pseudo stations were populated with closest NCDC station data, gaps were filled with other neighboring stations. Events larger than the 50-year planning period were eliminated, which and events with less than (<) 13 mm precipitation were also eliminated, which is essential to fairness to the farmer. The most recent 25-year records were used to generate the county climate records for RUSLE2 conservation planning. Climate updates are essential to conservation management, incorporating effects of changing weather patterns (rainfall intensity and duration and wet and dry periods) to balance soil conservation and profitability of U.S. farms.

5. Quantifying the effects of rapidly changing flow rates on sand transport and bed topography. Streams and rivers often have flow rates that change with time, which affects the configuration of the channel bed and the transport of sediments. These changing conditions make it more difficult to predict the amount of sediment transported through the channel, and research is needed to improve these predictive abilities. In a laboratory flume, ARS researchers in Oxford, Mississippi, created periods of increased flow rate that varied from 1-6 hours and mimicked flows caused by runoff events in streams. It was found that the Engelund-Hansen relationship could reasonably predict total sediment load when used with detailed water surface slope measurements throughout the hydrographs. The amount of sand transported by the flow increased as the length of time increased, even though the maximum flow rate was the same. The height of bedforms increased with hydrograph period, but the length stayed approximately the same for hydrographs greater than 2 hours long. These results will help to understand and predict the effect of runoff events on sediment transport in streams where the flow rate changes rapidly, as is often the case on small streams near agricultural fields.

6. Developed computer algorithms for processing gravel impact measurements. Gravel transport in streams is difficult to measure and varies rapidly in both space and time, making continuous monitoring necessary for accurate measurements. ARS researchers in Oxford, Mississippi, installed a system in Goodwin Creek, Mississippi, to record gravel impacts on a steel plate mounted on the bottom of the channel. The data from the plate system requires analysis before they can be converted into gravel transport rates. Computer algorithms were written and then refined over time for the detection of gravel impacts and for establishing a calibration relationship based on physical samples collected concomitantly with impact plate data. This effort has resulted in continuous records of gravel transported over the plates for over one year. The data are being used to examine relationships between flow rate and gravel movement and detect patterns in gravel transport over time. This information is leading to better understanding of how gravel transport in a stream is affected by previous flows, local channel conditions, and by changing rainfall and runoff patterns.

Review Publications
Elkadiri, R., Momm, H.G., Bingner, R.L., Moore, K. 2023. Spatial optimization of conservation practices for sediment load reduction in ungauged agricultural watersheds. Soil Systems. 7(1),4. https://doi.org/10.3390/soilsystems7010004.
Elias, E.H., Tsegaye, T.D., Hapeman, C.J., Mankin, K.R., Kleinman, P.J., Cosh, M.H., Peck, D.E., Coffin, A.W., Archer, D.W., Alfieri, J.G., Anderson, M.C., Baffaut, C., Baker, J.M., Bingner, R.L., Bjorneberg, D.L., Bryant, R.B., Gao, F.N., Gao, S., Heilman, P., Knipper, K.R., Kustas, W.P., Leytem, A.B., Locke, M.A., McCarty, G.W., McElrone, A.J., Moglen, G.E., Moriasi, D.N., O'Shaughnessy, S.A., Reba, M.L., Rice, P.J., Silber-Coats, N., Wang, D., White, M.J., Dobrowolski, J.P. 2023. A vision for integrated, collaborative solutions to critical water and food challenges. Journal of Soil and Water Conservation. 78(3):63A-68A. https://doi.org/10.2489/jswc.2023.1220A.
Lizotte Jr, R.E., Witthaus, L.M., Bingner, R.L., Locke, M.A., Knight, S.S. 2021. Long-term oxbow lake trophic state under agricultural best management practices. Water. 13,1123. https://doi.org/10.3390/w13081123.
Momm, H., Bingner, R.L., Moore, K., Herring, G.E. 2022. Integrated surface and groundwater modeling to enhance water resource sustainability in agricultural watersheds. Agricultural Water Management. 269:1-13. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agwat.2022.107692.
Al-Ghorani, N.G., Hassan, M.A., Langendoen, E.J. 2021. Spatiotemporal patterns of fractional suspended sediment dynamics in small watersheds. Water Resources Research. 57(11): e2021WR030851. https://doi.org/10.1029/2021wr030851.
Hobart, J.L., O'Reilly, A.M., Gifford, J.N. 2022. Physical, chemical, and mineralogical controls on retardation of anatoxin-a migration by sorption to natural soils with implications for groundwater protection. Water. 14(18):2869. https://doi.org/10.3390/w14182869.
Ni, S., Zhang, D., Wen, H., Wilson, G.V., Cai, C., Wang, J. 2021. Investigating erosion processes involving surface morphological changes of coarse-textured soils under intermittent rainfall. Catena. 208:105767. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.catena.2021.105767.
Wren, D.G., Kuhnle, R.A., Mcalpin, T.O., Abraham, D.D., Jones, K.E. 2021. Detailed bed topography and sediment load measurements for two stepdown flows in a laboratory flume. Journal of Hydraulic Engineering. 37(3): 287-298. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijsrc.2021.11.002. 2022.
Mcalpin, T.O., Wren, D.G., Jones, K.E., Abraham, D.D., Kuhnle, R.A. 2022. Bed-load validation for ISSDOTv2. Journal of Hydraulic Engineering. 148(3). https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)HY.1943-7900.0001968.
Kuhnle, R.A., Wren, D.G., Langendoen, E.J. 2021. Effect of increasing antecedent flows on equilibrium bed load transport rates in a laboratory channel with a sand and gravel bed channel. Journal of Hydraulic Engineering. 147(10).040210838.
Vico, G.R., Tamburino, L., Rigby Jr, J.R. 2020. Designing on-farm irrigation ponds for high and stable yhield for different climates and risk-coping attitudes. Journal of Hydrology. 584(2020)124634. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2020.124634.
Chao, X., Witthaus, L.M., Bingner, R.L., Jia, Y., Locke, M.A., Lizotte Jr, R.E. 2023. An integrated watershed and water quality modeling system to study lake water quality responses to agricultural management practices. Environmental Modelling & Software. 164. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsoft.2023.10569.
Mulato, C.A., Crosato, A., Langendoen, E.J., Moges, M.M., Mcclain, M. 2022. Alteration of the Fogera Plain flood regime due to Ribb Dam construction, Upper Blue Nile Basin, Ethiopia. Journal of Applied Water Engineering Research. 10(3), 175–196. https://doi.org/10.1080/23249676.2021.1961618.
Richards, D., Konsoer, K., Langendoen, E.J., Ursic, M.E., Constantine, J.A. 2022. Depositional patterns of slowly plugging neck cutoffs from core analysis and estimates of bedload transport, White River Arkansas. Sedimentology. 69(2), 568–591. https://doi.org/10.1111/sed.12915.
Haregeweyn, N., Tsunekawa, A., Tsubo, M., Fenta, A.A., Ebabu, K., Vanmaercke, M., Borrelli, P., Panagos, P., Berihun, M., Langendoen, E.J., Nigussie, Z., Setargie, T.A., Maurice, B.N., Minichil, T., Elias, A., Sun, J., Poesen, J. 2023. Progress and challenges in sustainable land management initiatives: a global review. Science of the Total Environment. 858(3), 160027. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.160027.
Zhu, J., Mao, Z., Wang, Y., Wang, Y., Tong, L., Wang, K., Langendoen, E.J., Zheng, B. 2022. Soil moisture and hysteresis affect both magnitude and efficiency of root reinforcement. Catena. 219, 106574. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.catena.2022.106574.
Al-Ghorani, N.G., Hassan, M.A., Langendoen, E.J. 2022. Reach-scale morphodynamics: insights from 20 years of observations and model simulations. Geomorphology. 413, 108375. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2022.108375.
Fox, G.A., Guertault, L., Bolinaga-Castro, C., Allen, P., Bigham, K.A., Bonelli, S., Hunt, S.L., Kassa, K., Langendoen, E.J., Porter, E., Shafii, I., Wahl, T., Thompson, T.W. 2022. Perspectives: Lessons learned, challenges and opportunities in quantifying cohesive soil erodibility with the jet erosion test (JET). Journal of the ASABE. 65(2):197-207. https://doi.org/10.13031/ja.14714.
Mcalpin, T.O., Wren, D.G., Jones, K.E., Abraham, D.D., Kuhnle, R.A., Willson, C.S. 2023. Uncertainty for the ISSDOTv2 bed-load measurement method. Journal of Hydraulic Engineering. 149 (9): 04023036. https://doi.org/10.1061/jhend8.hyeng-13505.