Location: Watershed Physical Processes Research
Project Number: 6060-13000-031-001-S
Project Type: Non-Assistance Cooperative Agreement
Start Date: Jun 1, 2021
End Date: May 31, 2026
Objective:
Develop innovative acoustic and geophysical technology for assessment of soil erosion, monitoring sediment transport, quantifying deposition, and impact on
reservoirs or open water.
The objectives of this project are:
1: Develop and implement acoustic based methods for measurement and interpretation of sediment transport in streams.
2: Develop and adapt acoustic and geophysical methods for characterizing soils and monitoring processes within the agricultural watershed.
Approach:
Development of acoustic and geophysics technology addressing gaps in the USDA's suite of tools to map and monitor hydraulic processes over a range of time and space scales will consist of: theoretical and modeling efforts, controlled laboratory experiments, and field measurements using the newly developed hardware and techniques. Theoretical and modeling efforts establish the feasibility and sensitive of acoustic attributes to soil processes and sediment transport. Laboratory measurements help to better understand the physics of soils and its interaction with water and determine optimal sensor configurations, data quality requirements, and data processing schemes. Field measurements provide the final proof of concept design and incorporation into USDA applications. Specifically, the first objective relates to acoustic and geophysical methods that will enhance the study of sediment transport in streams. The second objective relates to the development and adaption of acoustic and geophysical methods for characterizing soils and monitoring processes within the agricultural watershed.
