Skip to main content
ARS Home » Midwest Area » West Lafayette, Indiana » National Soil Erosion Research Laboratory » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #103271
Title: AN IMPROVED TEMPERATURE FUNCTION FOR MODELING RESIDUE DECOMPOSITION

Author
item Schomberg, Harry
item FOSTER, G F - WATKINSVILLE, GA
item Steiner, Jean
item Stott, Diane

Submitted to: American Society of Agronomy Meetings
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/10/1999
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: The Revised Universal Soil Loss and Revised Wind Erosion Equations simulate temperature effects on crop residue decomposition using monthly climatic data but average data losses temperature cycle dynamics over an estimation period. Temperature function (TF) values calculated from monthly maximums and minimums or averages were compared to daily numerically integrated values using simulated data for 20 US locations. TF values from maximums and minimums were closer to integrated TF values than ones from average temperatures. Differences were more apparent at high and low temperatures because TF is nonlinear. A system of equations to calculate TF from monthly maximums and minimums was developed to capture temperature dynamics of the numerically integrated TF. System TF values were nearly identical to integrated values and required much less estimation time. Using the TF system of equations should improve residue decomposition estimates in monthly time step models.