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Title: WEPS 1.0 - WHAT IT IS AND WHAT IT ISN'T

Author
item Wagner, Larry
item TATARKO, JOHN - KANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY

Submitted to: Soil Erosion for 21st Century Symposium
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/3/2001
Publication Date: 1/3/2001
Citation: In: J.C. Ascough II and D.C. Flanagan; Proc. Ins. Symp., Soil Erosion Research for the 21st Century, 3-5 January 2001, Honolulu, HI. St. Joseph, MI: pp 372-375.

Interpretive Summary: WEPSisaprocess-based,dailytime-step,computermodelthatpredictssoil erosion via simulation of the physical processes controlling wind erosion. WEPS 1.0 is the first implementation of WEPS for use by the United States Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service (USDA-NRCS) and is intended primarily for soil conservation and environmental planning. It includes a graphical user interface to allow th user to easily select climate stations, specify field-site dimensions, pick a predominant soil type, and describe any border field wind barriers and management practices applied to an agricultural field. 

Technical Abstract: TheWindErosionPredictionSystem(WEPS)isaprocess-based,dailytime- step, computer model that predicts soil eroison via simulation of the physical processes controlling wind eroison. WEPS is intended primarily for soil conservation and environmental planning. WEPS 1.0 is the first implementation of WEPS intended for use by the United States Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service (USDA-NRCS). It includes a graphical user interface to allow the user to easily select climate stations, specify field site dimensions, pick a predominant soil type, and describe any field wind barriers and management practices applied to an agricultural field. This interface allows the user to quickly assess a site's susceptibility to wind erosion and evaluate the impacts that alternatepracticesandconditionsmighthaveonreducingthat susceptibility. Features and capabilities of WEPS 1.0 user interface include 1) the ability to define wind barrier characteristics and their location on the boundaries of the simulation region, 2) selection of soils obtained from the NRCS National Soil Information System (NASIS) soil database, and 3) detailed specification of actual management practices employed by land managers. Display of output information regarding soil loss by transport mode, direction, and size (saltation/creep, suspension, PM10) is also available. Keywords: Soil erosion, Wind erosion, Air Quality, Erosion models, WEPS, Graphical interface, GUI.