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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Tucson, Arizona » SWRC » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #158772
Title: SEDIMENT YIELD FROM SEMIARID WATERSHEDS 1555

Author
item Nichols, Mary
item RENARD, KENNETH - RETIRED ARS

Submitted to: First Interagency Conference on Research in the Watersheds
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/15/2003
Publication Date: 10/27/2003
Citation: Nichols, M.H., Renard, K.G. 2003. Sediment yield from semiarid watersheds. Proceedings First Interagency Conference on Research in the Watersheds. Oct. 27-30, 2003, Benson, AZ., pp. 161-166.

Interpretive Summary: Stock tanks on the United States Department of Agriculture - Agricultural Research Service Walnut Gulch Experimental Watershed were instrumented in the mid-1960s with the goal of quantifying sediment yield from small rangeland watersheds. Periodic topographic surveys of stock tanks at the outlet of four watersheds ranging in size from 35 to 92 ha are used to compute sediment yield. Unit sediment yield from the four watersheds studied ranged from 0.4 to 2.8 m3/ha/yr. Computed sediment accumulation is used in conjunction with observed precipitation and runoff data to relate the variability in sediment yield to the variability in climate. These data will be useful to land managers, decision makers, and scientists concerned with semiarid rangeland sediment yield.

Technical Abstract: Stock tanks on the United States Department of Agriculture - Agricultural Research Service Walnut Gulch Experimental Watershed were instrumented in the mid-1960s with the goal of quantifying sediment yield from small rangeland watersheds. Periodic topographic surveys of stock tanks at the outlet of four watersheds ranging in size from 35 to 92 ha are used to compute sediment yield. Unit sediment yield from the four watersheds studied ranged from 0.4 to 2.8 m3/ha/yr. Computed sediment accumulation is used in conjunction with observed precipitation and runoff data to relate the variability in sediment yield to the variability in climate. These data will be useful to land managers, decision makers, and scientists concerned with semiarid rangeland sediment yield.