Browsing Hydrology and Water Resources in Arizona and the Southwest, Volume 07 (1977) by Subjects
Now showing items 1-2 of 2
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Effects of Brush to Grass Conversion on the Hydrology and Erosion of a Semiarid Southwestern Rangeland WatershedIncreased nutritional and economic demands for agricultural products have dictated the need for greater and more efficient use of western grass forage. Vegetation manipulation is the quickest and most economical means of increasing forage. However , the hydrologic effects must be taken into consideration before embarking on a large scale vegetation manipulated program. This study discusses the hydrologic and erosion changes measured from a 110-acre semiarid watershed which was converted from brush to grass by root plowing and seeding. Significant changes were observed in rainfall-runoff relationships as average summer runoff was considerably in excess of predictions. Sediment yield also varied, and both of these results were tied to the change in vegetative cover and post conversion rainfall conditions.
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Stochastic Prediction of Sediment Yields from Strip Mine Spoils of the Arid SouthwestMathematical simulation of the erosion process is accomplished by using a time series of hydrologic parameters as inputs into a modified form of the Universal Soil Loss Equation. A parameter to account for antecedent moisture conditions was found to improve the predictive success of the Universal Soil Loss Equation. The simulation predicts sediment yield resulting from a stochastic sequence of precipitation events on an experimental watershed. This sediment model will be used as a component in a larger, more complex hydrologic simulation model which can be used to determine optimum reclamation practices for the strip mined areas of the arid Southwest. Data from regraded strip mine spoils at the Black Mesa of Arizona are used in calibrating the model.
