HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Abstract Full Text Free Full Text (PDF) Free Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Boomer, K. B. Articles by Jordan, T. E. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Boomer, K. B. Articles by Jordan, T. E. GeoRef GeoRef Citation Agricola Articles by Boomer, K. B. Articles by Jordan, T. E. Related Collections Watershed and Landscape Processes Surface Water Quality Water Flow Models

Empirical Models Based on the Universal Soil Loss Equation Fail to Predict Sediment Discharges from Chesapeake Bay Catchments

Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, Edgewater, MD 21037-0028

View larger version (46K): [in this window] [in a new window]   Fig. 1. Locations of study catchments within physiographic provinces of the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Black shading indicates basins monitored by the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC); striped shading indicates basins monitored daily by USGS. Inset shows the location of the Chesapeake Bay watershed in the eastern USA.

View larger version (21K): [in this window] [in a new window]   Fig. 2. Universal soil loss equation (USLE) versus revised USLE (RUSLE2) predictions of mean annual soil erosion rates (Mg ha–1 yr–1). Symbols indicate the physiographic province in which a catchment is located. APPL, Appalachian Plateau; APMN, Appalachian Mountain; MELO, Mesozoic Lowland; PDUP, Piedmont Upland; CP, Coastal Plain.

View larger version (19K): [in this window] [in a new window]   Fig. 3. Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE2)-based predicted erosion, RUSLE2 area-based sediment yield (SY) (Vanoni, 1975), and SEDMOD (Fraser et al., 1998) flowpath-based SY versus observed SY in basins monitored by the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC) and USGS. Spearman rank correlation coefficients between the observed sediment yields and predicted estimates are indicated for each dataset.

View larger version (19K): [in this window] [in a new window]   Fig. 4. Observed annual average sediment yield (SY in kg ha–1 yr–1) versus sediment yield predicted by linear regression on log- or square-root transformed landscape factors. Plot A depicts calibration with SERC data; Plot B depicts attempted validation with USGS data. Points along the diagonal 1:1 line indicate perfect agreement between predictions and measurements. Symbols indicate the physiographic province in which a catchment is located: Appalachian Plateau (APPL); Appalachian Mountain (APMN); Mesozoic Lowland (MELO); Piedmont Upland (PDUP); or Coastal Plain (CP).