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Measured and Simulated Surface Soil Drying

USDA-ARS Wind Erosion Res. Unit, Throckmorton Hall, Kansas State Univ., Manhattan, KS 66506
USDA-ARS Southern Piedmont Conservation Res. Ctr., P.O. Box 555, Watkinsville, GA 30677
USDA-ARS Conservation & Production Res. Lab., P.O. Drawer 10, Bushland, TX 7901
USDA-ARS Wind Erosion Res. Unit, Throckmorton Hall, Kansas State Univ., Manhattan, KS 66506

^* Corresponding author (Email: durar{at}weru.ksu.edu).

The USDA initiated the Wind Erosion Prediction System (WEPS) to develop improved technology for predicting wind erosion. A HYDROLOGY submodei has been developed for WEPS to simulate the soil energy and water balances. This study was conducted to evaluate the performance of the ttYD~tOLOC3Y submodel in predicting surface soil drying. Water content was measured gravimetrically in a bare 5- by 30-m plot for 14 d after irrigation during July and August 1991. The plot was located 5 m directly north of a bare weighing iysimeter at the USDA-ARS Conservation and Production Research Laboratory at Busldand, TX. Hourly samples were taken from depth increments of 0 to 2, 2 to 6, 6 to 10, 10 to 30, and 30 to 50 mmo Furthermore, soil cores were taken to 900 mm at 6-h intervals. Water content was also measured daily at the lysimeter and between the iysimeter and gravimetric sampling plot using a neutron probe to 2.1 m. The submodel accurately predicted that no deep percolation occurred throughout the simulation period. Simulation results agreed well with the measured daily evaporation rates from the lysimeter (r ² = 0.96). Furthermore, the submodel reasonably estimated the soil water content profiles, particularly the status of soil water at the soil-atmosphere interface. The mean absolute error, which describes the average absolute deviation between measured and simulated soil water contents, was 0.015 m³ m^–3. The HYDROLOGY submodel of WEPS shows a potential to accurately simulate soil water dynamics, as needed for wind erosion modeling. The submodel successfully predicts the changes in water content at the soil surface, which relate to the susceptibility of the soil to wind erosion.

Received for publication June 7, 1993.