Source: TEXAS A & M UNIVERSITY- KINGSVILLE submitted to NRP
RANGELAND HYDROLOGY AND EROSION MODEL (RHEM) DEVELOPMENT AND APPLICATIONS
Sponsoring Institution
Agricultural Research Service/USDA
Project Status
ACTIVE
Funding Source
USDA COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT
Reporting Frequency
Annual
Accession No.
0435107
Grant No.
(N/A)
Cumulative Award Amt.
(N/A)
Proposal No.
(N/A)
Multistate No.
(N/A)
Project Start Date
Sep 1, 2018
Project End Date
Aug 31, 2023
Grant Year
(N/A)
Program Code
[(N/A)]- (N/A)
Recipient Organization
TEXAS A & M UNIVERSITY- KINGSVILLE
700 UNIVERSITY BLVD.
KINGSVILLE,TX 78363
Performing Department
(N/A)
Non Technical Summary
(N/A)
Animal Health Component
50%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
50%
Applied
50%
Developmental
0%
Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)Subject of Investigation (SOI)Field of Science (FOS)Percent
1040320107040%
1120710205030%
1220799107030%
Knowledge Area
112 - Watershed Protection and Management; 104 - Protect Soil from Harmful Effects of Natural Elements; 122 - Management and Control of Forest and Range Fires;

Subject Of Investigation
0320 - Watersheds; 0799 - Rangelands and grasslands, general; 0710 - Desert and semidesert shrub land and shinnery;

Field Of Science
2050 - Hydrology; 1070 - Ecology;
Goals / Objectives
The Rangeland Hydrology and Erosion Model (RHEM) is a process-based model developed by USDA-ARS for assessing runoff, soil erosion rate, and sediment delivery on rangelands at the hillslope scale for a single rainfall event. Appropriate parameterization and evaluation of model performance are critical for model acceptance by land managers as a useful tool. The objectives of this project are to: 1) enhance RHEM parameter estimation procedures, particularly for infiltration; and 2) evaluate the performance of RHEM and its components especially when applied to rangeland wildfire conditions.
Project Methods
To accomplish the objectives of the research, the following tasks will be performed: 1. Evaluate the performance of RHEM for generating runoff on burned rangelands using existing field data. The performance of the model will be evaluated without calibration as well as by optimizing sensitive parameters such as hydraulic conductivity (Ke). 2. Evaluate the current parameterization equation for hydraulic conductivity (Ke) in RHEM for burned conditions using existing field data, and if necessary develop new parameterization equations specifically for disturbed rangeland. 3. Determine the potential for addressing the influence of hydrophobic soil conditions on infiltration by enhancing model components or through enhanced model parameterization equations.