Epic - a Model for Assessing the Effects of Erosion on Soil Productivity

Williams, J. R.; Dyke, P. T.; Jones, Christopher A.

doi:10.1016/b978-0-444-42179-1.50065-1

Cited by 235 publications

(209 citation statements)

References 4 publications

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“…A simplified Environmental Policy Integrated Climate (EPIC) approach [31] is integrated in the model for the simulation of arable crops and other general vegetation types (e.g., pasture, savannah, evergreen forest), using specific parameter values for each crop/vegetation type. The parameter settings of the newest version of the SWAT model are used for the aggregated vegetation types of the SWIM model [32].…”

Section: Ecohydrological Model and Model Set-upmentioning

confidence: 99%

Climate or Land Use?—Attribution of Changes in River Flooding in the Sahel Zone

Aich

Liersch

Vetter

et al. 2015

Water

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This study intends to contribute to the ongoing discussion on whether land use and land cover changes (LULC) or climate trends have the major influence on the observed increase of flood magnitudes in the Sahel. A simulation-based approach is used for attributing the observed trends to the postulated drivers. For this purpose, the ecohydrological model SWIM (Soil and Water Integrated Model) with a new, dynamic LULC module was set up for the Sahelian part of the Niger River until Niamey, including the main tributaries Sirba and Goroul. The model was driven with observed, reanalyzed climate and LULC data for the years 1950-2009. In order to quantify the shares of influence, one simulation was carried out with constant land cover as of 1950, and one including LULC. As quantitative measure, the gradients of the simulated trends were compared to the observed trend. The modeling studies showed that for the Sirba River only the simulation which included LULC was able to reproduce the observed trend. The simulation without LULC showed a positive trend for flood magnitudes, but underestimated the trend significantly. For the Goroul River and the local flood of the Niger River at Niamey, the simulations were only partly able to reproduce the observed trend. In conclusion, the new LULC module OPEN ACCESSWater 2015, 7 2797 enabled some first quantitative insights into the relative influence of LULC and climatic changes. For the Sirba catchment, the results imply that LULC and climatic changes contribute in roughly equal shares to the observed increase in flooding. For the other parts of the subcatchment, the results are less clear but show, that climatic changes and LULC are drivers for the flood increase; however their shares cannot be quantified. Based on these modeling results, we argue for a two-pillar adaptation strategy to reduce current and future flood risk: Flood mitigation for reducing LULC-induced flood increase, and flood adaptation for a general reduction of flood vulnerability.

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Section: Ecohydrological Model and Model Set-upmentioning

confidence: 99%

Climate or Land Use?—Attribution of Changes in River Flooding in the Sahel Zone

Aich

Liersch

Vetter

et al. 2015

Water

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“…EPIC was designed, in principle, to explore the impacts of soil erosion on crop productivity [49], and evolved with continued refinements to approach carbon and nutrient cycling via submodels; also, additional capacity was introduced to predict water quality and the response of crops to atmospheric CO 2 [50]. EPIC and the models which have evolved from it have been applied extensively to a variety of soils and cropping systems worldwide [51].…”

Section: Model Simulationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing Nitrogen Use Efficiency and Nitrogen Loss in a Forage-Based System Using a Modeling Approach

Piccini¹,

Bene²,

Farina³

et al. 2016

Agronomy

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Abstract:In intensive agriculture, N supply often exceeds crop requirements, even in nitrate vulnerable zones (NVZ). In farmland, the N surplus gives rise to NO 3´l eaching and consequent groundwater pollution. The present study aimed at proposing measures to reduce N leaching and hence improve N efficiency in a buffalo livestock farm located in the NVZ of Latina plain (Central Italy). The farm was cultivated with forage crops in a double annual crop rotation: Italian ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum Lam.) in winter and silage corn (Zea mays L.) in summer. Mineral and organic fertilizers were supplied to both crops. The annual N budget and soil solution NO 3 -N concentrations were evaluated using a modeling approach. The performance of the WinEPIC model in simulating the response of the NO 3 -N concentration in percolation to the N application rate was assessed and validated by field measurements of the NO 3 -N concentration in the soil solution. Three scenarios were proposed to identify the best practice to minimize the environmental impact of N application without significant yield loss. Also, recommendations of best practices in N fertilization and animal manure spreading were given. This study thus provides useful preliminary information for decision-making in agriculture/environmental policies.

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“…In principle, bio-physical models, such as the DSSAT crop models (Tsuji et al, 1994) could be used to estimate the productivity dynamics of a crop production system over time, if the changes in soil properties that occurred over time were known. Alternatively, more complex agroecosystem models, such as EPIC (Williams et al, 1983) or Century (Parton et al, 1994), that jointly simulate crop growth and soil processes, could be used. However, these more complex models involve a large number of parameters -data that often are not available on a site-specific basis.…”

Section: Evidence From a Case Study Of Terrace Investments In Perumentioning

confidence: 99%

Multiple equilibria, soil conservation investments, and the resilience of agricultural systems

Antle¹,

Stoorvogel²,

Valdivia³

2006

Envir. Dev. Econ.

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ABSTRACT. This paper provides a new explanation for the persistent land degradation in some parts of the world, despite the availability of seemingly effective soil conservation technologies. We demonstrate that soil conservation technologies may induce agricultural systems to exhibit equilibria characterized by both low and high levels of soil degradation. These two equilibria are separated by a threshold level of soil degradation beyond which a conservation investment will not yield a positive return. Once a parcel of land crosses this productivity threshold, soil degradation becomes economically irreversible (it is not profitable to invest in soil conservation) even though the degradation may be technically reversible. A case study of terracing investments in Peru is used to demonstrate the existence of multiple equilibria under conditions typical of many marginal agricultural areas. These findings help explain why attempts to encourage permanent adoption of soil conservation practices often fail, and how more successful policies could be designed.

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Epic - a Model for Assessing the Effects of Erosion on Soil Productivity

Cited by 235 publications

References 4 publications

Climate or Land Use?—Attribution of Changes in River Flooding in the Sahel Zone

Climate or Land Use?—Attribution of Changes in River Flooding in the Sahel Zone

Assessing Nitrogen Use Efficiency and Nitrogen Loss in a Forage-Based System Using a Modeling Approach

Multiple equilibria, soil conservation investments, and the resilience of agricultural systems

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