Response of sediment concentration and load to removal of juniper woodland and subsequent establishment of grasslands – A paired experimental watershed study

Zhong, Yu; Will, Rodney E.; Ochsner, Tyson; Saenz, Adrian; Zhu, Lan; Zou, Chris B.

doi:10.1016/j.catena.2021.105816

Cited by 3 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 54 publications

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“…Likewise, the relative runoff did not statistically differ among the calibration and conversion phases, but the runoff coefficients were somewhat greater during the period immediately after the herbicide application. This fits with what is expected on the basis of previous studies, where the vegetation was either killed or removed [46]. The lack of differences in the runoff among the phases is likely due to the temporal variation in the responses that are related to the plant phenology, the time since treatment, or the precipitation regime.…”

Section: Responses Of Accumulated Runoff and Sediment Yieldsupporting

confidence: 88%

“…The herbicide application period tripled the sediment yield, but the total sediment yield during the conversion phase was only 60.6 g m −2 , which is a level of limited soil erosion concern. In contrast, the same site preparation and planting practice in an adjacent watershed that was undergoing conversion from juniper woodland to switchgrass during the same period produced a sediment yield of 1329.5 g m −2 [46]. These results suggest that herbicide application in a watershed with high initial grass cover results in a much smaller increase in the sediment yield than does a site with very low initial grass cover (after removing all juniper trees, the ground was mostly bare or covered with duff).…”

Section: Responses Of Accumulated Runoff and Sediment Yieldmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The runoff samples were collected by using an intake strainer at the bottom of a 16 cm polyvinyl chloride (PVC) trough. The samples were collected on the basis of a flow-weighted and time-weighted sampling strategy in order to trigger the runoff sample collection [46]. The total suspended solids were analyzed in the lab according to ASTM Standard: D3977-97 (ASTM, 2000) [61].…”

Section: Event-based Sediment Loadmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In addition, the land preparation for planting switchgrass can be a period when the runoff generation and sediment losses are quite different from those of a fully established switchgrass production system [45]. Herbicide application to assist in the planting of switchgrass by no-till drilling after the mechanical removal of juniper trees (Juniperus virginiana) resulted in pulsed increases in the runoff and soil erosion at the watershed scale [46]; however, the responses of the runoff and sediment that are related to herbicide application and switchgrass planting in prairie have not been thoroughly quantified at the watershed level.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Response of Surface Runoff and Sediment to the Conversion of a Marginal Grassland to a Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) Bioenergy Feedstock System

Zou

Lambert

Everett

et al. 2022

Land

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The land systems between the humid and arid zones around the globe are critical to agricultural production and are characterized by a strong integration of the land use and water dynamics. In the southern Great Plains (SGP) of the United States, lakes and farm ponds are essential components in the land systems, and they provide unique habitats for wildlife, and critical water resources for irrigation and municipal water supplies. The conversion of the marginal grasslands to switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) biofuel feedstock for energy production has been proposed in the region. However, we have limited experimental data to assess the impact of this potential land-use change on the surface runoff, which is the primary water source for surface impoundments. Here, we report the results from a paired experimental watershed study that compared the runoff and sediment responses that were related to the conversion of prairie to a low-input biomass production system. The results show no significant change in the relationship between the event-based runoff and the precipitation. There was a substantial increase in the sediment yield (328%) during the conversion phase that was associated with the switchgrass establishment (i.e., the site preparation, herbicide application, and switchgrass planting). Once the switchgrass was established, the sediment yield was 21% lower than the nonconverted watershed. Our site-specific observations suggest that switchgrass biofuel production systems will have a minimum impact on the existing land and water systems. It may potentially serve as an environmentally friendly and economically viable alternative land use for slowing woody encroachment on marginal lands in the SGP.

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Section: Responses Of Accumulated Runoff and Sediment Yieldsupporting

confidence: 88%

Section: Responses Of Accumulated Runoff and Sediment Yieldmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Event-based Sediment Loadmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Response of Surface Runoff and Sediment to the Conversion of a Marginal Grassland to a Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) Bioenergy Feedstock System

Zou

Lambert

Everett

et al. 2022

Land

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“…The 10 experimental watersheds at CTER were established to study water budget and sedimentation processes based on the dominant vegetation types (oak forest, eastern redcedar woodland, and tallgrass prairie) (Qiao et al., 2017; Zhong et al., 2022; Zou et al., 2014). For this study, the watersheds were re‐named based on two factors: access to grazers (G for grazed and U for ungrazed) and the dominant vegetation types (O for oak forest, R for eastern redcedar woodland, S for switchgrass [ Panicum virgatum ] stand, and P for tallgrass prairie) (Figure S1).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Escherichia coli efflux from rangeland ecosystems in the southcentral Great Plains of the United States

Phillippe,

Wagner,

Will

et al. 2023

J of Env Quality

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Bacterial contamination of surface water is a public health concern. To quantify the efflux of Escherichia coli into ephemeral and intermittent streams and assess its numbers in relation to secondary body contact standards, we monitored runoff and measured E. coli numbers from 10 experimental watersheds that differed in vegetation cover and cattle access in north‐central Oklahoma. Escherichia coli numbers were not significantly different among the watersheds, with one exception; the grazed prairie watershed (GP1) had greater numbers compared to one ungrazed prairie watershed (UP2). Median E. coli numbers in runoff from ungrazed watersheds ranged from 260 to 1482 MPN/100 mL in comparison with grazed watersheds that ranged from 320 to 8878 MPN/100 mL. In the GP1 watershed, higher cattle stocking rates during pre‐ and post‐calving (February–May) resulted in significantly greater bacterial numbers and event loading compared to periods with lower stocking rates. The lack of significance among watersheds is likely due to the grazed sites being rotationally (and lightly) grazed, data variability, and wildlife contributions. To address wildlife sources, we used camera trap data to assess the usage in the watersheds; however, the average number of animals in a 24‐h period did not correlate with observed median E. coli numbers. Because of its impacts on E. coli numbers in water, grazing management (stocking rate, rotation, and timing) should be considered for improving water quality in streams and reservoirs.

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Potential Hydrological Impacts of Planting Switchgrass on Marginal Rangelands in South Central Great Plains

Kharel

Zhong

Will

et al. 2022

Water

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Woody plant encroachment is an ongoing global issue. In the Southern Great Plains of the United States, the rapid encroachment and coalescence of woody plants are transforming herbaceous-dominated rangelands into woodlands with a detrimental impact on water quality and quantity. In this study, we conducted modeling simulations to assess how converting juniper (Juniperus virginiana) woodland and low to moderately productive grassland into switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) biomass production system would affect streamflow and sediment yields in the Lower Cimarron River, Oklahoma. First, the grassland areas in the basin were divided into productivity classes suitable for rangeland activities based on the soil productivity index. Next, the Soil and Water Assessment Tool was used to develop the basin hydrologic model, calibrated and validated for streamflow in five gaging stations with a percent bias of <10%, Nash–Sutcliffe Efficiency index of >0.76, and R2 of >0.77. Then, the model was used to simulate evapotranspiration (ET), streamflow, groundwater recharge, and sediment loads under different land use conversion scenarios. Results showed that converting existing juniper woodlands, ~4% of the basin, to switchgrass had limited impacts on the water budget and sediment yield. A hypothetical scenario of converting low to moderately productive rangeland to switchgrass increased annual ET by 2.6%, with a decrease in streamflow by 10.8% and a reduction in sediment yield by 39.2% compared to the baseline model. Results indicated that switchgrass could be considered a potential land use alternative to address the juniper encroached grassland with minimal loss in streamflow but a substantial reduction in sediment yield in the southcentral region of the Great Plains.

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Response of sediment concentration and load to removal of juniper woodland and subsequent establishment of grasslands – A paired experimental watershed study

Cited by 3 publications

References 54 publications

Response of Surface Runoff and Sediment to the Conversion of a Marginal Grassland to a Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) Bioenergy Feedstock System

Response of Surface Runoff and Sediment to the Conversion of a Marginal Grassland to a Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) Bioenergy Feedstock System

Escherichia coli efflux from rangeland ecosystems in the southcentral Great Plains of the United States

Potential Hydrological Impacts of Planting Switchgrass on Marginal Rangelands in South Central Great Plains

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