Watershed scale application of WEPP and EROSION 3D models for assessment of potential sediment source areas and runoff flux in the Mara River Basin, Kenya

Auteur(s) et Affiliation(s)

DEFERSHA, M.B.

Dep. of Earth and Environment, Florida international Univ., Miami, Etats-Unis

MELESSE, A.M.

Dep. of Earth and Environment, Florida international Univ., Miami, Etats-Unis

MCCLAIN, M.E.

Dep. of Earth and Environment, Florida international Univ., Miami, Etats-Unis

Dep. of Water Science and Engineering, UNESCO-IHE Inst. for Water Education, Delft, Pays-Bas

Description :
Mara River basin is an internationally acclaimed and ecologically significant basin in the Lake Victoria basin. The recent trend in major land use change in the upstream (forest-to-agriculture conversion) has been the major driver for the current hydrologic alterations. This has led to the need for more observation and modeling to understand the impacts of the various land use changes on the sediment and runoff characteristics of the watershed. Two physically based models (Erosion 3D and Water Erosion Prediction Project (WEPP)) were applied to predict the watershed scale sediment and runoff response. It is shown that sediment and runoff vary by land use, topography and soil type; the 2 models are comparable but WEPP model is better for sediment estimation; agricultural areas contribute about 50% of the sediment budget in the watershed.

Type de document :
Article de périodique

Source :
Catena (Giessen), issn : 0341-8162, 2012, vol. 95, p. 63-72, nombre de pages : 10, Références bibliographiques : 27 ref.

Date :
2012

Editeur :
Pays édition : Allemagne, Cremlingen-Destedt, Catena

Langue :
Anglais