title: Use RUSLE2 model to assess the impact of soil erosion on playa inundation and hydrophyte conditions in the Rainwater Basin, Nebraska.
abstract: Playas in the Rainwater Basin region in Nebraska are globally important wetlands that are continuously threatened by culturally accelerated sedimentation. Using annual habitat survey data and wetland vegetation inventories, inundation and hydrophyte community distributions were evaluated for properties under different types of conservation status. Annual soil erosion rates from surrounding watersheds were calculated to estimate sediment accumulated rates using the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation 2 (RUSLE2). The slope-length component of the RUSLE2 was derived from 2009 light detection and ranging (LiDAR) data after the methods described by Van Remortel (Computers & Geosciences 30:1043-1053, 2004). Wetlands enrolled in conservation programs were inundated more and were dominated to a greater degree by hydrophytes than wetlands not enrolled in these programs. The mean estimated soil erosion rate at the Rainwater Basin landscape level was 4.67 tons/ha/year, and the mean estimated sediment accumulation depth for public watersheds was estimated as 0.19 cm/year. Without appropriate conservation actions, the current inundated acres and wetland acres growing hydrophytes would be further reduced by sediment accumulation. The results illustrated the importance of conservation programs to protect wetlands.
authors.affiliation: Community and Regional Planning Program, College of Architecture, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 313 Architecture Hall, Lincoln, NE, 68588-0105, USA. ztang2@unl.edu.
authors.forename: Zhenghong
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.affiliation: Community and Regional Planning Program, College of Architecture, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 313 Architecture Hall, Lincoln, NE, 68588-0105, USA.
authors.forename: Yue
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Gu
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Earth Surface Processes and Resource Ecology, Academy of Disaster Reduction and Emergency Management, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China.
authors.forename: Weiguo
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.affiliation: Community and Regional Planning Program, College of Architecture, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 313 Architecture Hall, Lincoln, NE, 68588-0105, USA.
authors.forename: Yuan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Xue
authors.affiliation: Rainwater Basin Joint Venture, Grand Island, NE, 68803, USA.
authors.forename: Andy
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bishop
authors.affiliation: Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, Lincoln, NE, 68503, USA.
authors.forename: Ted
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: LaGrange
authors.affiliation: Rainwater Basin Joint Venture, Grand Island, NE, 68803, USA.
authors.forename: Eleanor
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Nugent
mesh_terms: D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources / Q000379:methods*; D017753:Ecosystem; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D019015:Geologic Sediments / Q000737:chemistry; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D009329:Nebraska; D010944:Plants; D012987:Soil / Q000737:chemistry*; D053833:Wetlands
chemical_list: D012987:Soil
keywords: Light detection and ranging (LiDAR); Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation 2 (RUSLE2); Sediment; Soil erosion; Wetland