Wind erosion-induced soil sediment and organic carbon loss under various land management practices in western U.S. Rangeland

Abstract

Rangelands in the western United States play a crucial role in maintaining air quality but are highly vulnerable to wind erosion due to low soil moisture and sparse vegetation. Soil serves as a carbon sink, yet its erosion releases significant carbon into the atmosphere, exacerbating climate change. Effective conservation policies require accurate physics-based modeling of wind erosion rates. This study integrates the Landscape Wind Erosion (LWE) module into the Agricultural Policy/Environmental eXtender (APEX) model to simulate wind-driven soil erosion and carbon loss under various management scenarios. Three representative sites–Jornada (New Mexico), Moab (Utah), and San Luis Valley (Colorado)–were selected for evaluation. At 0.39 t/ha/yr benchmark scenario wind erosion, a 10 % increasing vegetation reduced erosion by 40 %, while a 10 % decrease raised it by 80 %. These findings also extend to SOC losses, showing 1.4 t C/ha over 20 years, dropping to 0.8 with a 10 % vegetation increase and rising to 3.7 with a 10 % decrease. This highlights that conservation policies focused on preserving vegetation are more effective than recovery efforts in mitigating erosion. Additionally, although sites with higher vegetation cover had lower erosion rates, they experienced substantial carbon losses. This suggests that while dense vegetation enhances soil organic carbon (SOC) storage, it also increases carbon release per unit of soil loss due to higher organic inputs. These findings underscore the importance of proactive vegetation conservation strategies. By providing reliable modeling results and evaluating land management practices, this study offers valuable insights for developing effective wind erosion mitigation policies in rangelands.