RAPID: Addressing the wind and water erosion knowledge gap in Drylands: Fire as a driver of erosion in cheatgrass invaded Sagebrush Steppe

该项目是对2021年6月9日野火的回应，该野火烧毁了内华达州卡森市南部999公顷的Jacks Valley野生动物管理区（WMA）的283公顷。它探讨了土壤侵蚀过程发生火灾引起的欺骗草入侵。它将使用现代仪器对影响风蚀和水蚀的因素进行量化，包括地面激光扫描仪、无人驾驶自动驾驶汽车、探地雷达和卫星图像。该项目团队包括历史上在科学领域代表性不足的群体的成员。学生将通过有偿实习来支持该项目，这些实习利用了内华达州大学里诺分校的现有项目，并与联邦合作伙伴建立了联系。所产生的数据可能对土地退化风险高的部落社区有用。该项目以美国农业部农业研究处的一项既定研究为基础，解决我们在对正在经历突变的旱地地貌的风蚀和水蚀率的基本认识方面存在的一个关键知识空白。野火事件是本研究的重点，提供了一个时间敏感的机会，收集易腐数据的风和水驱动的土壤侵蚀，发生火灾引起的增加cheatgrass燃料负载在山艾属草原。调查人员将讨论与影响侵蚀的各种因素对年度沉积物预算的相对贡献有关的研究问题。这些因素将通过地面激光扫描、无人驾驶飞行器、探地雷达和卫星图像进行量化。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This project responds to a June 9, 2021, wildfire that burned 283 hectares of the 999-ha Jacks Valley Wildlife Management Area (WMA) in south Carson City, Nevada. It explores soil erosion processes occurring subsequent to fires induced by cheat grass invasion. It will quantity the factors influencing wind and water erosion using modern instruments, including terrestrial laser scanner, unmanned autonomous vehicle, ground penetrating radar, and satellite imagery. The project team includes members of groups historically underrepresented in science. Students will be supported on the project through paid internships that leverage existing programs at the University of Nevada, Reno, and connections with federal partners. The data generated could be useful to tribal communities whose lands are at high risk to degradation. Building on an established United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Research Service (ARS) study, this project addresses a critical knowledge gap in our fundamental understanding of wind and water erosion rates in dryland landscapes that are undergoing abrupt change. The wildfire event that is the focus of this study presents a time-sensitive opportunity to collect perishable data on the wind- and water- driven soil erosion that occurs subsequent to fires induced by increased cheatgrass fuel loads in sagebrush steppe. The investigators will address research questions related to the relative contribution to the annual sediment budget of various factors influencing erosion. These factors will be quantified using terrestrial laser scanning, unmanned aerial vehicles, ground penetrating radar, and satellite imagery.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.