Hydrology, erosion and nutrient transfers over a transition from semi-arid grassland to shrubland in the South-Western USA: A modelling assessment

Land degradation in arid and semi-arid areas, as a consequence of the invasion of grasslands by shrubs, is often associated with an increase in runoff and erosion and a change in nutrient transport. Modelling of nutrient transport during runoff events (in particular particulate-bound nutrients), is especially important, since the spatial redistribution of nutrients (in addition to water and sediment) can have significant implications for vegetation dynamics in these ecosystems. In this study, Mahleran (Model for Assessing Hillslope to Landscape Erosion Runoff, And Nutrients) is extensively evaluated against runoff and erosion data from four plots (representative of different stages of land degradation) over a transition from grassland to shrubland, at the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge in New Mexico, USA. A new particulate-bound nutrient module was developed to include a representation of particulate-bound nutrient dynamics, which is an important form of nutrient transport in these ecosystems. Understanding dynamics of both dissolved and particulate-bound nutrient dynamics during runoff events is imperative, because of their differing roles in terms of nutrient bioavailability and potential implications for plant dynamics.