A Global CLIGEN Parameter Dataset to Enable Soil Erosion Modeling Driven by Point-Scale Precipitation Dynamics

A variety of applications are informed by hydrological and agricultural models that simulate soil erosion using point-scale precipitation inputs. This becomes a challenge in an era of climate change because most climate projections are only available over coarse grids, yet soil erosion modeling is sensitive to the spatial resolution of precipitation input. This study aims to demonstrate a recently developed global dataset of CLIGEN parameters in terms of driving soil erosion models. The study examines the sensitivity of soil erosion to spatial resolutions of precipitation inputs of CLIGEN and other popular grid datasets. Case studies of the climate drivers involved model simulations at selected international sites using the Water Erosion Prediction Project (WEPP) model and the Rangeland Hydrology and Erosion Model (RHEM). The modeling results show point-scale precipitation leads to considerably higher erosion rate than the grid-scale precipitation. Such scale dependence is expected to be more pronounced under the future climate due to the intensification of storm intensity. Overall, the research outcome can facilitate environmental assessments globally and provide insight into the expected changes in soil erosion and conservation under climate change.