WEPS1.0 Quick Reference

Minimum Computer Requirements

PC with Windows 95/98/NT; 150 MHz; 48 Mb RAM; 50 Mb free disk space on the hard drive; a CD-ROM drive; VGA color monitor. Contact WERU if you need assistance.

Installation

Insert the WEPS1.0 CD into the CD-ROM drive. Click [Start] [Run] and enter {w:/setup} where "w" represents the drive letter for your CD-ROM drive. Follow the instructions on the screen. Contact WERU if you need assistance.

Running WEPS1.0

Double left click on the Weps1.0 icon on the desktop or left click on [Start] [Programs] [WEPS1.0].

You will briefly see the Weps1.0 'Splash' window, then the WEPS1.0 main window will appear.

A Simple Simulation

WEPS1.0 needs only four types of information to make a simulation run. To make a simple simulation run, you need to:

  1. Describe the simulation field geometry.
    1. Select the field dimensions.
      1. Click on the brown field shape in the center panel of the window.
      2. Click the 'Resize' button on the toolbar.
      3. Click and hold the left mouse button on the "handles" along the field border.
      4. Drag each border to obtain the desired field dimensions (ie. X-length, Y-length) as shown in the 'Simulation Region Info' box in the left panel.
    3. Select field orientation.
      1. Click on the 'Rotate' button on the toolbar at the top of the window.
      2. Using the mouse, rotate the field to the desired orientation.
      3. Click the left mouse button to 'fix' the field orientation.
  3. Select a field location (for weather files).
    1. Using the mouse, select a State and County from the drop down menus in the right panel of the window which is labeled 'Location Info'.
  5. Select a management scenario.
    1. Using the mouse, select a management crop rotation from the drop down menu in the bottom panel of the window which is labeled 'Management:'.
  7. Select a soil.
    1. Using the mouse, select a soil from the drop down menu in the bottom panel of the window which is labeled 'Soil:'.

Once these four items are complete, select [Run] [Foreground] from the menu bar at the top of the screen. You will then see indicators that WEPS1.0 is running. When the simulation run is finished, the output screen will appear.

More Complex Simulation Runs

In this section we will discuss how to modify or add to the four types of simulation information discussed above under "A Simple Simulation". This will allow more complex simulations and will allow the user to "fine tune" input parameters.

Client and Field Information

This information can be entered in the boxes near the upper left corner of the left panel (below the button bar). However these items are not necessary for a simulation run. This information is intended to help the user identify a simulation run and can be attached to the output information for a simulation run. Enter the 'Client Name' and 'Field ID' in the boxes as desired.

Describing the field geometries.

Changing the field shape and orientation on the center panel screen were discussed above. Note that as these items are changed using the mouse to drag boundaries and orientation, the values are also changed in the 'Simulation Region Info' section in the left screen panel. The user may bypass using the mouse to drag the field boundaries and orientation by directly entering the information in the 'Simulation Region Info" box.

Barriers

The current version of WEPS1.0 only allows barriers along the four field boundaries. To add a barrier, click the 'Add Barrier' button in the left panel and move the mouse cursor over the field shape in the center panel. You will see a green bar, representing a barrier on that side of the field. Click the barrier to "fix' it to the desired side of the field. Once fixed, you can adjust the barrier width and select the barrier type in the left panel. Double clicking again on the 'Add Barrier' button will allow the addition of a second, third, and fourth barrier as desired.

Location Info.

This information is entered through the rightmost panel on the window. This information is used to select the weather files for the simulation. Clicking on the 'Use Map' button brings up a map of the U.S. Clicking the check boxes in the left side of the map window will display Cligen stations, Windgen stations, county lines (must be zoomed at 400% or greater), and major cities on the map. The map can be 'zoomed' in or out by selecting a % magnification from the list in the box at the bottom of the screen. Double clicking a location will select the nearest Cligen and Windgen station. An alternative to using the map is to directly select the state and county of interest. A list of the Cligen and Windgen stations nearest to the center of the county is generated from which the user can choose the weather stations to use for the simulation run.

Management

Management scenarios can be selected from a pre-generated list of crop rotations. To do this, click the down arrow on the management box which is located in the bottom panel of the WEPS1.0 window. Double clicking on the 'folder', on the left side of the management box, will bring up the management crop rotation editor, which allows the user to modify management scenarios and save them to other file names.

Soil

Soil for a simulation run can also be selected from a pre-generated list. To do this, click the down arrow on the soil box which is located in the bottom panel of the WEPS1.0 window. Double clicking on the 'folder', on the left side of the soil box, will bring up the soil editor, which allows the user to modify soil parameters and save them to other file names.

Saving Run Files

The four types of information required by WEPS1.0 as mentioned above, are saved in what is known as a 'simulation run' file. The user can save simulation run files from the information input into the four types on the WEPS1.0 window panels. Once the information has been entered the simulation run file is saved by clicking [File] and [Save As] at the top of the WEPS1.0 window. The user should then enter a simulation run file name with an extension of 'run' (i.e., *.run). These saved files can then be recalled for later modifications and simulation runs by clicking [File] and [Open] and entering the appropriate run file name.

Outputs

The basic output for WEPS1.0 is arranged in a 'spreadsheet' fashion. The columns of output have the following information.

Period End - This column contains the date of the last day for which the row information is reported. Items in that row represent values from the previous period end to the current date.

Operation - This column contains the management operation which occurred on the specified date.

Field Loss

Average Total - This column contains the total soil loss for the period, averaged across the field grid points as well as averaged over the number of simulation years in each rotation year.

Standard Deviation - This column contains the standard deviation of the values in the average total column.

Average Susp. - This column contains the total suspension loss for the period, averaged across the field grid points as well as averaged over the number of simulation years in each rotation year.

Average PM10 - This column contains the PM10 soil loss for the period, averaged across the field grid points as well as averaged over the number of simulation years in each rotation year.

Mass passing Field Boundary

Creep and Saltation - These columns (1, 2, 3, 4) contain the mass per unit length (meter) of creep and saltation size material which passed each field boundary.

Suspension - These columns (1, 2, 3, 4) contain the mass per unit length (meter) of suspension size material which passed each field boundary.

PM10 - These columns (1, 2, 3, 4) contain the mass per unit length (meter) of PM10 size material which passed each field boundary.

Weather

Avg. Total Precip. - This column contains the total precipitation for the period averaged over the simulation years in each rotation year.

Avg. Wind Energy - This column contains the wind energy for the period for winds greater than 8 m/s, averaged over the simulation years in each rotation year.

Dryness Index - This column contains the dryness index for the period averaged over the simulation years in each rotation year. The dryness index is calculated as the net radiation divided by the product of the precipitation and the latent heat of vaporization. It is a measure of the dryness of the soil surface with higher values indicating a drier surface.

Avg. Surface Conditions at Period End

Biomass

Flat Cover - These columns contain the amount of flat live and dead cover on the soil surface expresses as both percent and mass per area basis. These are values at the period end averaged over the simulation years in each rotation year.

Standing Silhouette - These columns contain the standing silhouette area index of live and dead plants expressed both on a percent and mass basis. These values are the standing silhouette area per area of soil surface. These are values at the period end averaged over the simulation years in each rotation year.

Roughness

Oriented Ridge Spacing - This column contains the spacing between ridges. This is the value at the period end averaged over the simulation years in each rotation year.

Oriented Ridge Height - This column contains the height of ridges. This is the value at the period end averaged over the simulation years in each rotation year.

Random Roughness - This column contains the standard deviation of the soil surface random roughness. This is the value at the period end averaged over the simulation years in each rotation year.

The rows in the output form vary depending on the number of rotation years and the number of management operations in each rotation year.

The first sets of rows contain values based on number of rotation years with one set of rows for each rotation year. Each rotation year has output at each management operation date as well as the last day of each month. This output allows the user to view the erosion and other output on a rotation year basis. At the end of each rotation year is a row which contains the average annual value for the rotation year.

The last set of rows contain values output at the end of each month regardless of the rotation year. This output allows the user to view average values on a monthly basis for the entire simulation.

The last row in the output form contains the average annual values for the simulation run.

Contact Information

Please contact us with questions or comments.

USDA-ARS Wind Erosion Research Unit Phone: 785-532-6495

2007 Throckmorton Plant Science Center Fax: 785-532-6528

Kansas State University E-mail: weps@weru.ksu.edu

Manhattan, KS 66506