You have entered the website of the Water and Environmental Research Institute of the Western Pacific (WERI) at the University of Guam. We are currently six faculty and five staff and our mission is to seek solutions through research, teaching and outreach programs, to issues and problems associated with the location, production, distribution and management of freshwater resources in Guam, the CNMI and the FSM.
In Southern Guam, dramatic erosion processes are visibly evident. Areas of land overlying steeply sloping topography are eroding soils, leaving exposed patches of earth, or badlands. The objective of this study was to learn more about the specificity of erosion rates and sources from badlands in Southern Guam within the boundaries of the La Sa Fua watershed. Using quantitative evaluations from physical measurements and information from previous studies, a disparity was established between previously published estimated rates and measured sediment loss. Results indicated that badlands across the steepest slopes of the watershed contribute an average of 65.90 tons/acre/year in soil yield, as opposed to the 225.92 tons/acre/year calculated from the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE). Comparatively, badlands from the lower lying, less steep area of the watershed averaged 13.70 tons/acre/year in sediment yield, as opposed to the 225.92 tons/acre/year calculated from the RUSLE model.
