This data set gives estimates of erosion and sediment yield avoided due to the presence of natural land cover. These estimates are given for each land cover class and summarized for the conterminous US. The data correspond to Fig 6 in the manuscript. This dataset is associated with the following publication: Woznicki, S., P. Cada, J. Wickham, M. Schmidt, J. Baynes, M. Mehaffey, and A. Neale. Sediment retention by natural landscapes in the conterminous United States. SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT. Elsevier BV, AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS, 745: 140972, (2020).

This data set contains estimated average annual soil loss (Mg ha-1 yr-1) and estimated average annual sediment yield (Mg ha-1 yr-1) aggregated by HUC-12 watersheds for the conterminous US. This data set corresponds to Fig 3 in the manuscript. This dataset is associated with the following publication: Woznicki, S., P. Cada, J. Wickham, M. Schmidt, J. Baynes, M. Mehaffey, and A. Neale. Sediment retention by natural landscapes in the conterminous United States. SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT. Elsevier BV, AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS, 745: 140972, (2020).

This dataset represents the average of the relative nutrient loss rates due to water erosion for the three nutrients total nitrogen, total phosphorus and soil organic carbon. The dataset is masked to cropping and grazing lands. The units are percentage/year. Relative nutrient loss is calculated as the annual loss of nutrient from the top 5 cm of soil relative to the total stock of each nutrient in the full depth of the soil profile. Annual erosion rate data are from Teng et al. (2016) and soil nutrient data are from the Soil and Landscape Grid of Australia. For a full description of the methods used to generate this datset see McKenzie et al. (2017).To present the average relative nutrient loss rate data in Figure 4.5 in McKenzie et al. (2017), the data were divided into seven classes using percentiles as the class breaks. That is, 20 % of the grid cells fell into each of the first four classes, 10 % of the grid cells into the fifth class, and 5 % into each of the sixth and seventh classes. The actual average nutrient loss rate values which represent those class breaks are listed below:0-20th percentile: < 0.003 %/y20-40th percentile: 0.003 - 0.005 %/y40-60th percentile: 0.005 - 0.009 %/y60-80th percentile: 0.009 - 0.019 %/y80-90th percentile: 0.019 - 0.045 %/y90-95th percentile: 0.045 - 0.098 %/y95-100th percentile: > 0.098 %/y

In the associated manuscript, we used the State-level National Resources Inventory (NRI) annual estimates of sheet and rill erosion to calibrate our RUSLE-derived estimates. This data set provides the data used in and resulting from that calibration. The data set relates to Figs 1 a-d in the manuscript. This dataset is associated with the following publication: Woznicki, S., P. Cada, J. Wickham, M. Schmidt, J. Baynes, M. Mehaffey, and A. Neale. Sediment retention by natural landscapes in the conterminous United States. SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT. Elsevier BV, AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS, 745: 140972, (2020).

This data set contains estimated average annual soil loss avoided (Mg ha-1 yr-1) and estimated average annual sediment yield (Mg ha-1 yr-1) avoided aggregated by HUC-12 watersheds for the conterminous US. This data set corresponds to Fig 5 in the manuscript. This dataset is associated with the following publication: Woznicki, S., P. Cada, J. Wickham, M. Schmidt, J. Baynes, M. Mehaffey, and A. Neale. Sediment retention by natural landscapes in the conterminous United States. SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT. Elsevier BV, AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS, 745: 140972, (2020).

This data set contains estimated average annual soil loss avoided (Mg ha-1 yr-1) and estimated average annual sediment yield (Mg ha-1 yr-1) avoided aggregated by HUC-12 watersheds for the conterminous US. This data set corresponds to Fig 5 in the manuscript. This dataset is associated with the following publication: Woznicki, S., P. Cada, J. Wickham, M. Schmidt, J. Baynes, M. Mehaffey, and A. Neale. Sediment retention by natural landscapes in the conterminous United States. SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT. Elsevier BV, AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS, 745: 140972, (2020).

This data contains a comparison between the soil loss values we calculated using RUSLE and those produced by the Iowa State University's Daily Erosion Project (DEP). The comparison is done for almost 5,000 12-digit HUC's in Iowa, and parts of Minnesota, Nebraska, Kansas, and Missouri. The DEP uses the Water Erosion Prediction Project (WEPP) hillslope model with high temporal resolution, Next-Generation Weather 200 RADAR (NEXRAD) precipitation, and crop specific parameters such as C and P factors obtained from the confidential NRI database The comparison between RUSLE and DEP was made for HUC-12s with greater than 75% agricultural land cover. This threshold was used because DEP only models agricultural erosion, while our RUSLE-derived HUC-12 estimates include all land cover types. This data set corresponds to Fig 2 in the manuscript. This dataset is associated with the following publication: Woznicki, S., P. Cada, J. Wickham, M. Schmidt, J. Baynes, M. Mehaffey, and A. Neale. Sediment retention by natural landscapes in the conterminous United States. SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT. Elsevier BV, AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS, 745: 140972, (2020).

This data contains a comparison between the soil loss values we calculated using RUSLE and those produced by the Iowa State University's Daily Erosion Project (DEP). The comparison is done for almost 5,000 12-digit HUC's in Iowa, and parts of Minnesota, Nebraska, Kansas, and Missouri. The DEP uses the Water Erosion Prediction Project (WEPP) hillslope model with high temporal resolution, Next-Generation Weather 200 RADAR (NEXRAD) precipitation, and crop specific parameters such as C and P factors obtained from the confidential NRI database The comparison between RUSLE and DEP was made for HUC-12s with greater than 75% agricultural land cover. This threshold was used because DEP only models agricultural erosion, while our RUSLE-derived HUC-12 estimates include all land cover types. This data set corresponds to Fig 2 in the manuscript. This dataset is associated with the following publication: Woznicki, S., P. Cada, J. Wickham, M. Schmidt, J. Baynes, M. Mehaffey, and A. Neale. Sediment retention by natural landscapes in the conterminous United States. SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT. Elsevier BV, AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS, 745: 140972, (2020).

This EnviroAtlas national dataset shows the average annual soil loss and sediment yield to waterbodies by 12-digit HUC subwatershed for the conterminous United States for 2011 with existing land use / land cover and under a scenario in which natural vegetation is removed. It also includes the soil loss and sediment yield prevented by natural vegetation, calculated as the difference between soil loss or sediment yield with existing land cover and under the vegetation removal scenario. This dataset is based on a collection of six rasters showing runoff, sediment delivery ratio, and sediment yield to streams and waterbodies under two land cover scenarios. The two scenarios are the existing vegetation scenario based on the 2011 National Land Cover Database (NLCD), and a scenario in which natural land cover was replaced with barren land. Average annual soil loss due to sheet and rill erosion was calculated using the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) equation for both scenarios. A Sediment Delivery Ratio (SDR) was then applied to both scenarios. The SDR was multiplied by the average annual soil loss to estimate net sediment yield to downstream waterways under both scenarios. These datasets can be used together to quantify the soil retention services of natural vegetation. The datasets used as inputs include the 2011 NLCD, 1971-2000 Rainfall-runoff erosivity factor from PRISM (Parameter-elevation Regressions on Independent Slopes Model), the U.S. Geological Survey's 30-meter digital elevation model (DEM), Soil Survey Geographic Database (SSURGO), and State Soil Geographic Database (STATSGO2) data, MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), and the US Department of Agriculture (USDA)'s crop management zones (CMZs). This dataset was produced by the US EPA to support research and online mapping activities related to EnviroAtlas. EnviroAtlas (https://www.epa.gov/enviroatlas) allows the user to interact with a web-based, easy-to-use, mapping application to view and analyze multiple ecosystem services for the contiguous United States. The dataset is available as downloadable data (https://edg.epa.gov/data/Public/ORD/EnviroAtlas) or as an EnviroAtlas map service. Additional descriptive information about each attribute in this dataset can be found in its associated EnviroAtlas Fact Sheet (https://www.epa.gov/enviroatlas/enviroatlas-fact-sheets).

This EnviroAtlas national dataset shows the average annual soil loss and sediment yield to waterbodies by 12-digit HUC subwatershed for the conterminous United States for 2011 with existing land use / land cover and under a scenario in which natural vegetation is removed. It also includes the soil loss and sediment yield prevented by natural vegetation, calculated as the difference between soil loss or sediment yield with existing land cover and under the vegetation removal scenario. This dataset is based on a collection of six rasters showing runoff, sediment delivery ratio, and sediment yield to streams and waterbodies under two land cover scenarios. The two scenarios are the existing vegetation scenario based on the 2011 National Land Cover Database (NLCD), and a scenario in which natural land cover was replaced with barren land. Average annual soil loss due to sheet and rill erosion was calculated using the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) equation for both scenarios. A Sediment Delivery Ratio (SDR) was then applied to both scenarios. The SDR was multiplied by the average annual soil loss to estimate net sediment yield to downstream waterways under both scenarios. These datasets can be used together to quantify the soil retention services of natural vegetation. The datasets used as inputs include the 2011 NLCD, 1971-2000 Rainfall-runoff erosivity factor from PRISM (Parameter-elevation Regressions on Independent Slopes Model), the U.S. Geological Survey's 30-meter digital elevation model (DEM), Soil Survey Geographic Database (SSURGO), and State Soil Geographic Database (STATSGO2) data, MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), and the US Department of Agriculture (USDA)'s crop management zones (CMZs). This dataset was produced by the US EPA to support research and online mapping activities related to EnviroAtlas. EnviroAtlas (https://www.epa.gov/enviroatlas) allows the user to interact with a web-based, easy-to-use, mapping application to view and analyze multiple ecosystem services for the contiguous United States. The dataset is available as downloadable data (https://edg.epa.gov/data/Public/ORD/EnviroAtlas) or as an EnviroAtlas map service. Additional descriptive information about each attribute in this dataset can be found in its associated EnviroAtlas Fact Sheet (https://www.epa.gov/enviroatlas/enviroatlas-fact-sheets).