This dataset represents the adjusted soil erodibility factor within individual, local NHDPlusV2 catchments and upstream, contributing watersheds. Attributes of the landscape layer were calculated for every local NHDPlusV2 catchment and accumulated to provide watershed-level metrics. (See Supplementary Info for Glossary of Terms)

        The STATSGO Layer table specifies two soil erodibility factors for each component layer, KFFACT and KFACT. The STATSGO documentation describes KFFACT as a soil erodibility factor which "quantifies the susceptibility of soil particles to detachment and movement by water. This factor is used in the Universal Soil Loss Equation to calculate soil loss by water." KFACT is described as a soil erodibility factor which is "adjusted for the effect of rock fragments." The average value of each of these soil erodibility factors was determined for the top (surface) layer for each map unit of each state. The base-flow index (BFI) grid for the conterminous United States was developed to estimate (1) BFI values for ungaged streams, and (2) ground-water recharge throughout the conterminous United States (see Data Source). Estimates of BFI values at ungaged streams and BFI-based ground-water recharge estimates are useful for interpreting relations between land use and water quality in surface and ground water.

The soil erodibility factor was summarized by local catchment and by watershed to produce local catchment-level and watershed-level metrics as a continuous data type.