Scenarios and Implications of Land Use and Climate Change on Water Quality in Mesoscale Agricultural Watersheds

Scenarios and Implications of Land Use and Climate Change on Water Quality in Mesoscale Agricultural Watersheds PDF Author: Bano B Mehdi
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :

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Book Description
"A comparative study in two mesoscale, agricultural watersheds located in mid-latitude, developed regions (Altmühl River, Germany and in Pike River, Canada) investigated potential future land use change and climate change impacts on surface water quality. The two watersheds provided a unique opportunity to compare potential impacts of change in similar physical and climatological regions, yet under different political settings related to agricultural policies as well as water quality management and protection. The objectives of the research were to develop agricultural land use scenarios to apply to a hydrological model simultaneously with climate change simulations. This modelling framework allowed quantifying these combined impacts on streamflow, sediment loads, nitrate-nitrogen loads and concentrations, as well as total phosphorus loads and concentrations to the 2050 time horizon. The impacts of climate change were evaluated alone and then with land use change. Overall, the quality of surface water simulated in both watersheds will be deteriorated according to environmental standards set by the ministries by 2050 due to higher mean annual nutrient loads transported into the rivers. Climate change impacts were greater than land use change impacts; however land use change can have an important influence on water quality, depending on the magnitude of crop changes taking place. Field-level adaptation strategies in the Pike River were simulated to determine the extent of reducing the combined impacts of land use and climate change. The strategies were able to mitigate the combined impacts, and also to improve the quality of surface water compared to the in-stream nutrient concentrations in the reference simulation.In both watersheds, it was determined that the combined interaction between climate change and land use change in the hydrological model are non-linear. Examining the combined impacts are necessary to determine potential alterations in water quality in a basin since the direction and the magnitude are not predictable from the individual changes alone." --

Scenarios and Implications of Land Use and Climate Change on Water Quality in Mesoscale Agricultural Watersheds

Scenarios and Implications of Land Use and Climate Change on Water Quality in Mesoscale Agricultural Watersheds PDF Author: Bano B Mehdi
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :

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Book Description
"A comparative study in two mesoscale, agricultural watersheds located in mid-latitude, developed regions (Altmühl River, Germany and in Pike River, Canada) investigated potential future land use change and climate change impacts on surface water quality. The two watersheds provided a unique opportunity to compare potential impacts of change in similar physical and climatological regions, yet under different political settings related to agricultural policies as well as water quality management and protection. The objectives of the research were to develop agricultural land use scenarios to apply to a hydrological model simultaneously with climate change simulations. This modelling framework allowed quantifying these combined impacts on streamflow, sediment loads, nitrate-nitrogen loads and concentrations, as well as total phosphorus loads and concentrations to the 2050 time horizon. The impacts of climate change were evaluated alone and then with land use change. Overall, the quality of surface water simulated in both watersheds will be deteriorated according to environmental standards set by the ministries by 2050 due to higher mean annual nutrient loads transported into the rivers. Climate change impacts were greater than land use change impacts; however land use change can have an important influence on water quality, depending on the magnitude of crop changes taking place. Field-level adaptation strategies in the Pike River were simulated to determine the extent of reducing the combined impacts of land use and climate change. The strategies were able to mitigate the combined impacts, and also to improve the quality of surface water compared to the in-stream nutrient concentrations in the reference simulation.In both watersheds, it was determined that the combined interaction between climate change and land use change in the hydrological model are non-linear. Examining the combined impacts are necessary to determine potential alterations in water quality in a basin since the direction and the magnitude are not predictable from the individual changes alone." --

Water and Land Security in Drylands

Water and Land Security in Drylands PDF Author: Mohamed Ouessar
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 3319540211
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 352

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Book Description
This book presents recent lessons learned in the context of research and development for various dryland ecosystems, focusing on water resources management, land and vegetation cover degradation and remediation, and socioeconomic aspects, as well as integrated approaches to ensuring water and land security in view of the current and predicted climate change. As water and land are the essential bases of food production, the management of these natural resources is becoming a cornerstone for the development of dryland populations. The book gathers the peer-reviewed, revised versions of the most outstanding papers on these topics presented at the ILDAC2015 Conference in Djerba, Tunisia.

Impacts of Anthropogenic Activities on Watersheds in a Changing Climate

Impacts of Anthropogenic Activities on Watersheds in a Changing Climate PDF Author: Luís Filipe Sanches Fernandes
Publisher: MDPI
ISBN: 3036502661
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 256

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Book Description
The immediate goal of this Special Issue was the characterization of land uses and occupations (LULC) in watersheds and the assessment of impacts caused by anthropogenic activities. The goal was immediate because the ultimate purpose was to help bring disturbed watersheds to a better condition or a utopian sustainable status. The steps followed to attain this objective included publishing studies on the understanding of factors and variables that control hydrology and water quality changes in response to human activities. Following this first step, the Special Issue selected work that described adaption measures capable of improving the watershed condition (water availability and quality), namely LULC conversions (e.g., monocultures into agro-forestry systems). Concerning the LULC measures, however, efficacy was questioned unless supported by public programs that force consumers to participate in concomitant costs, because conversions may be viewed as an environmental service.

Modeling Impacts of Climate Change and Agricultural Management on Watershed Outputs in Midwestern USA

Modeling Impacts of Climate Change and Agricultural Management on Watershed Outputs in Midwestern USA PDF Author: Awoke Dagnew Teshager
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Agricultural ecology
Languages : en
Pages : 246

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Book Description
Applications of the SWAT model typically involve delineation of a watershed into subwatersheds/subbasins that are then further subdivided into hydrologic response units (HRUs) which are homogeneous areas of aggregated soil, landuse, and slope and are the smallest modeling units used within the tool. In a standard SWAT application, multiple potential HRUs (farm fields) in a subbasin are usually aggregated into a single HRU feature. In other words, the standard version of the model combines multiple potential HRUs (farm fields) with the same landuse/landcover (LULC), soil, and slope, but located in different places within a subbasin (spatially non-unique), and considers them as one HRU. In this study, ArcGIS pre-processing procedures were developed to spatially define a one-to-one match between farm fields and HRUs (spatially unique HRUs) within a subbasin prior to SWAT simulations to facilitate input processing, input/output mapping, and further analysis at the individual farm field level. Model input data such as LULC, soil, crop rotation and other management data were processed through these HRUs. The SWAT model was then calibrated/validated for the Raccoon River watershed in Iowa for 2002 to 2010 and the Big Creek River watershed in Illinois for 2000 to 2003. SWAT was able to replicate annual, monthly and daily streamflow, as well as sediment, nitrate and mineral phosphorous within recommended accuracy in most cases. The one-to-one match between farm fields and HRUs created and used in this study is a first step in performing LULC change, climate change impact, and other analyses in a more spatially explicit manner. The calibrated and validated SWAT model was then used to assess agricultural scenario and climate change impacts on watershed water quantity, quality, and crop yields. Modeling impacts of agricultural scenarios and climate change on surface water quantity and quality provides useful information for planning effective water, environmental, and land use policies. Despite the significant impacts of agriculture on water quantity and quality, limited literature exists modeling the combined impacts of agricultural scenarios and climate change on crop yields and watershed hydrology. Here, SWAT, was used to model the combined impacts of five agricultural scenarios and three climate scenarios downscaled using eight climate models. These scenarios were implemented in a well calibrated SWAT model for the Raccoon River watershed (RRW), IA. We run the scenarios for the historical baseline, early-century, mid-century, and late-century periods. Results indicate that historical and more corn intensive agricultural scenarios with higher CO2 emissions consistently result in more water in the streams and greater water quality problems, especially late in the 21st century. Planting more switchgrass, on the other hand, results in less water in the streams and water quality improvements relative to the baseline. For all given agricultural landscapes simulated, all flow, sediment and nutrient outputs increase from early-to-late century periods for the RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 climate scenarios. We also find that corn and switchgrass yields are negatively impacted under RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 scenarios in the mid and late 21st century. Finally, various agricultural best management practice (BMP) scenarios were evaluated for their efficiency in alleviating watershed water quality problems. The vast majority of the literature on efficiency assessment of BMPs in alleviating water quality problems base their scenarios analysis on identifying subbasin level simulation results. In the this study, we used spatially explicit HRUs, defined using ArcGIS-based pre-processing methodology, to identify Nitrate (NO3) and Total Suspended Solids (TSS) hotspots at the HRU/field level, and evaluate the efficiency of selected BMPs in a large watershed, RRW, using the SWAT model. Accordingly, analysis of fourteen management scenarios were performed based on systematic combinations of five agricultural BMPs (fertilizer/manure management, changing cropland to perennial grass, vegetative filter strips, cover crops and shallower tile drainage systems) aimed to reduce NO3 and TSS yields from targeted hotspot areas in the watershed at field level. Moreover, implications of climate change on management practices, and impacts of management practices on water availability and crop yield and total production were assessed. Results indicated that either implementation of multiple BMPs or conversion of an extensive area into perennial grass may be required to sufficiently reduce nitrate loads to meet the drinking water standard. Moreover, climate change may undermine the effectiveness of management practices, especially late in the 21 st century. The targeted approach used in this study resulted in slight decreases in watershed average crop yields, hence the reduction in total crop production is mainly due to conversion of croplands to perennial grass.

Impacts of Landscape Change on Water Resources

Impacts of Landscape Change on Water Resources PDF Author: Manoj K. Jha
Publisher: MDPI
ISBN: 3039434268
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 180

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Book Description
Changes in land use and land cover can have many drivers, including population growth, urbanization, agriculture, demand for food, evolution of socio-economic structure, policy regulations, and climate variability. The impacts of these changes on water resources range from changes in water availability (due to changes in losses of water to evapotranspiration and recharge) to degradation of water quality (increased erosion, salinity, chemical loadings, and pathogens). The impacts are manifested through complex hydro-bio-geo-climate characteristics, which underscore the need for integrated scientific approaches to understand the impacts of landscape change on water resources. Several techniques, such as field studies, long-term monitoring, remote sensing technologies, and advanced modeling studies, have contributed to better understanding the modes and mechanisms by which landscape changes impact water resources. Such research studies can help unlock the complex interconnected influences of landscape on water resources in terms of quantity and quality at multiple spatial and temporal scales. In this Special Issue, we published a set of eight peer-reviewed articles elaborating on some of the specific topics of landscape changes and associated impacts on water resources.

Soil-Water, Agriculture, and Climate Change

Soil-Water, Agriculture, and Climate Change PDF Author: Swatantra Kumar Dubey
Publisher: Springer Nature
ISBN: 3031120590
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 372

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Book Description
This book presents an exploration of linkages among soil-water, agriculture, and climate change with a special focus on thematic areas for assessment, mitigation, and management of natural resources under climate change conditions. This book covers advances in modelling approaches, including machine learning (ML)/ artificial intelligence (AI) applications; GIS and remote sensing; sensors; impacts of climate change on agriculture; subsurface water; contaminants; and socio-economic impacts, which are lacking in a more comprehensive manner in the previous titles. This book encompasses updated information as well as future directions for researchers working in the field of management of natural resources. The goal of this book is to provide scientific evidence to researchers and policymakers and end-to-end value chain practitioners which may help in reducing the overall adverse impacts of climate change on water resources and the related mitigation strategies. This book focuses on the knowledge, modern tools, and techniques, i.e., machine learning, artificial intelligence, etc. for soil-water, agriculture, and climate change. Further, nature-based solutions for management of natural resources with special targets on contaminants, extreme events, disturbances, etc. will be targeted. The book provides readers with the enhanced knowledge for application of engineering principles and economic and regulatory constraints to determine a soil-water, agriculture production action strategy, and select appropriate technologies to implement the strategy for a given data set at a site. It would also cover the application of laboratory, modeling, numerical methods for determination and forecasting of climate change impacts, agriculture production, pollution, soil health, etc. Overall, it provides hydrologists, environmental engineers, administrators, policy makers, consultants, and industrial experts with essential support in effective management of soils health, agricultural productions, and mitigation of extreme climatic events.

Climate Change and Land Use/Cover Change Impacts on Watershed Hydrology, Nutrient Dynamics -- a Case Study in Missisquoi River Watershed

Climate Change and Land Use/Cover Change Impacts on Watershed Hydrology, Nutrient Dynamics -- a Case Study in Missisquoi River Watershed PDF Author: Linyuan Shang
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Climatic changes
Languages : en
Pages : 318

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Book Description
Watershed regulation of water, carbon and nutrient dynamics support food, drinking water and human development. Projected climate changes and land use/cover change (LUCC) have been identified as drivers of watershed nutrient and hydrological processes and are likely to happen jointly in the future decades. Studying climate change and LUCC impacts on watersheds' streamflow and nutrients dynamics is therefore essential for future watershed management. This research aimed to unveil how climate change and LUCC affect water and nutrient dynamics in the Missisquoi River watershed, Vermont. We used 12 scenarios of future climate data (2021 - 2050) generated by three GCMs (ccsm4, mri-cgcm3, and gfdl-esm2m) under four Representative Concentration Pathways (RCPs). For LUCC, we used three different scenarios generated by the Interactive Land Use Transition Agent-Based Model (ILUTABM). The three LUCC scenarios were Business As Usual (BAU), Prefer Forest (proForest), and Prefer Agriculture (proAg). New land use maps were generated every 10 years for the period of 2021 - 2050. Combining each climate change and LUCC scenario resulted in 36 scenarios that were used to drive Regional Hydro-Ecologic Simulation System (RHESSys) ecohydrological model. In chapter 3, we used RHESSys to study streamflow. We found climate was the main driver for streamflow because climate change directly controlled the system water input. For streamflow, climate change scenarios had larger impacts than LUCC, different LUCCs under the same climate change scenario had similar annual flow patterns. In chapter 4, we used RHESSys to study streamflow NO3-N and NH4-N load. Because fertilizer application is the major source for nitrogen export, LUCC had larger impacts; watersheds with more agricultural land had larger nitrogen loads. In chapter 5, we developed RHESSys-P by coupling the DayCent phosphorus module with RHESSys to study climate change and LUCC impacts on Dissolved Phosphorus (DP) load. RHESSys-P was calibrated with observed DP data for 2002 - 2004 and validated with data for 2009 - 2010. In both calibration and validation periods, simulated DP basically captured patterns of observed DP. In the validation period, the R2 of simulated vs observed DP was 0.788. Future projection results indicated BAU and proForest annual loads were around 4.0 x 104 kg under all climate change scenarios; proAg annual loads increased from around 4.0 x 104 kg in 2021 to 1.6 x 105 kg in 2050 under all climate change scenarios. The results showed LUCC was the dominant factor for dissolved phosphorus loading. Overall, our results suggest that, while climate drives streamflow, N and P fluxes are largely driven by land use and management decisions. To balance human development and environmental quality, BAU is a feasible future development strategy.

Addressing Climate Change in Long-term Water Resources Planning and Management

Addressing Climate Change in Long-term Water Resources Planning and Management PDF Author: Levi D. Brekke
Publisher: DIANE Publishing
ISBN: 1437945015
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 160

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Book Description
Describes the water management community¿s needs for climate change info. and tools to support long-term planning. Technical specialists and program managers have worked with their planners, water operators, and environmental compliance managers to identify the information and tools most relevant to their programs. They also have engaged and consulted with other Federal, State, and local agencies and stakeholder groups that have a role in water and water-related resource management to identify complementary priorities and individual perspectives. This report will help focus research and technology efforts to address info. and tools gaps relevant to the water management user community. Charts and tables. This is a print on demand report.

Research and Cumulative Watershed Effects

Research and Cumulative Watershed Effects PDF Author: Leslie M. Reid
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Land use
Languages : en
Pages : 130

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Book Description


Climate Variability and Water Dependent Sectors

Climate Variability and Water Dependent Sectors PDF Author: Dannele E. Peck
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1317614275
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 141

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Book Description
Demand for water in agricultural, municipal, industrial, and environmental uses is growing. More frequent and severe extreme weather conditions now exacerbate water shortages in many locations and existing infrastructure to store and release water rarely has the capacity to both prevent floods during wet periods and meet demand during drought periods. Competition among sectors adds pressure not only on water infrastructure, but also on management policies and allocation institutions. This book of contributed chapters assesses the performance of existing infrastructure, institutions and policies under different climate variability scenarios. It also provides suggestions for minimizing conflict over scarce water resources. More flexible water-allocation institutions and management policies, and better tools for decision-making under uncertainty will be required to maximize society’s net benefit from less reliable water resources. The chapters show how incentives for individuals to conserve water, and policies for helping vulnerable populations prepare for and recover from extreme events, will also need to be improved. This book was originally published as a special issue of the Journal of Natural Resources Policy Research.