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Representing Water Scarcity in Future Agricultural AssessmentsGlobally, irrigated agriculture is both essential for food production and the largest user of water. A major challenge for hydrologic and agricultural research communities is assessing the sustainability of irrigated croplands under climate variability and change. Simulations of irrigated croplands generally lack key interactions between water supply, water distribution, and agricultural water demand. In this article, we explore the critical interface between water resources and agriculture by motivating, developing, and illustrating the application of an integrated modeling framework to advance simulations of irrigated croplands. We motivate the framework by examining historical dynamics of irrigation water withdrawals in the United States and quantitatively reviewing previous modeling studies of irrigated croplands with a focus on representations of water supply, agricultural water demand, and impacts on crop yields when water demand exceeds water supply. We then describe the integrated modeling framework for simulating irrigated croplands, which links trends and scenarios with water supply, water allocation, and agricultural water demand. Finally, we provide examples of efforts that leverage the framework to improve simulations of irrigated croplands as well as identify opportunities for interventions that increase agricultural productivity, resiliency, and sustainability.
Document ID
20170007363
Acquisition Source
Goddard Space Flight Center
Document Type
Reprint (Version printed in journal)
Authors
Winter, Jonathan M.
(Dartmouth Coll. Hanover, NH, United States)
Lopez, Jose R.
(Dartmouth Coll. Hanover, NH, United States)
Ruane, Alexander C.
(NASA Goddard Inst. for Space Studies New York, NY United States)
Young, Charles A.
(Stockholm Environment Inst. Davis, CA, United States)
Scanlon, Bridget R.
(Texas Univ. Austin, TX, United States)
Rosenzweig, Cynthia
(NASA Goddard Inst. for Space Studies New York, NY United States)
Date Acquired
August 3, 2017
Publication Date
May 20, 2017
Publication Information
Publication: Anthropocene
Publisher: Elsevier
Volume: 18
ISSN: 2213-3054
Subject Category
Meteorology And Climatology
Report/Patent Number
GSFC-E-DAA-TN45014
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other
Keywords
Irrigated Agriculture; Crop Model; Hydrologic Model; Water Resources Management

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