Geographic Information Systems and Evapotranspiration

After intense search we were able to find different types of irrigation systems that represent different forms of irrigation which are also the most commonly used in their category and generally here in the central valley. There are three categories that form the irrigation system: flood, sprinkler, and drip. Flood irrigation providing us with furrow irrigation, sprinkler irrigation having the center pivot irrigation, and drip irrigation having its own beneficial water conservation uses, each which waters our crops but not all in the most effective way possible. Furrow irrigation for example tends to flood the crops with water in order to water them, which is not good for the crops as they will be taking in too much water and drowning. When farmers use furrow irrigation they use as much water at once in

Some of the major technologies used in geography, have made both sorts of information far more readily available and far easier to use. Statistical analysis and modeling of spatial patterns have relied on computer technology.

Warmer temperatures in Arizona in river has been leading to more evaporation. The water that is being used by plants and soil experience evapotranspiration which has accounted for a loss of at least half-million acre-feet of water annually.

2. Statements (1) and (2) refer to water volumes. Are these Net or Gross volumes? (1) Crop water use (cu-ft) = Seasonal ET (ft) x Crop area (acres) x 43,560 sq-ft/acre (2) Volume applied by system (ac-in) = Application rate (in/hr) x Irrigation time (hr) x Area (acres)

As we all understand, the Earth has many landmarks and it is these physical features that create an abundant and organized system within which we thrive. One of the most abundant natural resources on the planet is water and the importance of this element is as crucial as any other. For the fortunate few who get to utilize it, this amazing reserve provides us with our necessity for daily consumption as well as our ability to grow just about anything we please. Common irrigation practices are essential for gathering water into a contained area to grow crops that would not typically survive in areas without heavy rainfall. As a matter of fact, “irrigation is an ancient practice that originated along the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers in what is now Iraq” and is now the result of an estimated 40 percent of all crops grown around the world (Water Encyclopedia). This tactic has provided many different cultures with numerous varieties of crops as well as growth in crop yield which in turn dramatically advances human civilization. As we develop into a more progressive society, the tools and systems used to grow our crops also become more intelligent as well as sustainable

This essay is a review of the article “Growing More Food with Less Water”, written by Sandra Postel. According the article, our global freshwater sources, including underground aquifers and rivers are stressed beyond their ability to provide freshwater. Agriculture redesign is necessary with the two primary goals being to cut water demands of mainstream agriculture and bring low cost irrigation to poor farmers. Typical irrigation, crop furrow flooding is a main cause of wasted and polluted water. This article discusses alternatives to typical irrigation. These alternatives have been tested onsite by farers and surveyed.

Precision farming refers to using data and technology to help guide strategic decisions about planting and growing crops. Enhanced mapping and electronic monitoring of yield are both examples of precision farming. Enhanced mapping is made possible through a combination of satellite photographs, ground monitoring devices and GPS targeting (Searle 2). Electronic monitoring of yield is carried out during harvests. Because devices are able to record exactly how much is harvested and then the data is collected can be combined with enhanced mapping to help farmers choose the best areas of their land for planting specific crops. Bioengineering involves the use of genetically modified seeds. The seeds used to grow crops can be modified to increase pest resistance, enhance drought tolerance or yield output that is fortified with nutrients that aren’t naturally found in that specific crop (Ruttan

Where AET is actual evapotranspiration, P is the precipitation depth, and Q is runoff depth. Combined evaporation and transpiration from plants (evapotranspiration) is balanced by inflows as precipitation and outflows as runoff. Based on a research conducted by McGuiness (1963) for a period of seventeen years (1933-1949), the Rock Creek basin received an average precipitation of 43.5 inches, in which 12 inches was surface runoff. Therefore, if the precipitation and runoff values are substituted into the equation above, actual evapotranspiration rate of the basin equals 31.5 inches. However,

California is the leading state in agricultural production; however, the state has taken a blow from this four-year drought. Farmers have been forced to re-evaluate their irrigation systems and make necessary changes to conserve water. In order to judge the agricultural water use efficiency, scientists are using a ratio of evapotranspiration of the crop grown to the water applied to the crop. Evapotranspiration is the total evaporation and plant transpiration from land surface to the atmosphere (Marin et al. 2015). Through various

California employs various irrigation systems. These irrigation systems are condensed into four different groups- sub-surface irrigation, surface irrigation (gravity), sprinkler irrigation, and drip/mico sprinkler irrigation (Orang, Snyder and Matyac). Sub-surface irrigation is when there is a pipe or open ditch that is blocked in order to force the water back to the crop root zone. Approximately two percent of the irrigation in California is done this way in 2001. There are six different type so surface (gravity) irrigation- wild flood, border, basin, furrow irrigation without sprinklers, wheel line sprinklers followed by furrow irrigation, and hand move sprinklers followed by furrow irrigation. Surface (gravity) irrigation is the most common form of irrigation in California; in 2001 it accounted for about 50% of all irrigation in California. There are various types of sprinkler irrigation systems. A few of the ones mentioned in this report include solid set, hand move, linear move, wheel line, and hose pull. The final category of irrigation systems is drip/micro sprinkler irrigation. Drip/micro sprinkler irrigation systems consist of having mini sprinklers above and below ground. This irrigation system made up about 33% of the irrigation in 2001. This type of irrigation would drastically help with water shortages. It would help because it doesn’t flood the fields with water

Water availability of both surface and ground water has become a major problem due to high demand. On average, 320 gallons of water are used per day by each household in America, 30 percent of which is used outdoors (EPA, 2015). In Florida alone, total water withdrawals are expected to increase by almost 21 percent by the year 2030 (Water use trends in Florida, 2014). I believe the high volume of water being used is not the sole issue; it is the source of our water as well as our water management practices. Some experts estimate that as much as 50 percent of water used for outdoor irrigation is lost through evaporation (EPA, 2015). This loss of water happens when plants or grasses are watered at certain times during the day and is a direct result of Florida’s water mismanagement. Commercial and residential vegetation has been watered too often and at the wrong times for far too long and it needs to stop unless we want to see our aquifers dry up entirely.

(Hasan and Özay 2002, 73-74). As Albiac (2008) reports, development of pipe network distribution and drip irrigation methods in other countries led the farmers to have remarkable irrigation efficiency in drought (143). Such technologies have already been used in China, but they are not widely spread in China’s agriculture. One investigation in China on rice paddy irrigation systems development was performed and it revealed that using the fry-foot paddy irrigation (when no water flooded the field) instead of flooding irrigation (when the rice field is completely flooded) significantly (40-60%) reduces water consumption (Xiaoping, Qiangsheng and Bin 2004, 351). Furthermore, drip irrigation method was applied in arid Northern China and it raised the water usage efficiency (Du et al 2007). However, introduction of new irrigation technologies faced some difficulties in China. As Hodstedt (2010) noticed in his article, the water saved by these technologies such as drip irrigation systems was simply spent on more food production and, therefore, did not reduce the water shortage. Also, as he reported, this caused two other environmental problems. Firstly, the water, which was the supply for underground water and aquifers as it was lost by deep percolation and leakage, became unavailable after the water-saving technologies were introduced and this strengthened the aquifers depleting along with its overpumping. Secondly, after

In recent years overconsumption of water has drained the earth’s river basins faster than rain can replenish them. An average person’s daily water footprint i.e. the total amount of water consumed to support their lifestyle is 3,800 liters. Most of this consumption relates to the crops that are farmed to provide us with food and clothing. Irrigation consumes an enormous amount of water, and the effects of this are seen at every stage in the food chain. For example 98 percent of the water footprint created by raising beef cattle comes from growing the grain that feeds the cows during their lifetimes. For each kilogram of steak produced, we consume 15,415 liters of water. That’s enough drinking water to last one person nearly 17 years. Growing water footprint is partly a result of our increasing population; but it is also compounded by the fact that irrigation systems, especially in the developing world, are often extremely inefficient. The UN Food and Agriculture Organization states that even a good irrigation scheme is only 50-60 percent efficient. Poor irrigation systems can result in the vast majority of the water being lost to evaporation, seepage and other problems before it reaches the fields. Moreover, once it gets there, if farmers choose to irrigate at the wrong time for example, just before it rains, the water will be wasted and the crops may even be damaged.

Farmers over-irrigate and under irrigate their produce causing famines and severe soil erosion. As the nation and the world have sunk into a global water crisis, every drop counts. Day by day, the evaporation rate increases. Farmers can’t tell the maximum and minimum amounts of water in their land. That’s where our innovation comes into play.

With the nation’s population growing at a semi-average rate of 1.25%, it is without a doubt a need to have under control all the aspects of mitigation and irrigation of the land in terms of its people seeing that as of 2008, India’s approximate irrigated land totaled in at 663,340 square kilometers. Being the fourth largest economy in the world as per the GDP in 2011, India’s economic growth has expanded at a yearly rate of approximately 7% since the year 2000. At this growing rate, energy demand will