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Title: CALIBRATION OF WATER QUALITY MODELS TO ASSESS AGRICULTURAL BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES IN FLORIDA'S SOUTH DADE EVERGLADES BASIN

Author
item MUNOZ-CARPENA, R. - UNIV. OF FLORIDA
item Bosch, David - Dave
item RITTER, A. - JCJA
item SCHAFFER, B. - UNIV. OF FLORIDA
item Potter, Thomas

Submitted to: American Society of Agricultural Engineers Meetings Papers
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/13/2003
Publication Date: 8/20/2002
Citation: MUNOZ-CARPENA, R., BOSCH, D.D., RITTER, A., SCHAFFER, B., POTTER, T.L. CALIBRATION OF WATER QUALITY MODELS TO ASSESS AGRICULTURAL BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES IN FLORIDA'S SOUTH DADE EVERGLADES BASIN. AMERICAN SOCIETY OF AGRICULTURAL ENGINEERS MEETINGS PAPERS. ASAE #022128. 2002.

Interpretive Summary: The South Dade Everglades agricultural region serves as a unique buffer between Miami's urban sprawl and the diverse natural ecosystem of the Everglades and Biscayne National Parks. Where agriculture was once perceived as a threat to the fragile natural protected areas in the region, it is now considered a viable alternative to urbanization if certain water quality standards are met. In order for agriculture to provide this buffer, critical management decisions related to tillage, crop scheduling, agrichemical application, and irrigation need to be made. Field-tested computer models can assist in making these decisions. Two such models were tested using data collected from the area. Preliminary modeling results show evidence that a summer cover crop (sunn hemp) could be effective when used as a BMP to reduce soil drainage and associated atrazine leaching in a sweet corn rotation. Furthermore, the model application demonstrates the utility of such models for making agri-management decisions in the region.

Technical Abstract: Computer models, when sufficiently tested under the field conditions where they will be applied, are powerful tools for evaluating natural resource menagement scenarios and risk assessment. Initial field calibration of two vadose zone chemical transport models, currently used in risk assessment is undertaken. The models selected correspond to two different classes: a functional one (GLEAMS), and a numerical one (WAVE). This paper focuses on the potential application of such models to evaluate the effectiveness of a proposed best management practice (BMP in the very fragile environment of the agricultural area adjacent to Florida's Everglades National Park. The calibration and application procedure, using a complete hydrologic and water quality data-set from a field experimental site located at a University of Florida research center in Homestead (Florida), is presented. A state of the art inverse modeling procedure based on a global optimizing algorithm (Global Multilevel Coordinate Search) was used for the numerical model WAVE. Preliminary modeling results obtained after field calibration show evidence that a summer cover crop (sunn hemp) could be effective when used as a BMP to reduce soil drainage and associated atrazine leaching in a sweet corn rotation.