Informing the sustainability of climate smart agricultural practices with respect to water quantity

Authors: Baffaut, Claire; Schreiner-Mcgraw, Adam

Submitted to: American Geophysical Union Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/4/2023
Publication Date: 12/13/2023
Citation: Baffaut, C., Schreiner-McGraw, A.P. 2023. Informing the sustainability of climate smart agricultural practices with respect to water quantity [abstract]. American Geophysical Union Meeting Abstract. Paper 1393939.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Agricultural practices designed to sequester carbon or reduce greenhouse gas emission can also affect water quantity. In order to evaluate agricultural practices across a wide range of agro-ecosystems, an indicator that is simple to measure and able to provide insight to impacts across the water budget is useful. We currently lack such an indicator to assess the sustainability of agricultural practices with respect to water quantity. Possibilities include indicators based on the relevant water quantity issue: runoff, groundwater recharge, evapotranspiration, or soil water content. An indicator based on soil moisture is attractive because soil water content can be measured anywhere, and remote sensed sources of data are available. However, for a single indicator to be useful, it needs to be related to the various water quantity issues that exist in agricultural landscapes. In this study, we propose water quantity indicators of sustainability, calculate them based on simulated values of soil water content, groundwater recharge, evapotranspiration, and runoff, and evaluate them for their relevance to the dominant water quantity issues. We use a Missouri case study on replicated plots at the Central Mississippi River Basin site of the Long-Term Agroecosystem Research (LTAR) Network for which the dominant water quantity issues are runoff along with its associated erosion and pollutant transport, and soils increasingly too wet or too dry for optimal production. We use a second case study at the Jornada Experimental Range LTAR site where the primary water quantity issue is water availability for forage growth. We compare model simulated soil water content for prevailing practices and management systems designed to sequester carbon and evaluate how the proposed indicators inform the relevant water quantity issues.