Skip to main content
ARS Home » Southeast Area » Stoneville, Mississippi » Crop Production Systems Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #278021
Title: Develop hydrological relationships using a modeling approach in Mississippi delta

Author
item JAYAKODY, P - Mississippi State University
item PARAJULI, P - Mississippi State University
item Sassenrath, Gretchen

Submitted to: Mississippi Water Resources Research Conference Proceedings
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/7/2012
Publication Date: 4/3/2012
Citation: Jayakody, P., Parajuli, P., Sassenrath, G.F. 2012. Develop hydrological relationships using a modeling approach in Mississippi delta. Mississippi Water Resources Research Conference Proceedings. Volume 2-3:1088.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Agriculture management practices such as tillage and crop rotations alter the hydrological budget of watersheds. Changes happen to surface runoff can be easily identify with the help of intensive USGS stream gage network, available in Mississippi, but changes to ground water table is less understood as inherent difficulties of measurements. The main objective of this research is to develop relationships among evapotranspiration (ET), soil moisture content (SMC) and depth to the ground water table through modelling approach. The SWAT hydrologic and crop models were setup for the Big Sunflower River watershed (BSRW; 7,660 km2) within Yazoo River Basin of the Mississippi Delta. Hydrologic calibration and validation was carried out for the period from 1999-2009 using USGS flow data. Crop model was calibrated and validated for the same period by using Corn and Soybean yield data from the USDA experiment stations. Both crop and hydrologic model performances will be evaluated using coefficient of determination (R2), Nash-Sutcliff Efficiency Index (NSE) and Root Mean Square Error (RMSE). Empirical relationships will be developed to predict depth to the groundwater table using model predicted ET and SMC. The relationships developed will be validated with the field observed data and will be used to make groundwater thematic maps for the Mississippi Delta.