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ARS Home » Plains Area » Bushland, Texas » Conservation and Production Research Laboratory » Soil and Water Management Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #318987
Title: Adaptation of irrigation infrastructure on irrigation demands under future drought in the USA

Author
item ZHANG, TIANYI - Kansas State University
item LIN, XIAOMAO - Kansas State University
item ROGERS, DANNY - Kansas State University
item LAMM, FREDDIE - Kansas State University

Submitted to: Earth Interactions
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/19/2015
Publication Date: 7/1/2015
Citation: Zhang, T., Lin, X., Rogers, D., Lamm, F.R. 2015. Adaptation of irrigation infrastructure on irrigation demands under future drought in the USA. Earth Interactions. doi:10.1175/EI-D-14-0035.1.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: More severe droughts in the United States will bring great challenges to irrigation water supply. Here, the authors assessed the potential adaptive effects of irrigation infrastructure under present and more extensive droughts. Based on data over 1985–2005, this study established a statistical model that suggests around 4.4% more irrigation was applied in response to a one-unit reduction in the Palmer drought severity index (PDSI), and approximately 5.0% of irrigation water application could be saved for each 10% decrease in the areas supplied by surface irrigation infrastructure. Based on the results, the model-projected irrigation infrastructure has played a greater role in changes in irrigation than drought in most areas under the current climate except some southwestern counties. However, under the predicted future more severe drought in 2080–99 under the representative concentration pathways 4.5 scenario, the model projected that the drought will require 0%–20% greater irrigation amounts assuming the current irrigation efficiency. Under the predicted drought scenario, irrigation depth can be maintained at or below the baseline level in the western United States only when better irrigation infrastructure replaced 40% of the current surface irrigation infrastructure areas. In the northeast United States, limited changes in irrigation depth were predicted under different irrigation infrastructure scenarios because the percentage of surface irrigation area is already low under the baseline climate, and thus there is limited opportunity to adapt to future drought with advanced irrigation infrastructure. These results indicate that other effective solutions are required to complement these measures and aid U.S. agriculture in the future, more extensive drought.