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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Beltsville, Maryland (BARC) » Beltsville Agricultural Research Center » Hydrology and Remote Sensing Laboratory » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #399941

Research Project: From Field to Watershed: Enhancing Water Quality and Management in Agroecosystems through Remote Sensing, Ground Measurements, and Integrative Modeling

Location: Hydrology and Remote Sensing Laboratory

Title: Forming the future of agrohydrology research

Author
item SMIDT, S. - University Of Florida
item HAAKER, E. - University Of Nebraska
item BAI, X. - University Of Florida
item CHERKAUER, K. - Purdue University
item CHOAT, B. - Colorado State University
item Crompton, Octavia
item DEINES, J. - Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
item GROH, J. - University Of Bonn
item GUZMAN, S. - University Of Florida
item HARTMAN, K. - University Of California Berkeley
item KENALL, A - Michigan State University
item KHAN, S. - University Of California (UCLA)
item Kustas, William - Bill
item MCGILL, BONNIE - American Farmland Trust
item NOCCO, MALLIKA - University Of California, Davis
item PENSKY, JENNY - University Of California Santa Cruz
item RAPP, JEREMY - Michigan State University
item Schreiner-Mcgraw, Adam
item SIMMONS, TRAVIS - Collaborator
item SPRENGER, MATTHIAS - Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
item WAN, LUWEN - Michigan State University
item WELDEGEBRIEL, LIYA - Stanford University
item ZIPPER, SAM - University Of Kansas
item ZOCCATELLI, DAVIDE - Luxembourg Institute Of Science & Technology

Submitted to: Earth's Future
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 11/8/2023
Publication Date: 12/7/2023
Citation: Smidt, S., Haaker, E., Bai, X., Cherkauer, K., Choat, B., Crompton, O.V., Deines, J., Groh, J., Guzman, S., Hartman, K., Kenall, A., Khan, S., Kustas, W.P., McGill, B.M., Nocco, M.A., Pensky, J., Rapp, J., Schreiner-McGraw, A.P., Simmons, T., Sprenger, M., Wan, L., Weldegebriel, L., Zipper, S., Zoccatelli, D. 2023. Forming the future of agrohydrology research. Earth's Future. https://doi.org/10.1029/2022EF003410.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1029/2022EF003410

Interpretive Summary: Agricultural water management is increasingly tasked with the dual challenges of meeting growing commodity demand and sustainable stewardship of environmental resources. The informal research discipline of agrohydrology has developed to address these challenges, taking advantage of rapidly evolving research tools and data availability. Despite increasing interest in agrohydrology as a research topic, a gap remains in formalizing this valuable discipline. In June 2022, 18 agrohydrology researchers spanning academic, government, and non-government sectors, gathered at the AGU Frontiers in Hydrology Meeting in San Juan, Puerto Rico, to give form to the future of agrohydrology. This commentary shares a summary of key research themes and future objectives in agrohydrology, to help guide and direct the trajectories for a formalized discipline of agrohydrology.

Technical Abstract: Agricultural water management is increasingly prioritized throughout the world as producers are tasked with meeting growing crop demand while also managing environmental resources more sustainably. In response to this societal need, the informal research discipline of agrohydrology continues to grow, fueled by a new era of rapidly evolving research tools and big data availability. While many researchers are actively invested in agrohydrology as a research topic, there remains a gap in formalizing this valuable discipline. In June 2022, 18 agrohydrology researchers spanning academic, government, and non-government sectors gathered at the AGU Frontiers in Hydrology Meeting in San Juan, Puerto Rico, to give form to the future of agrohydrology research. Participants were directed to: (1) identify key research themes in agrohydrology, (2) conceptualize future research topics within each theme, and (3) estimate how many years in the future before the topic becomes pressing (i.e., relevant; timely). Results and outcomes from this session are summarized and shared in this commentary to help guide and direct the trajectories for a formalized discipline of agrohydrology, the practice of agricultural water management, and the conversation of the invested public.