Comparative analysis of hydrologic signatures in two agricultural watersheds in east-central Illinois: legacies of the past to inform the future

Yaeger, Mary; Sivapalan, Murugesu; McIsaac, Gregory F.; Cai, Ximing

doi:10.5194/hessd-10-6515-2013

Cited by 4 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 43 publications

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“…When Yaeger et al . () compared Miscanthus to corn and soya bean grown in the American mid‐West, they found that Miscanthus had effectively a 2‐month longer season of transpiration which meant a reduction in soil water reserves during low rainfall. This reduction can be exacerbated by the dense canopy of Miscanthus which intercepts more rain allowing more evaporation at the leaf level and less throughfall to the soil compared to some other crops.…”

Section: Water Balancementioning

confidence: 99%

Environmental costs and benefits of growingMiscanthusfor bioenergy in theUK

et al. 2015

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Planting the perennial biomass crop Miscanthus in the UK could offset 2–13 Mt oil eq. yr−1, contributing up to 10% of current energy use. Policymakers need assurance that upscaling Miscanthus production can be performed sustainably without negatively impacting essential food production or the wider environment. This study reviews a large body of Miscanthus relevant literature into concise summary statements. Perennial Miscanthus has energy output/input ratios 10 times higher (47.3 ± 2.2) than annual crops used for energy (4.7 ± 0.2 to 5.5 ± 0.2), and the total carbon cost of energy production (1.12 g CO2‐C eq. MJ−1) is 20–30 times lower than fossil fuels. Planting on former arable land generally increases soil organic carbon (SOC) with Miscanthus sequestering 0.7–2.2 Mg C4‐C ha−1 yr−1. Cultivation on grassland can cause a disturbance loss of SOC which is likely to be recovered during the lifetime of the crop and is potentially mitigated by fossil fuel offset. N2O emissions can be five times lower under unfertilized Miscanthus than annual crops and up to 100 times lower than intensive pasture. Nitrogen fertilizer is generally unnecessary except in low fertility soils. Herbicide is essential during the establishment years after which natural weed suppression by shading is sufficient. Pesticides are unnecessary. Water‐use efficiency is high (e.g. 5.5–9.2 g aerial DM (kg H2O)−1, but high biomass productivity means increased water demand compared to cereal crops. The perennial nature and belowground biomass improves soil structure, increases water‐holding capacity (up by 100–150 mm), and reduces run‐off and erosion. Overwinter ripening increases landscape structural resources for wildlife. Reduced management intensity promotes earthworm diversity and abundance although poor litter palatability may reduce individual biomass. Chemical leaching into field boundaries is lower than comparable agriculture, improving soil and water habitat quality.

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Section: Water Balancementioning

confidence: 99%

Environmental costs and benefits of growingMiscanthusfor bioenergy in theUK

et al. 2015

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“…Socio-hydrology relies heavily on understanding historical processes in order to learn how the present hydrological and social situation has been established, what the inherent fluctuation in the system is and how it has been dealt with (successfully or unsuccessfully) in the past (Yaeger et al, 2013;Srinivasan et al, 2012). In the typical case, historical sociohydrological investigations can be of quantitative nature as long as there are quantitative hydrological records available, and turns qualitative or model-based in the lack of these.…”

Section: Socio-hydrologymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Without information on historic changes, it might be assumed that the hydrological situation is static over time (James, 1999), while given information on earlier states of a watershed, the changes can be used to inform hydrological models (Yaeger et al, 2013).…”

Section: Hydrologymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Socio-hydrology is a context for decision support in order to ensure safe and sufficient access to clean water and protection from hydrological extremes (Di Baldassarre et al, 2013;Gober and Wheater, 2013). Governance with respect to hydrosystems increasingly requires a scientific background conscious not only of hydrological processes in natural systems but also past and future effects of human intervention (Yaeger et al, 2013). Socio-hydrology is a use-inspired, interdisciplinary field of study Srinivasan, 2013) with the urgency and the ethical background similar to other newly emerged fields of crisis science (conservation biology, global change research, disaster mitigation).…”

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confidence: 99%

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Historic maps as a data source for socio-hydrology: a case study of the Lake Balaton wetland system, Hungary

Zlinszky

Timár

2013

Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci.

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Abstract. Socio-hydrology is the science of human influence on hydrology and the influence of the water cycle on human social systems. This newly emerging discipline inherently involves a historic perspective, often focusing on timescales of several centuries. While data on human history is typically available for this time frame, gathering information on the hydrological situation during such a period can prove difficult: measured hydrological data for such long periods are rare, while models and secondary data sets from geomorphology, pedology or archaeology are typically not accurate enough over such a short time. In the first part of this study, the use of historic maps in hydrology is reviewed. Major breakthroughs were the acceptance of historic map content as valid data, the use of preserved features for investigating situations earlier than the map, and the onset of digital georeferencing and data integration. Historic maps can be primary quantitative sources of hydro-geomorphological information, they can provide a context for point-based measurements over larger areas, and they can deliver time series for a better understanding of change scenarios.In the second part, a case study is presented: water level fluctuations of Lake Balaton were reconstructed from maps, levelling logs and other documents. An 18th century map system of the whole 5700 km 2 catchment was georeferenced, integrated with two 19th century map systems, and wetlands, forests and open water digitized. Changes in wetland area were compared with lake water level changes in a 220 yr time series. Historic maps show that the water level of the lake was closer to present-day levels than expected, and that wetland loss pre-dates drainage of the lake.The present and future role of historic maps is discussed. Historic hydrological data has to be treated with caution: while it is possible to learn form the past, the assumption that future changes will be like past changes does not always hold. Nevertheless, old maps are relatively accessible data sets and the knowledge base for using them is rapidly growing, and it can be expected that long-term time series will be established by integrating georeferenced map systems over large areas.In the Appendix, a step-by-step guide to using historic maps in hydrology is given, starting from finding a map, through georeferencing and processing the map to publication of the results.

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“…and moving in a counter‐clockwise direction, the green arrow captures a critical linkage from human actions in the catchment to the lake via the hydrologic fate and transport of nutrients and sediment (Yaeger et al. , Rabotyagov et al. ).…”

Section: Conceptual Framework: Focus On Feedbacksmentioning

confidence: 99%

From concept to practice to policy: modeling coupled natural and human systems in lake catchments

et al. 2018

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Abstract. Recent debate over the scope of the U.S. Clean Water Act underscores the need to develop a robust body of scientific work that defines the connectivity between freshwater systems and people. Coupled natural and human systems (CNHS) modeling is one tool that can be used to study the complex, reciprocal linkages between human actions and ecosystem processes. Well-developed CNHS models exist at a conceptual level, but the mapping of these system representations in practice is limited in capturing these feedbacks. This article presents a paired conceptual-empirical methodology for functionally capturing feedbacks between human and natural systems in freshwater lake catchments, from human actions to the ecosystem and from the ecosystem back to human actions. We address extant challenges in CNHS modeling, which arise from differences in disciplinary approach, model structure, and spatiotemporal resolution, to connect a suite of models. In doing so, we create an integrated, multi-disciplinary tool that captures diverse processes that operate at multiple scales, including land-management decision-making, hydrologic-solute transport, aquatic nutrient cycling, and civic engagement. In this article, we build on this novel framework to advance cross-disciplinary dialogue to move CNHS lake-catchment modeling in a systematic direction and, ultimately, provide a foundation for smart decision-making and policy.

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Comparative analysis of hydrologic signatures in two agricultural watersheds in east-central Illinois: legacies of the past to inform the future

Cited by 4 publications

References 43 publications

Environmental costs and benefits of growingMiscanthusfor bioenergy in theUK

Environmental costs and benefits of growingMiscanthusfor bioenergy in theUK

Historic maps as a data source for socio-hydrology: a case study of the Lake Balaton wetland system, Hungary

From concept to practice to policy: modeling coupled natural and human systems in lake catchments

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