The Mississippi Alluvial Plain aquifers—An engine for economic activity

Alhassan, Mustapha; Lawrence, Collin B.; Richardson, Steven; Pindilli, Emily J.

doi:10.3133/fs20193003

Cited by 17 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 2 publications

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“…Rice, soybean, maize, cotton, and peanut are produced largely using groundwater drawn primarily from the MRVAA. The total economic impact of the MRVAA, which ranks second only to the Ogallala aquifer in terms of irrigation withdrawals, exceeded $11 billion in 2017 (Alhassan et al, 2019).…”

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confidence: 99%

Surface Irrigation in the Lower Mississippi River Basin: Trends and Innovations

Reba¹,

Massey²

2020

Transactions of the ASABE

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HighlightsBetween 1950 and 2017, there was a 12-fold increase in irrigated area in Arkansas and a doubling in Louisiana.Groundwater provides over 90% of the irrigation water applied to the 4 Mha of cropland in the LMRB.Ongoing efforts to address aquifer declines have been multi-faceted and include those of producers, public (local, state, and federal) institutions, and private organizations.Irrigation water management innovations include precision grading, reduced-flood or no-flood rice irrigation, pump automation, computerized hole selection, flowmeter requirements, and permit-based water use limitations.Abstract. The Lower Mississippi River Basin (LMRB) is an agricultural region of national and international significance. The basin relies heavily on the Mississippi River Valley alluvial aquifer to provide over 90% of the irrigation water applied to over four million hectares of cropland, with Arkansas using approximately 70% of the water and Mississippi and Missouri using approximately 15% each. Surface methods predominate, especially furrow irrigation using plastic lay-flat tubing in corn, cotton, peanut, and soybean and flood methods in rice. Irrigation extent has steadily increased by approximately 2% per year, such that irrigation withdrawals, combined with the region’s geology, have led to considerable aquifer declines in portions of Arkansas and Mississippi. Attempts to address these declines have been multi-faceted and include innovations in crop management and source water management, and programs in water resources management. Crop management innovations are focused on soybean and rice production and include precision grading, reduced-flood or no-flood rice irrigation, pump automation, and computerized hole selection. Adoption of these practices remains heavily reliant on field demonstrations and extension outreach. Source water management innovations include on-farm reservoirs, managed aquifer recharge, and regional-scale river diversions. Due to the concerted efforts of producers participating in regional and state programs, progress has been made in making surface irrigation more efficient and less reliant on groundwater. However, aquifer decline remains a challenge to the LMRB’s economy, ecology, and culture. Keywords: Aquifer decline, Irrigation, Lower Mississippi River Basin, Mississippi River Valley alluvial aquifer, Surface water.

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Surface Irrigation in the Lower Mississippi River Basin: Trends and Innovations

Reba¹,

Massey²

2020

Transactions of the ASABE

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“…Regional-scale airborne electromagnetic (AEM) data were recently acquired as part of a large regional water availability study throughout the Mississippi Alluvial Plain (Alhassan et al, 2019;Minsley et al, 2019). In coordination with this project, we acquired an additional~400 km of linear AEM data along 24 17-km-long flight lines with 1.5-km line spacing centered on a portion of southern Crowleys Ridge in early 2019 (Table S4; Thompson Jobe et al, 2020).…”

Section: Airborne Electromagnetic Data Collection and Processingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evidence for Late Quaternary Deformation Along Crowleys Ridge, New Madrid Seismic Zone

et al. 2020

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The New Madrid seismic zone has been the source of multiple major (M~7.0-7.5) earthquakes in the past 2 ka, yet the surface expression of recent deformation remains ambiguous. Crowleys Ridge, a linear ridge trending north-south for 300+ km through the Mississippi Embayment, has been interpreted as either a fault-bounded uplift or a nontectonic erosional remnant. New and previously published seismic reflection and shallow resistivity data show discontinuities at the ridge margins in Plio-Pleistocene strata, yet the timing of most recent faulting and the lateral extent of these faults remain unknown. To assess Pleistocene-to-recent tectonic activity of Crowleys Ridge, we perform landscape-scale geomorphic analyses, such as relief, slope, hypsometry, and drainage basin shape, on a 10-m digital elevation model (DEM). North-to-south variations in geomorphic indices indicate Pleistocene-to-recent tectonic uplift of the southern ridge. Moreover, mapping on a <1-m lidar-derived DEM reveals scarps on late Pleistocene geomorphic surfaces. The scarps are primarily located along the southern ridge, trend parallel to the ridge margin discontinuously for 0.1-1 km, and vertically offset <56 ka surfaces 0.4 m with up to 6 m of tilting. These landscape-scale patterns and scarps, integrated with discontinuities in the seismic reflection and resistivity data, provide evidence of low-rate (<0.2 mm/year) late Quaternary tectonic activity along the southern segment of Crowleys Ridge. The interpretations agree with recent tectonic models suggesting southern Crowleys Ridge is a compressional step over in a right-lateral fault system within the Reelfoot Rift.

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“…The Mississippi River Alluvial Plain (MAP), including most of eastern Arkansas, western Mississippi, and northeastern Louisiana, relies on agricultural production to drive the regional economy (Alhassan et al, 2019). The region is intensively farmed in row-crops that produce significant yields of corn (Zea mays L.) and soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Trends in Land Use, Irrigation, and Streamflow Alteration in the Mississippi River Alluvial Plain

Yasarer

Taylor

Rigby

et al. 2020

Front. Environ. Sci.

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The Mississippi River Alluvial Plain is a critical region for agricultural production in the United States, providing the majority of the nation's rice, catfish, and cotton. Although it is a humid region, high agricultural yields are maintained through irrigation from groundwater and surface water sources. Heavy groundwater extraction has led to cones of depression in the alluvial aquifer in both Arkansas and Mississippi. This study explores the link between increasing irrigation and streamflow alteration within the alluvial plain. Changing land use patterns were evaluated utilizing the USDA Census of Agriculture datasets to determine changes in land-use, irrigation, and crop yield from 1969 to 2017. Temporal land use patterns set the background for the analysis of sixteen long-term streamflow records from the USGS, which were assessed using the Indicators of Hydrologic Alteration (IHA) software to determine changes in low flow patterns in rivers overlying the Mississippi River Valley alluvial aquifer. Most streamflow records had significant hydrologic alteration with respect to low flow conditions, including higher frequency of low flow events, lower annual minima, or a declining base flow index. Changes in streamflow coincide with areas of massive increases in irrigated cropland area. This study provides further context for the tradeoffs between intensive agricultural production and agroecosystem sustainability.

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The Mississippi Alluvial Plain aquifers—An engine for economic activity

Cited by 17 publications

References 2 publications

Surface Irrigation in the Lower Mississippi River Basin: Trends and Innovations

Surface Irrigation in the Lower Mississippi River Basin: Trends and Innovations

Evidence for Late Quaternary Deformation Along Crowleys Ridge, New Madrid Seismic Zone

Trends in Land Use, Irrigation, and Streamflow Alteration in the Mississippi River Alluvial Plain

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