Review on the Impact of Climate Change on Great Lakes Region’s Agriculture and Water Resources

This study investigates the multifaceted impacts of climate change on the Midwest region of the United States, particularly the rising temperatures and precipitation brought about by hot weather activities and technological advances since the 19th century. From 1900 to 2010, temperatures in the Midwest rose by an average of 1.5 degrees Fahrenheit, which would also lead to an increase in greenhouse gas emissions. Precipitation is also expected to increase due to increased storm activity and changes in regional weather patterns. This paper explores the impact of these changes on urban and agricultural areas. In urban areas such as the city of Chicago, runoff from the increasing impervious surface areas poses challenges to the drainage system, and agriculture areas are challenged by soil erosion, nutrient loss, and fewer planting days due to excessive rainfall. Sustainable solutions such as no-till agriculture and the creation of grassland zones are discussed. Using historical data, recent climate studies and projections, the paper Outlines ways to enhance the Midwest’s ecology and resilience to climate change.

Study on the Multi-dimension Evaluation Index System of Agricultural Water Resources in Liaoning Province

[Objective] This study aimed to establish the multi-dimensional evaluation index system of agricultural water resources in Liaoning Province. [Method] Delphi method in conjunction with AHP method was adopted to establish the multi-dimensional evaluation index system of agricultural water resources in Liaoning Province, and all the indexes in each hierarchy were ranked overall according to their weights. [Result] There were three hierarchies in this index system, totally including 21 indexes, among which water resource exploitation and utilization rate, sewage treatment rate and utilization of available water resources were the three crucial factors influencing the sustainable development. [Conclusion] This evaluation index system can reflect the true sustainable situation of the agricultural water resources in Liaoning Province.

The Connotation and Extension of Agricultural Water Resources Security

The objective of this study is to define agricultural water resources security and its connotation and extension. The definitions of water security, water resources security, and water environment security were summarized, and their relationship was differentiated and analyzed. Based on these, the elements of the conception of agricultural water resources security were hashed and the conception was defined. Agricultural water resources security is the provision of water resource that ensures protection of agriculture against threat, hazards, destruction, and loss. Moreover, the connotation and extension of agricultural water resources security were ascertained. In detail, the connotation of the definition has natural attributes, socioeconomic attributes, and cultural attributes. The extensions of agricultural water resources security include both broad and narrow ones, as well as, food security, agroenvironmental security, agroeconomic security, rural society security, etc. The definition will serve as the frame of reference for developing the researches, limiting the frame of the theory, and founding a appraising system for agricultural water resources security.

Impacts of climate change on agricultural water resources and adaptation on the North China Plain

Climate change is having a considerable impact on the availability of water resources for agricultural production on the North China Plain （NCP）, where the shortage of water is currently disturbing the stability and sustainability of agricultural production with respect to the drying tendency since the 1950s. However, although potential evapotranspiration （ET） has shown a decreasing trend under climate change, actual ET has slightly increased with an acceleration in hydrological cycling. Global climate model （GCM） ensemble projections predict that by the 2050s, the increased crop water demand and intensified ET resulting from global warming will reduce water resources surplus （Precipitation-ET） about 4%-24% and increase significantly the irrigation water demand in crop growth periods. This study assesses possible mitigation and adaptation measures for enabling agricultural sustainability. It is revealed that reducing the sowing area of winter wheat （3.0%-15.9%） in water-limited basins, together with improvement in crop water-use efficiency would effectively mitigate water shortages and intensify the resilience of agricultural systems to climate change.

Evaluation of Potential Impacts of Agricultural Policy Reforms on Sustainability of Groundwater Resources of Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia has achieved extensive development and expansion in agriculture sector and achieved self sufficiency in a number of agricultural crops including wheat, fodders, dates, some vegetables and fruits. Considering the future growing need for food and water, government of Saudi Arabia has formulated and implemented a number of policy reforms for conservation, optimal utilization and sustainable development of natural resources of the Kingdom. The present study focuses on potential future impacts on natural resources conservations and strategic planning due to recent policy reforms （Council of Ministers （CoM） on Water Resources Management and Conservation （Decision No. 335）） issued on September 2008. The modeling of wheat agriculture was performed based on detailed analysis of water application practices in wheat growing regions/districts and future projection of wheat irrigation in context of recent government water resources conservation strategy. The results clearly indicated a significant positive impact will be occurred in terms of huge relief on highly stressed and limited national strategic groundwater resources. The present study estimated a saving and conservation of more than 51.0 billion cubic meters （BCM） of non-renewable groundwater resources during next 11 years.

Soil water resources use limit in the loess plateau of China

Soil water is a key factor limiting plant growth in water-limited regions. Without limit of soil water used by plants, soil degradation in the form of soil desiccation is easy to take place in the perennial forestland and grassland with too higher density or productivity. Soil water resources use limit (SWRUL) is the lowest control limit of soil water resources which is used by plants in those regions. It can be defined as soil water storage within the maximum infiltration depth in which all of soil layers belong to dried soil layers. In this paper, after detailed discussion of characteristics of water resources and the relationship between soil water and plant growth in the Loess Plateau, the definition, quantitative method, and practical applications of SWRUL are introduced. Henceforth, we should strengthen the study of SWRUL and have a better understanding of soil water resources. All those are of great importance for designing effective restoration project and sustainable management of soil water resources in water- limited regions in the future.

Humble View on Soil Water Resources

Soil water is one of renewable water resources.Some properties of soil water concerning with its availability to plant are briefly described.An equation for estimating the amount of soil water resource is presented.Based on the evaporation demand of atmosphere,the evaluation coefficient for soil water resource is suggested.

Assessment and utilization of soil water resources

Based on the analyses of water interactions and water balance, this paper discusses the issues on the assessment and regulation of soil water resources, which lays the scientific basis for limited irrigation and water-saving agriculture.

Contents of soil organic carbon and nitrogen in water-stable aggregates in abandoned agricultural lands in an arid ecosystem of Northwest China

Soil organic matter content in water-stable aggregates（WSA） in the arid ecosystems（abandoned agricultural lands especially） of China is poorly understood. In this study, we examined the WSA sizes and stability, and soil organic carbon（OC） and nitrogen（N） contents in agricultural lands with abandonment ages of 0, 3, 12, 20, 30 and 40 years, respectively, in the Minqin Oasis of Northwest China. The total soil OC and N contents at depths of 0–20, 20–40 and 40–60 cm in abandoned agricultural lands were compared to those in cultivated land（the control）. Agricultural land abandonment significantly（P0.25 mm） as the age of agricultural land abandonment increased. The effect of abandonment ages of agricultural lands on MWD was determined by the changes of OC and N accumulation in WSA sizes ＆gt;2 mm. The total OC and N contents presented a stratification phenomenon across soil depths in this arid ecosystem. That is, both of them decreased significantly at depths of 0–20 and 40–60 cm while increased at the depth of 20–40 cm. The WSA sizes ＆lt;0.053 mm had the highest soil OC and N contents（accounting for 51.41%–55.59% and 42.61%–48.94% of their total, respectively）. Soil OC and N contents in microaggregates（sizes 0.053–0.25 mm） were the dominant factors that influenced the variations of total OC and N contents in abandoned agricultural lands. The results of this study suggested that agricultural land abandonment may result in the recovery of WSA stability and the shifting of soil organic matter from the silt＋clay（＆lt;0.053 mm） and microaggregate fractions to the macroaggregate fractions. However, agricultural land abandonment did not increase total soil OC and N contents in the short-term.

A STUDY ON THE BALANCE OF WATER AND SOIL RESOURCES IN THE HEXI CORRIDOR,GANSU PROVINCE

1. Actual water resources In the Hexi Corridor, annual precipitation is only 35-200mm, showing semi-desertand desert landscape. But in the Qilian Mountains which are in the south of the Hexi Corri-dor, there is more precipitation. In the Shiyanghe, Heihe, Shulehe River basins average an-nual precipitation is respectively 2.3, 2.7, 3.6 times larger than that of the Hexi

Soil and Water Resources and Land Sustainable Productivity in the Catchment Area with Intensive Management in Hilly Red Soil Regions,China

Taking an example of Majiayu Catchment Area (14.15 ha) in Taoyuan County of HunanProvince, the soil and water resources dynamics, fertility evolution characteristics andland productivity changing situation were studied. Fixed observation results from 1993to 2002 showed that pools covering about 15% of total area could store up 10% of surfacerunoff, keep 78.1% of eroded soil and 65.4% of lost nutrients. The yearly ratio ofinterception and evapotranspiration in land, storage in pools and drainage was 7:2:1,which ensured the resources and nutrients equilibrium and a benign recycle in thecatchment area system, and benefited the aquatic culture and helped to resist seasonaldrought. Moreover, the results showed that soil erosion modulus decreased significantly,equal to or lower than soil loss tolerance (≤500 tkm-2) in reddish yellow soil regions.Soil organic matter, total and available N content in sloping land, dryland and paddyfield increased steadily (>10%); water storage enhanced by more than 20% in sloping landand dryland in drought season; crop production increased by more than 20%; and productionof trees, fruits, tea and fish as well as land productivity increased yearly.

Agricultural Soil and Water Quality Assessment and CO₂Storage on Wetland Reserve

In this paper, investigations on agricultural and forestry soil and on water quality assessment were carried out in a natural wetlands reserve, at valley of a mountain, near at the sea and under hydraulic risk (the coast of the Etruschis), in central Italy;Physical-chemical parameters were measured by taking samples of soil on two fields cultivated with an artichoke bed and respectively managed with organic and conventional techniques adjacent the natural wetlands reserve and destined to a controlled development of the agriculture, to protect the reserve. These parameters were also measured on forestry soil inside the reserve and CO2 storage on soil was evaluated. The water chemical analysis of the two ponds inside the reserve was also carried out. The soil managed with organic farming has showed higher chemical fertility. Both organic and conventional field showed high level of soil compaction susceptibility evidenced by high values of penetration resistance and shear strength;while porosity and hydraulic conductivity presented low values. The research highlights that the ecological land use can influence and improve the environmental quality. In fact thanks to the higher organic matter content into the soil, the average values of stored CO2 show that the organic (ΔCOT = 1200 kg·ha–1) and forestry (ΔCFT =2200 kg·ha–1·year–1) treatments have stored higher amount of organic carbon in the soil with respect to the conventional one. Organic matter and dry bulk density can be considered good indicators of the soil quality. The results of the water chemical analysis show a good quality of the brackish water of the ponds situated in the wetlands reserve.

Spatial Availability of Nitrogen and Pesticides in the Surface Layers of Agricultural Soils of Tropical Hydrosystems in the Wet Season: Case of the BéréWatershed in Côte d’Ivoire (West Africa)

The objective of this study was to assess the contribution of the spatial organization of cropping systems and the physicochemical properties of surface layers of the agricultural zones soils in tropical hydrosystems to the spatial availability of nitrogen and pesticides during the wet season, such as the Béré watershed (BW) in C?te d’Ivoire. For this purpose, after mapping the spatial distribution of the BW cropping systems based on the likelihood classification methodology of satellite images of the study area, 27 samples from the 0 - 20 cm horizon of the soil surface layers of the agricultural areas were taken during the wet and agricultural season of the year 2016. The Kjeldahl method has been used to evaluate the total nitrogen concentration and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) chain made it possible for the analysis of pesticide residues in the soil solutions. Geostatistical analysis and processing of spatial data and physicochemical and agrochemical soil parameters revealed that two major agricultural areas stand out in the BW, namely the Béré upstream watershed (BUW) dominated at 32.65% by annual croppings (maize, cotton, rainfed or lowland rice, market gardening, etc.) and the Béré downstream watershed (BDW) by large areas of perennial croppings (cashew nuts, cocoa, etc.), i.e. 21.47%. Agricultural soils in BW are usually of the moderately desaturated ferralitic type with a low acid pH and a quite strong temperature, such as those of tropical soils’ characteristics. However, agricultural soils in the BUW are characterized by higher proportions of sand and coarse sand. The parameters such as total porosity, cation exchange capacity, clay, organic matter, silt, fine silt, coarse silt, and potassium ions, are higher in the soils of the agricultural area of the BDW. Moreover, soils in the agricultural areas of the BUW are less rich in total nitrogen (0.84 g·kg-1) in contrast to those of the BDW (1.2 g·kg-1). On the other hand, the median concentrations of total pesticides remain very high in the BUW (193.80 μg·kg-1) in front of those of the BDW (94.81 μg·kg-1). In addition, the biological family of herbicides was the most notable in BW. The chemical families of triazines (100% detection;79.37 μg·kg-1) are the most important in the agricultural area of the BUW with the very significant presence of active molecules of pesticides such as simazine (92.86% detection;13.17 μg·kg-1). However, in the BDW, urea substitute (100% detection;44.02 μg·kg-1) dominate, including the active substance chlortoluron (84.62% detection;10.12 μg·kg-1). The presence and abundance of nitrogen and pesticides in the soils of the agricultural areas of BW are strongly linked to the intensive use of these agrochemicals in cropping systems in recent decades in West African countries, even though most of the active molecules found are forbidden in several countries, especially in European countries. These are applied to tropical agricultural soils with physicochemical characteristics favorable to their retention in wet weather, as confirmed by the case of BW’s agricultural soils. Therefore, the BW’s water resources present worrying risks of contamination during rainy events that deserve to be assessed and monitored. Hence the need to take mitigating measures to this effect in order to preserve the quality of the environment.

A multi-objective fuzzy optimization model for cropping structure and water resources and its method

Cropping structure has a close relationship with the optimal allocation of agricultural water resources. Based on the analysis of the relationship between agricultural water resources and sustainable development, this paper presents a multi objective fuzzy optimization model for cropping structure and water allocation, which overcomes the shortcoming of current models that only considered the economic objective,and ignored the social and environmental objectives. During the process, a new method named fuzzy deciding weight is developed to decide the objective weight. A case study shows that the model is reliable, the method is simple and objective, and the results are reasonable. This model is useful for agricultural management and sustainable development.

Evaluating the Effects of Sustainable Chemical and Organic Fertilizers with Water Saving Practice on Corn Production and Soil Characteristics

The rapidly growing world population,water shortage,and food security are promising problems for sustainable agriculture.Farmers adopt higher irrigation and fertilizer applications to increase crop production resulting in environmental pollution.This study aimed to identify the long-term effects of intelligent water and fertilizers used in corn yield and soil nutrient status.A series of field experiments were conducted for six years with treatments as:farmer accustomed to fertilization used as control(CON),fertilizer decrement(KF),fertilizer decrement+watersaving irrigation(BMP1);combined application of organic and inorganic fertilizer+water-saving irrigation(BMP2),and combined application of controlled-release fertilizer(BMP3).A significant improvement was observed in soil organic matter(14.9%),nitrate nitrogen(106.7%),total phosphorus(23.9%),available phosphorus(26.2%),straw yield(44.8%),and grain yield(54.7%)with BMP2 treatment as compared to CON.The study concludes that integrating chemical and organic fertilizers with water-saving irrigation(BMP2)is a good approach to increasing corn productivity,ensuring water safety and improving soil health.The limitations of the current study include the identification of fertilizer type and its optimum dose,irrigation water type,and geographical position.

California Simulation of Evapotranspiration of Applied Water and Agricultural Energy Use in California

The California Simulation of Evapotranspiration of Applied Water （CaI-SIMETAW） model is a new tool developed by the California Department of Water Resources and the University of California, Davis to perform daily soil water balance and determine crop evapotranspiration （ETo）, evapotranspiration of applied water （ETaw）, and applied water （AW） for use in California water resources planning. ETaw is a seasonal estimate of the water needed to irrigate a crop assuming 100% irrigation efficiency. The model accounts for soils, crop coefficients, rooting depths, seepage, etc. that influence crop water balance. It provides spatial soil and climate information and it uses historical crop and land-use category information to provide seasonal water balance estimates by combinations of detailed analysis unit and county （DAU/County） over Califomia. The result is a large data base of ETc and ETaw that will be used to update information in the new California Water Plan （CWP）. The application uses the daily climate data, i.e., maximum （Tx） and minimum （Tn） temperature and precipitation （Pcp）, which were derived from monthly USDA-NRCS PRISM data （PRISM Group 2011） and daily US National Climate Data Center （NCDC） climate station data to cover California on a 4 kmx4 km change grid spacing. The application uses daily weather data to determine reference evapotranspiration （ETo）, using the Hargreaves-Samani （HS） equation （Hargreaves and Samani 1982, 1985）. Because the HS equation is based on temperature only, ETo from the HS equation were compared with CIMIS ETo at the same locations using available CIMIS data to determine correction factors to estimate CIMIS ETo from the HS ETo to account for spatial climate differences. CaI-SIMETAW also employs near real-time reference evapotranspiration （ETo） information from Spatial CIMIS, which is a model that combines weather station data and remote sensing to provide a grid of ETo information. A second database containing the available soil water holding capacity and soil depth information for all of California was also developed from the USDA-NRCS SSURGO database. The Cal-SIMETAW program also has the ability to generate daily weather data from monthly mean values for use in studying climate change scenarios and their possible impacts on water demand in the state. The key objective of this project is to improve the accuracy of water use estimates for the California Water Plan （CWP）, which provides a comprehensive report on water supply, demand, and management in California. In this paper, we will discuss the model and how it determines ETaw for use in water resources planning.

Biocrust-induced partitioning of soil water between grass and shrub in a desert steppe of Northwest China

Maintaining the stability of exotic sand-binding shrub has become a large challenge in arid and semi-arid grassland ecosystems in northern China.We investigated two kinds of shrublands with different BSCs(biological soil crusts)cover in desert steppe in Northwest China to characterize the water sources of shrub(Caragana intermedia Kuang et H.C.Fu)and grass(Artemisia scoparia Waldst.et Kit.)by stable 18O isotopic.Our results showed that both shrublands were subject to persistent soil water deficiency from 2012 to 2017,the minimum soil depth with CV(coefficient of variation)<15% and SWC(soil water content)<6% was 1.4 m in shrubland with open areas lacking obvious BSC cover,and 0.8 m in shrubland covered by mature BSCs.For C.intermedia,a considerable proportion of water sources pointed to the surface soil.Water from BSCs contributed to averages 22.9%and 17.6%of the total for C.intermedia and A.scoparia,respectively.C.intermedia might use more water from BSCs in rainy season than dry season,in contrast to A.scoparia.The relationship between shrub(or grass)and soil water by δ^(18)O shown significant differences in months,which partly verified the potential trends and relations covered by the high variability of the water source at seasonal scale.More fine roots at 0-5 cm soil layer could be found in the surface soil layer covered by BSCs(8000 cm/m^(3))than without BSCs(3200 cm/m^(3)),which ensured the possibility of using the surface soil water by C.intermedia.The result implies that even under serious soil water deficiency,C.intermedia can use the surface soil water,leading to the coexistence between C.intermedia and A.scoparia.Different with the result from BSCs in desert areas,the natural withdrawal of artificial C.intermedia from desert steppe will be a long-term process,and the highly competitive relationship between shrubs and grasses also determines that its habitat will be maintained in serious drought state for a long time.

Integration of Soil Information System and Interactive Self-Organizing Data for Agricultural Developing Zones in Red Soil Region

Integration of soil information system (SIS) and interactive self-organizing data (ISODATA) was studied to establish proper agricultural developing zones in red soil region of southern China which are of crucial importance to farmers, researchers, and decision makers while utilizing and managing red soil resources. SIS created by using ARC/INPO was used to provide data acquisition, systematic model parameter assignment, and visual display of analytic results. Topography, temperature, soil component (e.g., organic matter and pH) and condition of agricultural production were selected as parameters of ISODATA model. Taking Longyou County, Zhejiang Province as the case study area, the effect of the integration and recommendations are discussed for future research.

China's Grain Production and Its Requirement for Water Resources Allocation

Agricultural water is directly related with grain production security. This article analyzes how to allocate the water resources in terms of grain production. Firstly,for the whole country,we established the VAR mathematical model with the data of 1983 to 2008 to test the relationships between the total amount of water and the agriculture production and forecast the water consumption in 2020. Then focusing on the major grain producing areas,we examine the main index and the pressure index,from which we find that the amount of agricultural water in major areas fail to satisfy the demand of production,and that unbalanced development exists between different areas with several areas especially serious. At last,we point out that,to ensure the security of agriculture production and the sustainable utilization of water resources,the government should take measures not only to prevent water pollution and reduce water consumption,but also to improve inter-basin water transfer planning.

Water Resource Management and Its Role in Development of Integrated Mountainous Agriculture——A Case from Ningnan County of Sichuan Province

This paper reviewed rainwater collection and water resource management in Ningnan County in southwestern mountain of China,as a case study for solving the problems of water management in a simple and sustainable way. In this mountainous agriculture system,private agricultural enterprises were introduced into local mountain agriculture to solve capital fund shortage for the construction of rainwater harvesting system. Agreement was signed by private agriculture enterprises with the target farmers to subscribe for the household agriculture production at a protection price. Cash invested by the enterprise and subsidy from the government were collected for purchasing materials,while the farmers supplied labors for the construction of water harvesting systems. The system solved the share of input and benefits between the local government,enterprise and household farms successfully. In addition,the micro water harvesting tanks and micro irrigate systems extend quickly in this mountainous county. Up to 2007,more than 12 000 rainwater harvesting tanks had been established and more than 8.5×104 hm2 dry arable land accounting for nearly 75% of the total arable land had been irrigated efficiently. Per capita income of farmer had been increased by 14 times in the past 20 years. Considerable potential for further improvement in implementation of the models for solving water shortage and water resource management in mountain region maybe depend on more local private agriculture enterprises and households than the government.