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CANCELLED Permian Basin: Effects of Irrigated Agriculture on Water Quantity and Quality in the High Plains Aquifer

Tuesday 16-Feb-10 11:30 AM to 1:00 PM CST

Speaker: Bridget Scanlon, Senior Research Scientist
Bureau of Economic Geology

Westlake Club
570 Westlake Park Blvd.
Houston TX 77079 USA
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Details for "CANCELLED Permian Basin: Effects of Irrigated Agriculture on Water Quantity and Quality in the High Plains Aquifer"

This event has been cancelled.

Irrigated agriculture consumes more than 95% of groundwater in the High Plains aquifer. While water conservative irrigation practices are currently strongly promoted, tradeoffs between depletion of water resources and salinization need to be understood. The objective of this study was to conduct a comprehensive assessment of the impacts of irrigation on groundwater resources, including water quantity and quality, in the southern High Plains (SHP) using unsaturated and saturated zone data. Boreholes were drilled under different land use settings; 4 under rangeland, 19 under rainfed agriculture, and 13 under irrigated agriculture. Soil samples were analyzed for matric potential and water-extractable Cl and NO₃. Groundwater-table and solute hydrographs were also evaluated.

Speaker Bridget Scanlon

Bridget Scanlon is a Senior Research Scientist at the Bureau of Economic Geology, Jackson School of Geosciences, University of Texas at Austin. She is an author or co-author of about 50 refereed journal articles and also co-edited a book on recharge in semiarid regions. The primary objective of her research group is to assess sustainability issues with respect to water resources, within the context of climate variability and land-use change. Research sites include the US High Plains, North China Plain and Loess Plateau, and Rajasthan, India. The group is also collaborating with groups working in North Africa and Australia. Results from her research group have documented large increases in recharge in semiarid regions caused by changing from native vegetation to cropland. Spatial scales addressed with the work range from point (ground-based measurements) to km (satellites) scales and temporal scales range from interannual to millennial timescales. She has participated in focus groups on global recharge issues within the International Atomic Energy Agency.She has served on many National Academy panels related to water resources.