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Regional Analysis of Virtual Water Flow in View of Crop Consumption
Author(s) -
Kim Young Deuk,
Lee Sung Hee,
Itsubo Norihiro,
Ono Yuya
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
irrigation and drainage
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.421
H-Index - 38
eISSN - 1531-0361
pISSN - 1531-0353
DOI - 10.1002/ird.2066
Subject(s) - virtual water , water scarcity , water consumption , water use , environmental science , water flow , water resources , structural basin , resource (disambiguation) , productivity , flow (mathematics) , cropping , hydrology (agriculture) , water resource management , production (economics) , environmental engineering , computer science , geography , mathematics , geology , geomorphology , agriculture , agronomy , economics , ecology , computer network , archaeology , biology , geotechnical engineering , macroeconomics , geometry
Abstract It is important to identify virtual water for crop production ( P vw ) and consumption ( C vw ) and to analyse the virtual water flow among regions for a better understanding of water resource use. The estimation of virtual water flow in a basin or between regions of a basin can contribute to finding options for water‐saving strategies, such as changing cropping pattern and land use. The objective of this study was to analyse virtual water flow by using P vw , C vw and virtual water content (VWC). VWC of a product is the amount of fresh water required to produce the product, expressed as m 3 t − 1 . The virtual water consumption rate in this study is defined as C vw / P vw , which indicates the extent of water shortage and self‐sufficiency of water use in a region. The C vw and P vw of 16 regions were computed and the virtual water flow in the Han and Nakdong River basins was analysed. The analysis indicated that a shift of rice cultivation between the upper and the lower regions of these basins can save between 503 and 752 Mm 3 of VW in ideal conditions. Virtual water analysis can be useful for finding solutions to improve water productivity at basin level and to reduce pressure on local water resources. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.