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Irrigation's influence on precipitation: Texas High Plains, U.S.A.
Author(s) -
Moore Nathan,
Rojstaczer Stuart
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1029/2002gl014940
Subject(s) - precipitation , environmental science , irrigation , storm , water balance , atmospheric sciences , hydrology (agriculture) , climatology , meteorology , geology , agronomy , geography , geotechnical engineering , biology
Using bias‐corrected Nexrad precipitation estimates and spatial statistics of rainfall intensity, we examine the influence of irrigation on summer precipitation in the Texas High Plains. In this region, human alteration of the surface water and energy balance has been extreme. Irrigation enhances precipitation downwind, yielding storms of greater duration, length, and accumulation. Irrigation water is not a significant source of moisture feeding precipitation; rather, the cool, wet surface increases low‐level instability, triggering storms. We estimate that an additional 6% to 18% of summer precipitation attributable to irrigation falls ∼90 km downwind of the irrigated region.