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Irrigation Water Demand Sensitivity to Climate Variability Across the Contiguous United States
Author(s) -
Nie Wanshu,
Zaitchik Benjamin F.,
Rodell Matthew,
Kumar Sujay V.,
Arsenault Kristi R.,
Badr Hamada S.
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
water resources research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.863
H-Index - 217
eISSN - 1944-7973
pISSN - 0043-1397
DOI - 10.1029/2020wr027738
Subject(s) - environmental science , irrigation , precipitation , climate change , water resources , water resource management , hydrology (agriculture) , climatology , geography , meteorology , agronomy , geology , ecology , oceanography , geotechnical engineering , biology
Abstract Climate variability is an important driver of irrigation water use in many regions. Efforts to anticipate climate change impacts on future water availability can benefit from understanding how irrigation water demand has responded to these drivers to date. Here we apply satellite‐derived data, meteorological reanalysis, an advanced land surface model, and available state‐level reports to quantify irrigation demand sensitivities to temperature and precipitation across the Contiguous United States, for the period of 2002–2017. As expected, strong negative correlations are found between precipitation and irrigation withdrawals, both simulated and reported. Temperature sensitivities, however, vary by region and season, as do the interactive effects of temperature and precipitation on irrigation. Climate‐induced irrigation variability is largest in transitional climate zones. These transitional zones are generally separate from the regions where rates of irrigation withdrawals are greatest, such that climate‐induced variability in irrigation demand represents a water resource consideration that is distinct from chronic overpumping.