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Characterizing Drought in Irrigated Agricultural Systems: The Surface Water Delivery Index ( SWDI )
Author(s) -
Hoekema David J.,
Ryu Jae Hyeon
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
jawra journal of the american water resources association
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.957
H-Index - 105
eISSN - 1752-1688
pISSN - 1093-474X
DOI - 10.1111/1752-1688.12426
Subject(s) - water scarcity , agriculture , irrigation , economic shortage , arid , environmental science , surface water , water resource management , index (typography) , water supply , water resources , farm water , water use , growing season , water conservation , environmental engineering , geography , ecology , computer science , linguistics , philosophy , archaeology , government (linguistics) , world wide web , biology
Quantifying surface water shortages in arid and semiarid agricultural regions is challenging because limited water supplies are distributed over long distances based on complex water management systems constrained by legal, economic, and social frameworks that evolve with time. In such regions, the water supply is often derived in a climate dramatically different from where the water is diverted to meet agricultural demand. The existing drought indices which rely on local climate do not portray the complexities of the economic and legal constraints on water delivery. Nor do these indices quantify the shortages that occur in drought. Therefore, this research proposes a methodological approach to define surface water shortages in irrigated agricultural systems using a newly developed index termed the Surface Water Delivery Index ( SWDI ). The SWDI can be used to uniformly quantify surface water deficits/shortages at the end of the irrigation season. Results from the SWDI clearly illustrate how water shortages in droughts identified by the existing indices (e.g., SPI and PDSI ) vary strongly both within and between basins. Some surface water entities are much more prone to water shortages than other entities based both on their source of water supply and water right portfolios.