Published report shows how land cover can affect aquifer recharge

A new report coauthored by Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute (DWFI) Faculty Fellows Taro Mieno and Karina Shoengold; graduate student Dylan Riley, UC Davis; and DWFI Director of Policy Nick Brozovic, shows that a change in land cover from cropland to grassland reduces aquifer storage in portions of the High Plains Aquifer. The report was published in Science in the Total Environment.

According to researcher and Faculty Fellow Shoengold, many farmers participate in conservation programs, such as the Conservation Reserve Program, to improve environmental quality. “However,” said Shoengold, “impacts on the aquifer are not typically considered when choosing which land to enroll.”
 
Faculty Fellow Mieno explained, “We used data on landcover in two irrigated areas: western Kansas and the Republican River Basin in Nebraska. We found that switching from cropland to grassland reduces the net recharge to the aquifer in some areas. This means that land retirement programs should consider the impact on the aquifer when choosing which land to target for enrollment.”
 
Read the full report at https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969719338215#!