Special Issue Journal Focuses on Groundwater Supplies for Irrigation (Open Access)

“Addressing Irrigation Aquifer Depletion” is the theme of a recent special issue from the Journal of Contemporary Water Research and Education (JCWRE). Water supply from aquifers is a huge area of interest for researchers, water resource managers, producers, economists, and many others because aquifer supplies are essential to feed the growing population.

Irrigated cropland covers 20% of the total agriculture area worldwide, but produces 40% of the total crop yield, so irrigated lands are extremely productive. In the United States, 43% of the irrigated agricultural land uses groundwater resources. Aquifer supplies are already unsustainable at the current rate of use, not to mention that the world will be 2.3 billion people heavier by 2050, and of course those people will need to eat.

The December 2017 issue of JCWRE includes a variety of topics related to aquifer depletion and agricultural water needs. From the Ukiah Valley aquifer in drought-prone California, to the Ogallala aquifer in Texas, to the Mississippi River Valley Alluvial Aquifer in the delta that helps sustain Arkansas agriculture, this issue touches on specific problems and possible solutions for areas throughout the US. Robust research is fundamental to the continued use of these aquifers because policy and management decisions must rely on scientific study.

The special issue can be viewed here: http://ucowr.org/journal-issue-archives/162.