Land Surface Modeling as a Tool to Explore Sustainable Irrigation Practices in Mediterranean Fruit Orchards

Abstract Irrigation strongly influences land‐atmosphere processes from regional to global scale. Therefore, an accurate representation of irrigation is crucial to understand these interactions and address water resources issues. While irrigation schemes are increasingly integrated into land surface...

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Main Authors: O. Dombrowski, C. Brogi, H.‐J. Hendricks Franssen, V. Pisinaras, A. Panagopoulos, S. Swenson, H. Bogena
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2024-07-01
Series:Water Resources Research
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Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1029/2023WR036139
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author O. Dombrowski
C. Brogi
H.‐J. Hendricks Franssen
V. Pisinaras
A. Panagopoulos
S. Swenson
H. Bogena
author_facet O. Dombrowski
C. Brogi
H.‐J. Hendricks Franssen
V. Pisinaras
A. Panagopoulos
S. Swenson
H. Bogena
author_sort O. Dombrowski
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Irrigation strongly influences land‐atmosphere processes from regional to global scale. Therefore, an accurate representation of irrigation is crucial to understand these interactions and address water resources issues. While irrigation schemes are increasingly integrated into land surface models, their evaluation and further development remains challenging due to data limitations. This study assessed the representation of field‐scale irrigation using the Community Land Model version 5 (CLM5) through comparison of observed and simulated soil moisture, transpiration and crop yield. Irrigation was simulated by (a) adjusting the current irrigation routine and (b) by implementing a novel irrigation data stream that allows to directly use observed irrigation amounts and schedules. In a following step, the effect of different irrigation scenarios at the regional scale was simulated by using this novel data stream. At the plot scale, the novel irrigation data stream performed better in representing observed SM dynamics compared to the current irrigation routine. Nonetheless, simplifications in crop and irrigation representation and uncertainty in the relation between water stress and yield currently limit the ability of CLM5 for field‐scale irrigation scheduling. Still, the simulations revealed valuable insights into model performance that can inform and improve the modeling beyond the field scale. At regional scale, the simulations identified irrigation priorities and potential water savings. Furthermore, application of LSMs such as CLM5 can help to study the effects of irrigation beyond water availability, for example, on energy fluxes and climate, thus providing a powerful tool to assess the broader implications of irrigation at larger scale.
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spelling doaj-art-4a7567c19be141608dade9d62104a6bd2025-08-20T02:09:28ZengWileyWater Resources Research0043-13971944-79732024-07-01607n/an/a10.1029/2023WR036139Land Surface Modeling as a Tool to Explore Sustainable Irrigation Practices in Mediterranean Fruit OrchardsO. Dombrowski0C. Brogi1H.‐J. Hendricks Franssen2V. Pisinaras3A. Panagopoulos4S. Swenson5H. Bogena6Agrosphere (IBG‐3) Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH Jülich GermanyAgrosphere (IBG‐3) Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH Jülich GermanyAgrosphere (IBG‐3) Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH Jülich GermanySoil & Water Resources Institute Hellenic Agricultural Organization Thessaloniki GreeceSoil & Water Resources Institute Hellenic Agricultural Organization Thessaloniki GreeceClimate and Global Dynamics Laboratory National Center for Atmospheric Research Boulder CO USAAgrosphere (IBG‐3) Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH Jülich GermanyAbstract Irrigation strongly influences land‐atmosphere processes from regional to global scale. Therefore, an accurate representation of irrigation is crucial to understand these interactions and address water resources issues. While irrigation schemes are increasingly integrated into land surface models, their evaluation and further development remains challenging due to data limitations. This study assessed the representation of field‐scale irrigation using the Community Land Model version 5 (CLM5) through comparison of observed and simulated soil moisture, transpiration and crop yield. Irrigation was simulated by (a) adjusting the current irrigation routine and (b) by implementing a novel irrigation data stream that allows to directly use observed irrigation amounts and schedules. In a following step, the effect of different irrigation scenarios at the regional scale was simulated by using this novel data stream. At the plot scale, the novel irrigation data stream performed better in representing observed SM dynamics compared to the current irrigation routine. Nonetheless, simplifications in crop and irrigation representation and uncertainty in the relation between water stress and yield currently limit the ability of CLM5 for field‐scale irrigation scheduling. Still, the simulations revealed valuable insights into model performance that can inform and improve the modeling beyond the field scale. At regional scale, the simulations identified irrigation priorities and potential water savings. Furthermore, application of LSMs such as CLM5 can help to study the effects of irrigation beyond water availability, for example, on energy fluxes and climate, thus providing a powerful tool to assess the broader implications of irrigation at larger scale.https://doi.org/10.1029/2023WR036139irrigationland surface modelingsoil moisturewater resources managementfruit orchardsmodel development
spellingShingle O. Dombrowski
C. Brogi
H.‐J. Hendricks Franssen
V. Pisinaras
A. Panagopoulos
S. Swenson
H. Bogena
Land Surface Modeling as a Tool to Explore Sustainable Irrigation Practices in Mediterranean Fruit Orchards
Water Resources Research
irrigation
land surface modeling
soil moisture
water resources management
fruit orchards
model development
title Land Surface Modeling as a Tool to Explore Sustainable Irrigation Practices in Mediterranean Fruit Orchards
title_full Land Surface Modeling as a Tool to Explore Sustainable Irrigation Practices in Mediterranean Fruit Orchards
title_fullStr Land Surface Modeling as a Tool to Explore Sustainable Irrigation Practices in Mediterranean Fruit Orchards
title_full_unstemmed Land Surface Modeling as a Tool to Explore Sustainable Irrigation Practices in Mediterranean Fruit Orchards
title_short Land Surface Modeling as a Tool to Explore Sustainable Irrigation Practices in Mediterranean Fruit Orchards
title_sort land surface modeling as a tool to explore sustainable irrigation practices in mediterranean fruit orchards
topic irrigation
land surface modeling
soil moisture
water resources management
fruit orchards
model development
url https://doi.org/10.1029/2023WR036139
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