Journal article
Least-cost control of agricultural nutrient contributions to the Gulf of Mexico hypoxic zone
Ecological Applications, Vol.20(6), pp.1542-1555
09/2010
DOI: 10.1890/08-0680.1
Abstract
In 2008, the hypoxic zone in the Gulf of Mexico, measuring 20 720 km 2 , was one of the two largest reported since measurement of the zone began in 1985. The extent of the hypoxic zone is related to nitrogen and phosphorous loadings originating on agricultural fields in the upper Midwest. This study combines the tools of evolutionary computation with a water quality model and cost data to develop a trade-off frontier for the Upper Mississippi River Basin specifying the least cost of achieving nutrient reductions and the location of the agricultural conservation practices needed. The frontier allows policymakers and stakeholders to explicitly see the trade-offs between cost and nutrient reductions. For example, the cost of reducing annual nitrate-N loadings by 30% is estimated to be US$1.4 billion/year, with a concomitant 36% reduction in P and the cost of reducing annual P loadings by 30% is estimated to be US$370 million/year, with a concomitant 9% reduction in nitrate-N.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Least-cost control of agricultural nutrient contributions to the Gulf of Mexico hypoxic zone
- Creators
- Sergey Rabotyagov - School of Forest Resources, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98115-2100 USATodd Campbell - Center for Agricultural and Rural Development, Department of Economics, 568 Heady Hall, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa 50011 USAManoj Jha - Center for Agricultural and Rural Development, Department of Economics, 568 Heady Hall, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa 50011 USAPhilip W Gassman - Center for Agricultural and Rural Development, Department of Economics, 568 Heady Hall, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa 50011 USAJeffrey Arnold - Grassland and Soil Water Research Laboratory, USDA Agricultural Research Service, 808 East Blackland Road, Temple, Texas 76502 USALyubov Kurkalova - Department of Economics and Transportation/Logistics and Energy and Environmental Studies Program, North Carolina A&T University, Greensboro, North Carolina 27411 USASilvia Secchi - Department of Agribusiness Economics, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, Illinois 62901 USAHongli Feng - Department of Economics, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa 50014 USACatherine L Kling - Center for Agricultural and Rural Development, Department of Economics, 568 Heady Hall, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa 50011 USA
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- Ecological Applications, Vol.20(6), pp.1542-1555
- Publisher
- Ecological Society of America
- DOI
- 10.1890/08-0680.1
- ISSN
- 1051-0761
- eISSN
- 1939-5582
- Number of pages
- 14
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 09/2010
- Academic Unit
- Geographical and Sustainability Sciences; University College Courses; Public Policy Center (Archive)
- Record Identifier
- 9983917797102771
Metrics
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