Journal article
Quantifying the contribution of tile drainage to basin-scale water yield using analytical and numerical models
The Science of the total environment, Vol.657, pp.297-309
03/20/2019
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.11.340
PMID: 30543979
Abstract
The Des Moines Lobe (DML) of north-central Iowa has been artificially drained by subsurface drains and surface ditches to provide some of the most productive agricultural land in the world. Herein we report on the use of end-member mixing analysis (EMMA) models and the numerical model Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) to quantify the contribution of tile drainage to basin-scale water yields at various scales within the 2370 km2 Boone River watershed (BRW), a subbasin within the Des Moines River watershed. EMMA and SWAT methods suggested that tile drainage provided approximately 46 to 54% of annual discharge in the Boone River and during the March to June period, accounted for a majority of flow in the river. In the BRW subbasin of Lyons Creek, approximately 66% of the annual flow was sourced from tile drainage. Within the DML region, tile drainage contributes to basin-scale water yields at scales ranging from 40 to 16,000 km2, with downstream effects diminishing with increasing watershed size. Developing a better understanding of water sources contributing to river discharge is needed if mitigation and control strategies are going to be successfully targeted to reduce downstream nutrient export.
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•Discharge from subsurface drainage tiles comprises a substantial fraction of water yields in intensely-drained watersheds•Contributions from tile drainage to basin-scale water yields were detectable beyond 16,000 km2•A better understanding of water sources contributing to river discharge is needed for mitigation and control strategies.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Quantifying the contribution of tile drainage to basin-scale water yield using analytical and numerical models
- Creators
- Keith E. Schilling - United States Geological SurveyPhilip W. Gassman - Iowa State UniversityAntonio Arenas-Amado - University of IowaChristopher S. Jones - University of IowaJeff Arnold - Grassland, Soil and Water Research Laboratory
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- The Science of the total environment, Vol.657, pp.297-309
- Publisher
- Elsevier B.V
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.11.340
- PMID
- 30543979
- ISSN
- 0048-9697
- eISSN
- 1879-1026
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 03/20/2019
- Academic Unit
- Earth and Environmental Sciences; IIHR--Hydroscience and Engineering
- Record Identifier
- 9984383885502771
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