Matching Items (16)
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In the recent past, Iraq was considered relatively rich considering its water resources compared to its surroundings. Currently, the magnitude of water resource shortages in Iraq represents an important factor in the stability of the country and in protecting sustained economic development. The need for a practical, applicable, and sustainable

In the recent past, Iraq was considered relatively rich considering its water resources compared to its surroundings. Currently, the magnitude of water resource shortages in Iraq represents an important factor in the stability of the country and in protecting sustained economic development. The need for a practical, applicable, and sustainable river basin management for the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers in Iraq is essential. Applicable water resources allocation scenarios are important to minimize the potential future water crises in connection with water quality and quantity. The allocation of the available fresh water resources in addition to reclaimed water to different users in a sustainable manner is of the urgent necessities to maintain good water quantity and quality.

In this dissertation, predictive water allocation optimization models were developed which can be used to easily identify good alternatives for water management that can then be discussed, debated, adjusted, and simulated in greater detail. This study provides guidance for decision makers in Iraq for potential future conditions, where water supplies are reduced, and demonstrates how it is feasible to adopt an efficient water allocation strategy with flexibility in providing equitable water resource allocation considering alternative resource. Using reclaimed water will help in reducing the potential negative environmental impacts of treated or/and partially treated wastewater discharges while increasing the potential uses of reclaimed water for agriculture and other applications. Using reclaimed water for irrigation is logical and efficient to enhance the economy of farmers and the environment while providing a diversity of crops, especially since most of Iraq’s built or under construction wastewater treatment plants are located in or adjacent to agricultural lands. Adopting an optimization modelling approach can assist decision makers, ensuring their decisions will benefit the economy by incorporating global experiences to control water allocations in Iraq especially considering diminished water supplies.
ContributorsAhmed, Ahmed Abdulrazzaq (Author) / Mays, Larry W. (Thesis advisor) / Fox, Peter (Thesis advisor) / Mascaro, Giuseppe (Committee member) / Muenich, Rebecca (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2019
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Description
Soil moisture (θ) is a fundamental variable controlling the exchange of water and energy at the land surface. As a result, the characterization of the statistical properties of θ across multiple scales is essential for many applications including flood prediction, drought monitoring, and weather forecasting. Empirical evidences have demonstrated the

Soil moisture (θ) is a fundamental variable controlling the exchange of water and energy at the land surface. As a result, the characterization of the statistical properties of θ across multiple scales is essential for many applications including flood prediction, drought monitoring, and weather forecasting. Empirical evidences have demonstrated the existence of emergent relationships and scale invariance properties in θ fields collected from the ground and airborne sensors during intensive field campaigns, mostly in natural landscapes. This dissertation advances the characterization of these relations and statistical properties of θ by (1) analyzing the role of irrigation, and (2) investigating how these properties change in time and across different landscape conditions through θ outputs of a distributed hydrologic model. First, θ observations from two field campaigns in Australia are used to explore how the presence of irrigated fields modifies the spatial distribution of θ and the associated scale invariance properties. Results reveal that the impact of irrigation is larger in drier regions or conditions, where irrigation creates a drastic contrast with the surrounding areas. Second, a physically-based distributed hydrologic model is applied in a regional basin in northern Mexico to generate hyperresolution θ fields, which are useful to conduct analyses in regions and times where θ has not been monitored. For this aim, strategies are proposed to address data, model validation, and computational challenges associated with hyperresolution hydrologic simulations. Third, analyses are carried out to investigate whether the hyperresolution simulated θ fields reproduce the statistical and scaling properties observed from the ground or remote sensors. Results confirm that (i) the relations between spatial mean and standard deviation of θ derived from the model outputs are very similar to those observed in other areas, and (ii) simulated θ fields exhibit the scale invariance properties that are consistent with those analyzed from aircraft-derived estimates. The simulated θ fields are then used to explore the influence of physical controls on the statistical properties, finding that soil properties significantly affect spatial variability and multifractality. The knowledge acquired through this dissertation provides insights on θ statistical properties in regions and landscape conditions that were never investigated before; supports the refinement of the calibration of multifractal downscaling models; and contributes to the improvement of hyperresolution hydrologic modeling.
ContributorsKo, Ara (Author) / Mascaro, Giuseppe (Thesis advisor) / Vivoni, Enrique R. (Thesis advisor) / Myint, Soe (Committee member) / Wang, Zhihua (Committee member) / Muenich, Rebecca (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2018
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Description

Is there a mismatch between urban farmers’ perceptions of their farm’s environmental sustainability and its actual environmental impact? Focusing on the use of water and nutrients on each farm as described by the farmers through interviews, it is evident that there is some level of disconnect between ideals and practices.

Is there a mismatch between urban farmers’ perceptions of their farm’s environmental sustainability and its actual environmental impact? Focusing on the use of water and nutrients on each farm as described by the farmers through interviews, it is evident that there is some level of disconnect between ideals and practices. This project may aid in bridging the gap between the two in regard to the farmers’ sustainability goals. This project will move forward by continuing interviews with farmers as well as collecting soil and water from the farms in order to more accurately quantify the sustainability of the farms’ practices. This project demonstrates that there is some degree of misalignment between perception and reality. Two farms claimed they were sustainable when their practices did not reflect that, while 2 farms said they were not sure if they were sustainable when their practices indicated otherwise. Samples from two farms showed high concentrations of nutrients and salts, supporting the idea that there may be a mismatch between perceived and actual sustainability.

ContributorsBonham, Emma Eileen (Author) / Muenich, Rebecca (Thesis director) / Zanin, Alaina (Committee member) / Civil, Environmental and Sustainable Eng Program (Contributor) / School of Sustainability (Contributor) / School of Sustainable Engineering & Built Envirnmt (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2021-05
Description

Pay-for-performance (PFP) is a relatively new approach to agricultural conservation that attaches an incentive payment to quantified reductions in nutrient runoff from a participating farm. Similar to a payment for ecosystem services approach, PFP lends itself to providing incentives for the most beneficial practices at the field level. To date,

Pay-for-performance (PFP) is a relatively new approach to agricultural conservation that attaches an incentive payment to quantified reductions in nutrient runoff from a participating farm. Similar to a payment for ecosystem services approach, PFP lends itself to providing incentives for the most beneficial practices at the field level. To date, PFP conservation in the U.S. has only been applied in small pilot programs. Because monitoring conservation performance for each field enrolled in a program would be cost-prohibitive, field-level modeling can provide cost-effective estimates of anticipated improvements in nutrient runoff. We developed a PFP system that uses a unique application of one of the leading agricultural models, the USDA’s Soil and Water Assessment Tool, to evaluate the nutrient load reductions of potential farm practice changes based on field-level agronomic and management data. The initial phase of the project focused on simulating individual fields in the River Raisin watershed in southeastern Michigan. Here we present development of the modeling approach and results from the pilot year, 2015-2016. These results stress that (1) there is variability in practice effectiveness both within and between farms, and thus there is not one “best practice” for all farms, (2) conservation decisions are made most effectively at the scale of the farm field rather than the sub-watershed or watershed level, and (3) detailed, field-level management information is needed to accurately model and manage on-farm nutrient loadings.

Supplemental information mentioned in the article is attached as a separate document.

ContributorsMuenich, Rebecca (Author) / Kalcic, M. M. (Author) / Winsten, J. (Author) / Fisher, K. (Author) / Day, M. (Author) / O'Neil, G. (Author) / Wang, Y.-C. (Author) / Scavia, D. (Author) / Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering (Contributor)
Created2017
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Description
Intensified food production on large farms across the world has led to discussions on how to facilitate sustainable policies and practices to reduce nutrient pollution. In Chapter 1, I evaluated the co-variability of agricultural intensification, environmental degradation, and socio-economic indicators throughout the US to explore the potential evidence for the

Intensified food production on large farms across the world has led to discussions on how to facilitate sustainable policies and practices to reduce nutrient pollution. In Chapter 1, I evaluated the co-variability of agricultural intensification, environmental degradation, and socio-economic indicators throughout the US to explore the potential evidence for the existence of sustainable intensification of agriculture in the US. I identified distinct agro-social-eco regions in the US that provide background for future regional studies of (sustainable intensification) SI in the US and beyond. I observed regions of moderate agricultural intensity and lower environmental degradation within the Great Plains, and regions of high agricultural intensity and higher environmental degradation throughout portions of the Midwest. Insights gained from this study can provide roadmaps for improved sustainable agricultural intensification within the US. In Chapter 2, the study summarized state regulations controlling a key nutrient input - the land application of biosolids from human wastewater treatment and manures from regulated animal feeding operations. Results indicate high variability of both manure and biosolids regulations among the states and stark differences in the regulation of land application of biosolids versus manures. This work can be used to identify opportunities for the strengthening of regulatory frameworks for managing these resources with minimal risk to the environment. In Chapter 3, I combined aspects of the previous chapters to understand the potential impact of specific CAFO land application regulations on nutrient pollution and assess if stricter regulations related to better environmental outcomes. I compared TN AND TP accumulated yields in surface waters across US States with state specific CAFO land application regulations across US Policy scenario tests revealed that more restrictions were associated with higher nutrient levels, indicating reactive policy making and delayed nonpoint source pollution responses. Overall, I found that fostering adaptive capacity and management within delineated agro-social-eco regions will likely facilitate sustainable food systems in the US.
ContributorsRauh, Eleanor (Author) / Muenich, Rebecca (Thesis advisor) / Compton, Jana (Committee member) / Parker, Nathan (Committee member) / Hamilton, Kerry (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2021
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Concerns, such as global warming, greenhouse gas emissions, and changes in hydrological regimes, have been raised in response to the global ecosystem changes caused by humans. Understanding the ecosystem functions is crucial for assisting stakeholders in formulating viable plans to address the issues for a healthier planet. However, a systematic

Concerns, such as global warming, greenhouse gas emissions, and changes in hydrological regimes, have been raised in response to the global ecosystem changes caused by humans. Understanding the ecosystem functions is crucial for assisting stakeholders in formulating viable plans to address the issues for a healthier planet. However, a systematic evaluation of recent environmental changes and current ecosystem status, focusing on terrestrial ecosystem carbon-water trade-off, in the Lower Mekong Basin (LMB) is lacking. This dissertation involves: (1) examining the long-term spatiotemporal patterns of ecosystem conditions in response to gains and losses of the forest; (2) evaluating the current consumptive water use variation across all biome and land use types with remotely sensed evapotranspiration (ET) products; (3) analyzing the trade-off between terrestrial carbon and water stress condition during the photosynthesis process in response to different climatic/ecosystem conditions, and (4) developing a spatial optimization model to effectively determine possible reforestation/afforestation options considering the balance between water conservation and carbon fluxes. These studies were conducted with many recently developed algorithms and satellite imagery. This dissertation makes significant contributions and expands the knowledge of the variation in water consumption and carbon assimilation within the ecosystem when different conditions are present. In addition, the spatial optimization model was applied to the entire region to formulate possible reforestation plans under different water-carbon tradeoff scenarios for the first time. The findings and results of this research can be used to provide constructive suggestions to policymakers, managers, planners, government officials, and any other stakeholders in LMB to formulate policies and guidelines for the environmentally responsible and sustainable development of LMB.
ContributorsLi, Yubin (Author) / Myint, Soe (Thesis advisor) / Tong, Daoqin (Thesis advisor) / Muenich, Rebecca (Committee member) / Schaffer-Smith, Danica (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2023
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Description
To successfully launch and maintain a long-term colony on Mars, Martian agricultural systems need to be capable of sustaining human life without requiring expensive deliveries from Earth. There is a need for more studies on this topic to make this a feasible mission. This thesis aims to study from a

To successfully launch and maintain a long-term colony on Mars, Martian agricultural systems need to be capable of sustaining human life without requiring expensive deliveries from Earth. There is a need for more studies on this topic to make this a feasible mission. This thesis aims to study from a high level one such agricultural system, specifically examining the requirements and flow of Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium required to sustain a given human colony size. We developed a Microsoft Excel based model that relates human nutritional needs to the amount available in food crops and in turn the amount of Martian soil required for agriculture. The model works by inputting the number of humans, and then utilizing the built-in calculations and datasets to determine how much of each nutrient is needed to meet all nutritional needs of the colony. Using that information, it calculates the amount of plants needed to supply the nutrition and then calculates the amount of nutrients that would be taken from the soil. It compares the Martian regolith to the nutrient uptake, accounting for inedible biomass from the plants and human waste that can be added to the regolith. Any deficiencies are used to determine if and how much fertilizer should be added to the system initially and over time. Using the total amount of plants and the number of harvests, the amount of Martian land required for sustaining the colony is computed. These results can be used as a building block to enable the successful design of an agricultural system on Mars.
ContributorsGarland, Michael (Co-author) / Zinke, Sarah (Co-author) / Muenich, Rebecca (Thesis director) / Perreault, Francois (Committee member) / Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Program (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
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Agriculture is the second largest water consumer in the Phoenix Metropolitan region, after the municipal sector. A significant portion of the cultivated land and agricultural water demand is from the production of animal feed, including alfalfa (~69% of total cropland area), corn (~8), and sorghum (-3%), which are both exported

Agriculture is the second largest water consumer in the Phoenix Metropolitan region, after the municipal sector. A significant portion of the cultivated land and agricultural water demand is from the production of animal feed, including alfalfa (~69% of total cropland area), corn (~8), and sorghum (-3%), which are both exported and needed to support local dairy industry. The goal of this thesis is to evaluate the impacts on water demand and crop production of four different crop portfolios using alfalfa, corn, sorghum, and feed barley. For this aim, the Water Evaluation And Planning (WEAP) platform and the embedded MABIA agronomic module are applied to the Phoenix Active Management Area (AMA), a political/hydrological region including most of Phoenix Metro. The simulations indicate that the most efficient solution is a portfolio where all study crop production is made up by sorghum, with an increase of 153% in crop yield and a reduction of 60% of water consumption compared to current conditions. In contrast, a portfolio where all study crop production is made up by alfalfa, which is primary crop grown in current conditions, decreased crop yield by 77% and increases water demand by 105%. Solutions where all study crop production is achieved with corn or feed barley lead to a reduction of 77% and 65% of each respective water demand, with a portfolio of all corn for study crop production increasing crop yield by 245% and a portfolio of all feed barley for study crop production reducing crop yield by 29%.
ContributorsRees, Kendall Marcella (Author) / Mascaro, Giuseppe (Thesis director) / Muenich, Rebecca (Committee member) / Chhetri, Netra (Committee member) / Civil, Environmental and Sustainable Eng Program (Contributor) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
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Description

Pay-for-performance (PFP) is a relatively new approach to agricultural conservation that attaches an incentive payment to quantified reductions in nutrient runoff from a participating farm. Similar to a payment for ecosystem services approach, PFP lends itself to providing incentives for the most beneficial practices at the field level. To date,

Pay-for-performance (PFP) is a relatively new approach to agricultural conservation that attaches an incentive payment to quantified reductions in nutrient runoff from a participating farm. Similar to a payment for ecosystem services approach, PFP lends itself to providing incentives for the most beneficial practices at the field level. To date, PFP conservation in the U.S. has only been applied in small pilot programs. Because monitoring conservation performance for each field enrolled in a program would be cost-prohibitive, field-level modeling can provide cost-effective estimates of anticipated improvements in nutrient runoff. We developed a PFP system that uses a unique application of one of the leading agricultural models, the USDA's Soil and Water Assessment Tool, to evaluate the nutrient load reductions of potential farm practice changes based on field-level agronomic and management data. The initial phase of the project focused on simulating individual fields in the River Raisin watershed in southeastern Michigan. Here we present development of the modeling approach and results from the pilot year, 2015-2016. These results stress that (1) there is variability in practice effectiveness both within and between farms, and thus there is not one "best practice" for all farms, (2) conservation decisions are made most effectively at the scale of the farm field rather than the sub-watershed or watershed level, and (3) detailed, field-level management information is needed to accurately model and manage on-farm nutrient loadings.

ContributorsMuenich, Rebecca (Author) / Kalcic, M. M. (Author) / Winsten, J. (Author) / Fisher, K. (Author) / Day, M. (Author) / O'Neil, G. (Author) / Wang, Y.-C. (Author) / Scavia, D. (Author) / Ira A. Fulton School of Engineering (Contributor)
Created2017
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Description
Water is a scarce resource that is recycled through wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) to help fulfill the demand for water. Agriculture is a large consumer of water, indicating that WWTP-treated water is proportionally applied to crops at a high rate. Recycled water is highly regulated but is capable of containing

Water is a scarce resource that is recycled through wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) to help fulfill the demand for water. Agriculture is a large consumer of water, indicating that WWTP-treated water is proportionally applied to crops at a high rate. Recycled water is highly regulated but is capable of containing high-risk pathogens and contaminants despite the efforts of physical and microbial treatments throughout the WWTP process. WWTPs are also producers of biosolids, treated sewage sludge regulated by the EPA that can be applied in agricultural settings to act as a fertilizer. Biosolids are a useful fertilizer as they are rich in nitrogen and contain many beneficial nutrients for soil and crops. Due to biosolids being a by-product of recycled water, they are susceptible to containing the same pathogens and contaminants that can be transferred in the WWTP systems. Antibiotic resistance (AR) is an ever-growing threat on a global scale and is one of the areas of concern for consideration of pathogen spread from WWTPs. Antibiotic resistance bacteria, created through mutation of bacterial plasmids producing antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), have been quantified and studied to help mitigate the risk posed by continued AR spread in the environment. This study aims to produce a comprehensive collection of quantified ARG concentration data in biosolids, as well as producing a QMRA model integrating Monte Carlo distributions to provide groundwork for understanding of the direct dosage and consumption of ARGs to the standard U.S. citizen. The study determined that sul1, sul2, tetM, and tetO are ARGs of high concern in biosolid samples based on current concentration data of biosolid samples. The resulting dose models and gene concentration distributions provide data to support the need to mitigate AR risk presented by agricultural biosolid application.
ContributorsMorgan, Grace (Author) / Hamilton, Kerry (Thesis director) / Muenich, Rebecca (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Harrington Bioengineering Program (Contributor)
Created2022-05