Water savings potentials of irrigation systems: global simulation of processes and linkages
Abstract. Global agricultural production is heavily sustained by irrigation, but irrigation system efficiencies are often surprisingly low. However, our knowledge of irrigation efficiencies is mostly confined to rough indicative estimates for countries or regions that do not account for spatiotempor...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Journal Article |
| Language: | Inglés |
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Copernicus GmbH
2015
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://hdl.handle.net/10568/129460 |
| _version_ | 1855527942871842816 |
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| author | Jägermeyr, J. Gerten, Dieter Heinke, Jens Schaphoff, S. Kummu, M. Lucht, W. |
| author_browse | Gerten, Dieter Heinke, Jens Jägermeyr, J. Kummu, M. Lucht, W. Schaphoff, S. |
| author_facet | Jägermeyr, J. Gerten, Dieter Heinke, Jens Schaphoff, S. Kummu, M. Lucht, W. |
| author_sort | Jägermeyr, J. |
| collection | Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace) |
| description | Abstract. Global agricultural production is heavily sustained by irrigation, but irrigation system efficiencies are often surprisingly low. However, our knowledge of irrigation efficiencies is mostly confined to rough indicative estimates for countries or regions that do not account for spatiotemporal heterogeneity due to climate and other biophysical dependencies. To allow for refined estimates of global agricultural water use, and of water saving and water productivity potentials constrained by biophysical processes and also non-trivial downstream effects, we incorporated a process-based representation of the three major irrigation systems (surface, sprinkler, and drip) into a bio- and agrosphere model, LPJmL. Based on this enhanced model we provide a gridded world map of irrigation efficiencies that are calculated in direct linkage to differences in system types, crop types, climatic and hydrologic conditions, and overall crop management. We find pronounced regional patterns in beneficial irrigation efficiency (a refined irrigation efficiency indicator accounting for crop-productive water consumption only), due to differences in these features, with the lowest values (< 30 %) in south Asia and sub-Saharan Africa and the highest values (> 60 %) in Europe and North America. We arrive at an estimate of global irrigation water withdrawal of 2469 km3 (2004–2009 average); irrigation water consumption is calculated to be 1257 km3, of which 608 km3 are non-beneficially consumed, i.e., lost through evaporation, interception, and conveyance. Replacing surface systems by sprinkler or drip systems could, on average across the world's river basins, reduce the non-beneficial consumption at river basin level by 54 and 76 %, respectively, while maintaining the current level of crop yields. Accordingly, crop water productivity would increase by 9 and 15 %, respectively, and by much more in specific regions such as in the Indus basin. This study significantly advances the global quantification of irrigation systems while providing a framework for assessing potential future transitions in these systems. In this paper, presented opportunities associated with irrigation improvements are significant and suggest that they should be considered an important means on the way to sustainable food security. |
| format | Journal Article |
| id | CGSpace129460 |
| institution | CGIAR Consortium |
| language | Inglés |
| publishDate | 2015 |
| publishDateRange | 2015 |
| publishDateSort | 2015 |
| publisher | Copernicus GmbH |
| publisherStr | Copernicus GmbH |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | CGSpace1294602025-12-08T09:54:28Z Water savings potentials of irrigation systems: global simulation of processes and linkages Jägermeyr, J. Gerten, Dieter Heinke, Jens Schaphoff, S. Kummu, M. Lucht, W. water irrigation systems irrigation simulation systems processes savings Abstract. Global agricultural production is heavily sustained by irrigation, but irrigation system efficiencies are often surprisingly low. However, our knowledge of irrigation efficiencies is mostly confined to rough indicative estimates for countries or regions that do not account for spatiotemporal heterogeneity due to climate and other biophysical dependencies. To allow for refined estimates of global agricultural water use, and of water saving and water productivity potentials constrained by biophysical processes and also non-trivial downstream effects, we incorporated a process-based representation of the three major irrigation systems (surface, sprinkler, and drip) into a bio- and agrosphere model, LPJmL. Based on this enhanced model we provide a gridded world map of irrigation efficiencies that are calculated in direct linkage to differences in system types, crop types, climatic and hydrologic conditions, and overall crop management. We find pronounced regional patterns in beneficial irrigation efficiency (a refined irrigation efficiency indicator accounting for crop-productive water consumption only), due to differences in these features, with the lowest values (< 30 %) in south Asia and sub-Saharan Africa and the highest values (> 60 %) in Europe and North America. We arrive at an estimate of global irrigation water withdrawal of 2469 km3 (2004–2009 average); irrigation water consumption is calculated to be 1257 km3, of which 608 km3 are non-beneficially consumed, i.e., lost through evaporation, interception, and conveyance. Replacing surface systems by sprinkler or drip systems could, on average across the world's river basins, reduce the non-beneficial consumption at river basin level by 54 and 76 %, respectively, while maintaining the current level of crop yields. Accordingly, crop water productivity would increase by 9 and 15 %, respectively, and by much more in specific regions such as in the Indus basin. This study significantly advances the global quantification of irrigation systems while providing a framework for assessing potential future transitions in these systems. In this paper, presented opportunities associated with irrigation improvements are significant and suggest that they should be considered an important means on the way to sustainable food security. 2015-07-10 2023-03-10T14:35:51Z 2023-03-10T14:35:51Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/129460 en Open Access Copernicus GmbH Jägermeyr, J.; Gerten, Dieter; Heinke, Jens; Schaphoff, S.; Kummu, M.; Lucht, W. 2015. Water savings potentials of irrigation systems: global simulation of processes and linkages. Hydrology and Earth System Sciences 19: 3073-3091 |
| spellingShingle | water irrigation systems irrigation simulation systems processes savings Jägermeyr, J. Gerten, Dieter Heinke, Jens Schaphoff, S. Kummu, M. Lucht, W. Water savings potentials of irrigation systems: global simulation of processes and linkages |
| title | Water savings potentials of irrigation systems: global simulation of processes and linkages |
| title_full | Water savings potentials of irrigation systems: global simulation of processes and linkages |
| title_fullStr | Water savings potentials of irrigation systems: global simulation of processes and linkages |
| title_full_unstemmed | Water savings potentials of irrigation systems: global simulation of processes and linkages |
| title_short | Water savings potentials of irrigation systems: global simulation of processes and linkages |
| title_sort | water savings potentials of irrigation systems global simulation of processes and linkages |
| topic | water irrigation systems irrigation simulation systems processes savings |
| url | https://hdl.handle.net/10568/129460 |
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