Agricultural Drainage Networks Research Articles

Extreme rainfall analysis for an agricultural land drainage system

ABSTRACT The present study highlights the IS 8835:1978 recommendation for the planning and design of surface agricultural drains adopted uniformly across India. The current analysis aimed to compute the agricultural land drainage design and cross-drainage structure for 5-year and 50-year frequencies, respectively, using 3-day rainfall for the areas belonging to three different agro-climatological zones (including four districts, i.e. Surat, Ahmedabad, Jaipur and Mumbai). Extreme rainfall analysis using 3-day fixed window (FW) and sliding window (SW) rainfall was carried out using the probabilistic approach and the maximum rainfall depth-duration-frequency curves. For the 5-year (50-year) frequency, the 3-day FW rainfall for Surat, Ahmedabad, Jaipur, and Mumbai was 303 mm (490 mm), 235 mm (442 mm), 147 mm (326 mm), and 417 mm (667 mm), respectively, whereas the 3-day SW rainfall is 345 mm (583 mm), 258 mm (473 mm), 168 mm (359 mm), and 485 mm (765 mm), respectively. The trend analysis results showed the non-monotonous increasing (decreasing) trend over study regions. The SW rainfall was higher than the corresponding FW values. The results presented in this study can be adopted in the design of the agricultural land drainage network and cross-drainage structure in the regions under consideration.

Vegetation and Residence Time Interact to Influence Metabolism and Net Nutrient Uptake in Experimental Agricultural Drainage Systems

Agricultural drainage networks within the Lower Mississippi River Basin (LMRB) have potential to attenuate nutrient loading to downstream aquatic ecosystems through best management practices. Nutrient uptake (nitrogen, phosphorus), gross primary production (GPP), ecosystem respiration (ER), and denitrification rates were estimated using a combination of sensor measurements and hourly discrete samples for dissolved nutrients and gases at three hydraulic residence times (2, 4, and 6 h) in three vegetated and three unvegetated ditches. We also measured vegetation and soil nutrient content. GPP and ER were significantly higher in vegetated drainages and increasing hydraulic residence time increased respiration rates. Shorter hydraulic residence times were associated with increased uptake rates for both N and P, and vegetation increased N uptake rates in all hydraulic residence time (HRT) treatments. Vegetation and sediment assimilated N and P over the course of the experiment. Overall, our experimental results demonstrate the strong role of emergent vegetation in nutrient retention and removal processes in agricultural drainage ditch networks.

Analytical study of carbon dioxide equivalent emission from agricultural drain surfaces — a case study from Egypt*

AbstractMethane emission is usually converted into equivalent carbon dioxide (CO2e) in order to compare it with other sectoral emissions. Estimation of methane from ‘agricultural drain surfaces’ is not accounted for in most of the derivation methods. This research paper dealt with the estimation of CO2e emission from ‘surfaces of the agricultural drains network in Egypt’ and then estimated the projected future CO2e emission loads trend for the period 2046–2065. CO2e emission was estimated using general circulation models for climate change under expected temperature variation in the coming decades. Annual average total CO2e emission loads from the BHD surface and its surrounding areas to the atmosphere were about 3790 t eq. CO2e yr‾¹ for the period 2046–2065. The ‘additional’ total emission of CO2e from the agriculture drainage network surface in relation to total emissions from the agricultural sector in Egypt was about 13.8%. It also accounted for about 1.4% of overall CO2e emission in Egypt. This research paper, furthermore, developed a methane indicative emission map for the Egyptian agricultural drainage network for the period 2046–2065, through which it is possible to estimate CO2e emission loads at any segment on any agricultural drain in Egypt during the period 2046–2065.

Microwave Wireless Powering of Sensored Agricultural Tile Drainages

In this article, a new technique for wireless powering of agricultural sensors buried deep underground is introduced and experimentally investigated. In this technique, the agricultural drainage tiles are utilized as waveguides to carry electromagnetic (EM) energy over long distances. By using high-efficiency rectifiers, the propagating EM waves are then converted into dc power to charge the batteries of underground sensors. A prototype 1 GHz rectenna system is fabricated and implemented on an 8 in tile to prove this concept experimentally. Various measurements are conducted for both the rectenna and the entire tile system, including realistic scenarios such as partially covered tiles and tile in the presence of water. Considering the emerging digital agriculture, the proposed technique will open the potential for detailed underground geochemistry studies, which will allow us to better monitor the transport of liquids and gases through millions of miles of agricultural tile drainage networks.

Monthly suspended-sediment apportionment for a western Lake Erie agricultural tributary

Black Creek, a headwater to the Maumee River and western Lake Erie, is an agricultural basin with a mix of cropland (66%), pasture (19%), and forest (7%) linked by a road network to the rural community. Suspended sediment was collected monthly during the 2018 water year for the main stem and two sub-basins using in-situ, passive samplers that integrated a range of streamflow conditions. Sediment fingerprinting used 44 indicators to apportion samples among five sources: cropland, pasture, forest, road dirt, and streambanks. Cropland, pasture, and streambanks had similar ranges in sediment-bound phosphorus (679–1670 ppm). Cropland contributed 21 ± 15% (monthly mean ± standard deviation; 0–46% among individual months) of suspended sediment during the year. Fall and spring peaks in cropland contribution highlight the ongoing importance of on-field management, but this small contribution of suspended sediment relative to the expanse of cropland may reflect implementation of best-management practices. Pasture contributed 0–66% (16 ± 19%) of suspended sediment and roads 0–26% (6 ± 6%). Streambanks contributed 12–100% (55 ± 25%) and was the only source identified in all sediment samples. In this basin, most cropland-adjacent streambanks are protected by a riparian setback. However, streams traversing other land-use types are not as consistently protected, and these setbacks do not protect the stream channel from discharge of water from sump pumps, road culverts, or tile drains. The contribution of sediment from other land uses combined with that from the agricultural drainage network (as streambank material) underscores the need to consider water movement in the basin as a whole.

Environmental Assessment of the Water of some of the Agricultural Drainage Networks of Shatt Al-Abbasiya

Environmental Assessment of the Water of some of the Agricultural Drainage Networks of Shatt Al-Abbasiya

Vegetated Ditch Habitats Provide Net Nitrogen Sink and Phosphorus Storage Capacity in Agricultural Drainage Networks Despite Senescent Plant Leaching

The utility of vegetated ditch environments as nutrient sinks in agricultural watersheds is dependent in part on biogeochemical transformations that control plant uptake and release during decomposition. We investigated nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) uptake and release across four P enrichment treatments in ditch mesocosms planted with rice cutgrass (Leersia oryzoides) during the summer growing and winter decomposition seasons. Measured N retention and modeled denitrification rates did not vary, but P retention significantly increased with P enrichment. At the end of the growing season, root biomass stored significantly more N and P than aboveground stem and leaf biomass. Decomposition rates were low (<10% organic matter loss) and not affected by P enrichment. Nitrogen and P export during winter did not vary across the P enrichment gradient. Export accounted for <10% of observed summer N uptake (1363 mg m−2), with denitrification potentially accounting for at least 40% of retained N. In contrast, net P retention was dependent on enrichment; in unenriched mesocosms, P uptake and release were balanced (only 25% net retention), whereas net retention increased from 77% to 88% with increasing P enrichment. Our results indicate that vegetated ditch environments have significant potential to serve as denitrification sinks, while also storing excess P in agricultural watersheds.

Using geomorphological variables to predict the spatial distribution of plant species in agricultural drainage networks.

To optimize ecosystem services provided by agricultural drainage networks (ditches) in headwater catchments, we need to manage the spatial distribution of plant species living in these networks. Geomorphological variables have been shown to be important predictors of plant distribution in other ecosystems because they control the water regime, the sediment deposition rates and the sun exposure in the ditches. Whether such variables may be used to predict plant distribution in agricultural drainage networks is unknown. We collected presence and absence data for 10 herbaceous plant species in a subset of a network of drainage ditches (35 km long) within a Mediterranean agricultural catchment. We simulated their spatial distribution with GLM and Maxent model using geomorphological variables and distance to natural lands and roads. Models were validated using k-fold cross-validation. We then compared the mean Area Under the Curve (AUC) values obtained for each model and other metrics issued from the confusion matrices between observed and predicted variables. Based on the results of all metrics, the models were efficient at predicting the distribution of seven species out of ten, confirming the relevance of geomorphological variables and distance to natural lands and roads to explain the occurrence of plant species in this Mediterranean catchment. In particular, the importance of the landscape geomorphological variables, ie the importance of the geomorphological features encompassing a broad environment around the ditch, has been highlighted. This suggests that agro-ecological measures for managing ecosystem services provided by ditch plants should focus on the control of the hydrological and sedimentological connectivity at the catchment scale. For example, the density of the ditch network could be modified or the spatial distribution of vegetative filter strips used for sediment trapping could be optimized. In addition, the vegetative filter strips could constitute new seed bank sources for species that are affected by the distance to natural lands and roads.

Modelling Scenarios to Estimate the Potential Impact of Hydrological Standards on Nutrient Retention in the Tobacco Creek Watershed, Manitoba, Canada

Nutrient loading from agricultural drainage systems into downstream aquatic ecosystems, like Lake Winnipeg in the prairie province of Manitoba, Canada, represents a major challenge for water quality management. In order to improve water quality in downstream waterbodies, the Manitoba government is currently investigating the relationship between hydrological standard of agricultural drainage network and nutrient retention in the drainage systems. Briefly, oversized drains have more capacity to transport nutrients, which can increase nutrient loading to downstream waterbodies, especially during rainfall events. Currently, the hydrological standards of agricultural drainage design in Manitoba were mainly developed according to cost-benefit analysis without considering nutrient retention. The purpose of this study was to use computer modelling techniques to simulate the impact of drain size (based on different hydrological standards) on nutrient retention within an agricultural drainage network. The site chosen was the Tobacco Creek Watershed, an agricultural area which drains into the Red River, and thence into Lake Winnipeg. Suspended sediment, nutrient and flow data, from several locations along the Brown drain within this watershed, were used to calibrate a water quality model. Scenarios were then simulated with the model to estimate how different drain sizes affect nutrient transport and retention. Sampling took place during the spring and summer of 2013 starting with freshet and ending when the drains dried up near mid-summer. Study results indicated that the amount of nutrients transported was generally greater during freshet and summer rain storms. Occasionally, however, nutrients in summer discharge exceeded those transported during freshet. The water quality model was applied to the Brown drain to investigate the effects of different drain sizes for rainfall amounts under 2, 5, 10, 15, and 20 year return periods. Generally the results indicate that as the return periods became larger (in larger channels) lower nutrients concentrations were predicted downstream (higher decay rates). On average, the model predicted a 15%–20% decline in nutrient concentration with a 20-year return channel design compared to a 2-year return. The research from this study may provide an impetus to the policy-making process of drainage design.

Synthesis of mg/al layered double hydroxide (LDH) nanoplates for efficient removal of nitarate from aqueous solutions

Leaching of nitrate is an important issue on the losses of nitrate from agriculture soils in temperate zone. Decomposition of plants and other organic residues in the soil and improper discharge of sewage lead to the presence of nitrates in the sources of surface and groundwater and flowing water drainage in agricultural drainage networks and their pollution. This study aimed to study the potential use of chloride layered double hydroxide (LDH) nanoplates to remove nitrate from aqueous solutions. The nano-material of chloride-LDH was made by hydrothermal technique and then, its characteristics were specified through scanning electron micrograph and removal of nitrate from aqueous solution by the minerals was investigated in terms of pH, time, speed of shaker, different concentrations of adsorbent and surface adsorption isotherm. Microscopic images of built nanoplates were examined using FESEM and SEM electron microscope with two magnifications. The thickness of nanoplates was about 20nm and their diameter was about 250 nm. Magnified image of the synthesized nanostructures shows squamous-shape. Surface adsorption isotherm of nitrate by chloride- LDH nanoplate was explained with Langmuir model shown with the values greater than 2R. In surface adsorption of nitrate, the optimal values were measured as following: pH = 7, speed = 250 rpm, time = 45 min, concentration of adsorbent = 0.1gr. This material could adsorb nitrates from aqueous solutions efficiently and effectively.Keywords: pollution, nitrate, layered double hydroxide, hydrothermal, surface adsorption

Bank erosion in agricultural drainage networks: new challenges from structure‐from‐motion photogrammetry for post‐event analysis

AbstractDrainage channels are an integral part of agricultural landscapes, and their impact on catchment hydrology is strongly recognized. In cultivated and urbanized floodplains, channels have always played a key role in flood protection, land reclamation, and irrigation. Bank erosion is a critical issue in channels. Neglecting this process, especially during flood events, can result in underestimation of the risk in flood‐prone areas.The main aim of this work is to consider a low‐cost methodology for the analysis of bank erosion in agricultural drainage networks, and in particular for the estimation of the volumes of eroded and deposited material. A case study located in the Veneto floodplain was selected. The research is based on high‐resolution topographic data obtained by an emerging low‐cost photogrammetric method (structure‐from‐motion or SfM), and results are compared to terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) data. For the SfM analysis, extensive photosets were obtained using two standalone reflex digital cameras and an iPhone5® built‐in camera. Three digital elevation models (DEMs) were extracted at the resolution of 0.1 m using SfM and were compared with the ones derived by TLS. Using the different DEMs, the eroded areas were then identified using a feature extraction technique based on the topographic parameter Roughness Index (RI). DEMs derived from SfM were effective for both detecting erosion areas and estimating quantitatively the deposition and erosion volumes. Our results underlined how smartphones with high‐resolution built‐in cameras can be competitive instruments for obtaining suitable data for topography analysis and Earth surface monitoring. This methodology could be potentially very useful for farmers and/or technicians for post‐event field surveys to support flood risk management. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Simulating the effects of spatial configurations of agricultural ditch drainage networks on surface runoff from agricultural catchments

AbstractThe study of runoff is a crucial issue because it is closely related to flooding, water quality and erosion. In cultivated catchments, agricultural ditch drainage networks are known to influence runoff. As anthropogenic elements, agricultural ditch drainage networks can therefore be altered to better manage surface runoff in cultivated catchments. However, the relationship between the spatial configuration, i.e. the density and the topology, of agricultural ditch drainage networks and surface runoff in cultivated catchments is not understood. We studied this relationship by using a random network simulator that was coupled to a distributed hydrological model. The simulations explored a large variety of spatial configurations corresponding to a thousand stochastic agricultural ditch drainage networks on a 6.4 km² Mediterranean cultivated catchment. Next, several distributed hydrological functions were used to compute water flow paths and runoff for each simulation. The results showed that (i) denser networks increased the drained volume and the peak discharge and decreased hillslopes runoff, (ii) greater network density did not affect the surface runoff any further above a given network density, (iii) the correlation between network density and runoff was weaker for small subcatchments (< 2 km²) where the variability in the drained area that resulted from changes in agricultural ditch drainage networks increased the variability of runoff and (iv) the actual agricultural ditch drainage network appeared to be well optimized for managing runoff as compared with the simulated networks. Finally, our results highlighted the role of agricultural ditch drainage networks in intercepting and decreasing overland flow on hillslopes and increasing runoff in drainage networks. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Strengthened Adaptive Capacity Using Interactive Approach Integrative Framework: Science Community with Civil Society

Climate change phenomenon brought major uncertainty and stresses to environmental resources. In particular, the coastal ecosystems are customarily considered one of the most complex systems to sustain, experiencing continuous fluctuation and changes by nature, and climate change will only add to this complexity. That fact underscores the necessity of finding effective adaptive methodology governing the coastal system vulnerability while facing climate change impact. This paper argues that sustainability of coastal zones must employ an adaptive policy that incorporates multi-disciplinary regulatory mechanism along with community inputs for better decision support. Through a case study application in a coastal zone North-Eastern of the Nile Delta of Egypt, the hypothesis of having a multi-disciplinary adaptation plan cutting across major sectors, while applying an interactive framework that ensure involvement of communities and stakeholders all along the planning process, proved to lead to strengthened resilience of coastal developments facing climate change impact. Changes in climate in terms of temperatures, precipitation and sea levels are having immediate hydrological alterations that, in turn, have consequences on environmental and socio-economic state. Vulnerability to these potential impacts depends on variations in the capabilities to adapt to and prepare for the changes. With challenges facing policy makers and practitioners concerned with climate change worldwide, this research presents an integrated approach for adaptive capacity assessment to projected climate change and sea level rise in an active coastal area. Adaptive capacity is typically evaluated ecologically with academic perspective, in one hand, and socially in the other. In this research study an interactive methodology has been employed so that adaptive behavior is detected and adjusted during the research process before concluding the final adaptation policy. Various dimensions are dealt with simultaneously, hydrological, environmental, socio- economic and physical responses to climate changes. Earlier studies conducted within the framework of efforts for climate change impact assessment have concluded potential system malfunctionality with reference to predicted Sea Level Rise scenarios. Results showed prospective alterations in terms of advancement of shoreline inland and inundation threats, salinity intrusion into coastal aquifer and raise in groundwater level, and excess discharges into the agricultural drainage network. The paper first presents a review of formal definitions for the adaptive capacity in literature to be employed as reference in analysis. On basis of the study findings, this research highlights certain considerations in assessing adaptive capacity of coastal zone for the area under consideration in the delta. The paper is concluding with recommended measures to be considered for stronger adaptive capacity to climate change. In this context, basic measures should include, beside the physical adaptation measures, preparing civil society, decision makers as well as scientific community with required knowledge and advanced equipment. Most of all, flexibility is an important ingredient to be added to policy planning in order to face the wide range of predictions and continuous alteration in conditions. II. Background Sea Level Rise has been recognized as early as in the mid-19th century. However, during the 20th century, sea level rose about 15-20 centimeters (roughly 1.5 to 2.0 mm/year), with the rate at the end of the century greater than over the early part of the century. Recent increase of rate is depicted to jump to about 3.1 mm/year, which is significantly higher than the average rate for the 20th century (Douglas, 1997 and IPCC, 2007) Alarmed with findings of the worst scenario A1F1 stated in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Fourth Assessment Report and the First National Communication which has reported that over 30% (about third) of the Delta area would be inundated by year 2100 as a result of climate change and sea level rise, extensive studies to assess actual vulnerability degree of the Nile Delta coastal zone have been conducted. While results of the Coastal Research Institute (CoRI) downscaling in the Second National Communication on climate change (SNC) assured different findings and less threat than early findings, yet concerns at certain delta coastal areas have still been valid.

Relations between triazine flux, catchment topography and distance between maize fields and the drainage network

This paper puts forward a methodology permitting the identification of farming plots contributing to the pollution of surface water in order to define the zones most at risk from pesticide pollution. We worked at the scale of the small agricultural catchment (0.2–7.5 km 2) as it represents the appropriate level of organisation for agricultural land. The hypothesis tested was: the farther a field undergoing a pesticide treatment is from a channel network, the lower its impact on pollution at the catchment outlet. The study area, the Sousson catchment (120 km 2, Gers, France), has a “herring bone” structure: 50 independent tributaries supply the main drain. Pesticide sales show that atrazine is the most frequently used compound although it is only used for treating maize plots and that its application rate is constant. In two winter inter-storm measurement exercises, triazine flux values were collected at about 30 independent sub-basin outlets. The contributory areas are defined, with the aid of a GIS, as different strips around the channel network. The correlation between plots under maize in contributory zones and triazine flux at related sub-basin outlets is studied by using non-parametric and linear correlation coefficients. Finally, the most pertinent contributory zone is associated with the best correlation level. A catchment typology, based on a slope criterion, allows us to conclude that in steep slope catchments, the contributory area is best defined as a 50 m wide strip around the channel network. In flat zones, the agricultural drainage network is particularly well developed: artificial drains extend the channel network extracted from the 1/25.000 scale topographic map, and the total surface area of the catchment must be taken to account.

An integrated drainage network analysis system for agricultural drainage management. Part 1: the system

This is the first of two papers that elaborate an integrated drainage network analysis system (IDNAS) for agricultural drainage management. In this paper, the system components, functions and implementation are presented. The IDNAS comprises an agricultural drainage network module, an evapotranspiration (ET) module and an event-based spatio-temporal module. The network module is designed to model a typical agricultural drainage system and to perform the specific tasks for network assessment, monitoring and simulation in a geographical information system (GIS). The ET module is used to estimate real-time evapotranspiration from remotely sensed imagery and to update the water balance model. The spatio-temporal module comprises a computer watertable simulation model and routines providing linkage between event data and GIS thematic layer for event-based analysis. Specialized data processing routines have been developed to link the network data model with temporal hydrological modeling to allow computation of important network parameters such as flow travel time, discharge and capacity, and to dynamically simulate drainage response to individual rainfall events. A common interface has been developed to link those components, and to interact with the users. The Arc/Info GIS was used for the system implementation. With those components and functions, the system is well suited for assessment and management of agricultural drainage systems. In the second paper, case studies are presented which show how the system can be used for efficient agricultural drainage management, such as drainage capacity assessment, discharge computation, and event-based acid drainage evaluation and management.

Sampling of Agrochemicals for Environmental Assessment in Rice Paddies: Dry Tropical Wetlands, Costa Rica

AbstractThis paper presents results from a preliminary sampling strategy developed to track agricultural contaminants found in surface and subsurface media and used commonly in rice paddy cultivation in the dry, tropical forest coastal region of Guanaeaste, Costa Rica. The emphasis is on the impact of eight indicator pesticides, five forms of nitrogen and phosphorus that are common nutrients found in fertilizers. After the field sampling strategy was developed, soil and water samples were collected twice: once during the beginning: of the wet season and once during the initiation of the dry season. Hydrological parameters, soil classifications, agricultural product toxicology, irrigation and drainage networks, cultivated areas, land ownership, and pristine environments have been studied, mapped, and entered into a database in order lo understand the spatial and temporal distribution of potential contaminants and their pending ecological degradation.Alternative crops and agricultural practices are suggested to reduce or eliminate impacts on biological preserves. Database development and basin characteristics have been entered into a Geographic Information System (GIS) that is capable of fully integrating suggested site modeling. Field sampling results indicate that proposed rice paddy cultivation in a relatively undisturbed basin is likely lo have minimal impact on downstream biological preserves.

Pesticide concentration patterns in agricultural drainage networks in the lake Erie Basin

AbstractThis paper presents information on pesticide concentrations in Lake Erie tributaries draining agricultural watersheds, information distilled from data sets spanning nearly a decade and including up to 750 samples per tributary. Pesticide concentrations are strongly skewed and approximately lognormal. Average concentrations in tributaries are correlated with the amount applied in the basin, but with important secondary effects from chemical properties and modes of application of the pesticides. During runoff of storm events following application, concentrations rise rapidly, peak about the time of peak discharge, and decline slowly thereafter. These patterns do not match those for nutrients, major ions, or sediment, indicating a different pathway from the fields for pesticides. On an annual basis, elevated monthly average concentrations are usually observed from May to August, and low concentrations are present during the rest of the year. Monthly average concentrations of atrazine and alachlor generally exceed maximum contaminant levels (MCLs) in at least one month following application, but those of other herbicides do not. Annual averages are below MCLs for all compounds. No long‐term trends are apparent. Comparisons of patterns in large and small tributaries show that small tributaries have higher maximum concentrations, more frequent concentrations below detection limit, and fewer intermediate concentrations. Smaller tributaries have more strongly skewed distributions and much greater temporal variability in concentrations than do larger rivers.