scholarly journals A Quantitative Review of Irrigation Development in the Yazoo–Mississippi Delta from 1991 to 2020

Agronomy ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (12) ◽  
pp. 2548
Author(s):  
Tsz Him Lo ◽  
H. C. (Lyle) Pringle
Keyword(s):  
Mississippi River ◽  
Mississippi Delta ◽  
Hydric Soils ◽  
Water Diversion ◽  
Groundwater Depletion ◽  
Quantitative Review ◽  
Irrigation Development ◽  
Cropland Area ◽  
The Past ◽  
Lower Mississippi River

The Yazoo–Mississippi Delta is one of the regions within the Lower Mississippi River Basin where substantial irrigation development and consequent groundwater depletion have occurred over the past three decades. To describe this irrigation development, a study was conducted to analyze existing geospatial datasets and to synthesize the results with those of past government surveys. The effort produced a quantitative review characterizing three aspects of irrigation development from 1991 to 2020. First, the expansion of irrigated area was tracked in terms of absolute area and in terms of fraction relative to total land or cropland area. Second, trends in irrigated land cover were traced in terms of irrigated crop mix, irrigated fractions of main crops, and comparisons with non-irrigated land. Third, changes in irrigation systems were examined in terms of water sources, energy sources, and application methods. Original findings of this study for the end of 2020 included moderate positive spatial autocorrelation in the density of irrigated areas; a higher irrigated crop preference for soybean and rice over cotton and corn in highly hydric soils; and 91% and 3% of permitted areas studied being respectively under groundwater withdrawal permits exclusively and under surface water diversion permits exclusively. By compiling such information, this paper can serve as a convenient reference on the recent history and status of irrigation development in the Yazoo–Mississippi Delta.

scholarly journals Rethinking the Mississippi River diversion for effective capture of riverine sediments

2015 ◽  
Vol 367 ◽  
pp. 463-470 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y. Jun Xu
Keyword(s):  
Gulf Of Mexico ◽  
Mississippi River ◽  
Past Century ◽  
Land Loss ◽  
River Diversion ◽  
Flood Plains ◽  
The Past ◽  
Lower Mississippi River ◽  
Riverine Sediment ◽  
Coastal Land

Abstract. Many river deltas in the world are vibrant economic regions, serving as transportation hubs, population centres, and commercial hotspots. However, today, many of these deltaic areas face a tremendous challenge with land loss due to a number of factors, such as reduced riverine sediment supply, coastal land erosion, subsidence, and sea level rise. The development of the Mississippi River Deltaic Plain (MRDP) in southeast Louisiana, USA, over the past century is a good example. Since 1932, approximately 4877 km2 of the coastal land of MRDP has become submerged. The lower Mississippi River main channel entering the Gulf of Mexico has become an isolated waterway with both sides losing land. In contrast, large open water areas in the Mississippi River’s distributary basin, the Atchafalaya River basin, have been silted up over the past century, and the river mouth has developed a prograding delta feature at its two outlets to the Gulf of Mexico. The retrospective analysis of this paper makes it clear that the main cause of the land loss in the MRDP is not the decline of riverine sediment, but the disconnection of the sediment sources from the natural flood plains. Future sediment management efforts in the MRDP should focus on restoring the natural connection of riverine sediment supplies with flood plains, rather than solely using channelized river diversion. This could be achieved through controlled overbank flooding (COF) and artificial floods in conjunction with the use of a hydrograph-based sediment availability assessment.

Long-term measurements of agronomic crop irrigation made in the Mississippi delta portion of the lower Mississippi River Valley

2017 ◽  
Vol 35 (4) ◽  
pp. 297-313 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph H. Massey ◽  
C. Mark Stiles ◽  
Josh W. Epting ◽  
R. Shane Powers ◽  
David B. Kelly ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mississippi River ◽  
Mississippi Delta ◽  
River Valley ◽  
Mississippi River Valley ◽  
Lower Mississippi River ◽  
Made In ◽  
Lower Mississippi River Valley ◽  
Crop Irrigation

scholarly journals Entrainment of Endangered Sturgeon by a Large Water Diversion: Rescue, Enumeration, and Conservation Opportunities

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kenneth Jack Killgore ◽  
Jan Jeffrey Hoover ◽  
William Todd Slack ◽  
Steven G. George ◽  
Christopher G. Brantley
Keyword(s):  
Mississippi River ◽  
Total Population ◽  
Water Diversion ◽  
Lake Pontchartrain ◽  
Operational Parameters ◽  
Shovelnose Sturgeon ◽  
Pallid Sturgeon ◽  
Structure Conservation ◽  
Lower Mississippi River ◽  
Large Water

The Bonnet Carre’ Spillway diverts water from the Mississippi River through a floodway into Lake Pontchartrain to reduce river stages at New Orleans and prevent flood damages. Pallid Sturgeon, a federally listed species under the Endangered Species Act, and Shovelnose Sturgeon, listed under the Similarity of Appearance rule, are entrained through the Spillway structure and become trapped in the Spillway canals and other waterbodies. Five openings and corresponding rescue operations occurred between 2008 and 2019 after each Spillway closure. Operational parameters spanned a range of water temperatures and seasons with magnitude and duration of discharge varying across all openings. A total of 70 days with crew number ranging from 6 to 12 were expended to rescue 57 Pallid Sturgeon and 362 Shovelnose Sturgeon after the five openings that spanned 240 total days. More sturgeon were entrained at higher water temperatures, with greater numbers of bays opened, and for longer periods of time. Recovery of sturgeon is initially high but over time declines as sturgeon are depleted from the floodway, stranded in isolated waterbodies in the floodway, and/or displaced further downstream into Lake Pontchartrain during longer openings. Sturgeon that cannot find their way back to the floodway are unlikely to be rescued. Recent population studies indicate that less than 1% of the total population size in the Lower Mississippi River are entrained. However, this does not take into account those individuals entrained but not captured and the potential impacts of more frequent openings of the structure. Conservation recommendations are provided to increase catch efficiency and recovery of the endangered sturgeon.

Spatiotemporal Changes of Riverbed and Surrounding Environment in Yongding River (Beijing section) in the Past 40 Years

2020 ◽  
Vol 64 (4) ◽  
pp. 40407-1-40407-13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ran Pang ◽  
He Huang ◽  
Tri Dev Acharya
Keyword(s):  
Economic Development ◽  
Water Conservation ◽  
Human Activities ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Water Volume ◽  
Cropland Area ◽  
The Past ◽  
Surrounding Environment ◽  
Spatiotemporal Changes ◽  
Yongding River

Abstract Yongding River is one of the five major river systems in Beijing. It is located to the west of Beijing. It has influenced culture along its basin. The river supports both rural and urban areas. Furthermore, it influences economic development, water conservation, and the natural environment. However, during the past few decades, due to the combined effect of increasing population and economic activities, a series of changes have led to problems such as the reduction in water volume and the exposure of the riverbed. In this study, remote sensing images were used to derive land cover maps and compare spatiotemporal changes during the past 40 years. As a result, the following data were found: forest changed least; cropland area increased to a large extent; bareland area was reduced by a maximum of 63%; surface water area in the study area was lower from 1989 to 1999 because of the excessive use of water in human activities, but it increased by 92% from 2010 to 2018 as awareness about protecting the environment arose; there was a small increase in the built-up area, but this was more planned. These results reveal that water conservancy construction, agroforestry activities, and increasing urbanization have a great impact on the surrounding environment of the Yongding River (Beijing section). This study discusses in detail how the current situation can be attributed to of human activities, policies, economic development, and ecological conservation Furthermore, it suggests improvement by strengthening the governance of the riverbed and the riverside. These results and discussion can be a reference and provide decision support for the management of southwest Beijing or similar river basins in peri-urban areas.

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