Groundwater Depletion Embedded in Domestic Transfers and International Exports of the United States
| Autor: | Landon Marston, Yoshihide Wada, Paul J. Ruess, Sajani Gumidyala, Carole Dalin, Megan Konar |
|---|---|
| Rok vydání: | 2020 |
| Předmět: |
geography
Agricultural commodity geography.geographical_feature_category Food security 010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences Natural resource economics business.industry Supply chain 0208 environmental biotechnology Aquifer 02 engineering and technology 01 natural sciences 020801 environmental engineering Agriculture Groundwater irrigation Business Agricultural productivity Groundwater 0105 earth and related environmental sciences Water Science and Technology |
| Zdroj: | Water Resources Research. 56 |
| ISSN: | 1944-7973 0043-1397 |
| DOI: | 10.1029/2019wr024986 |
| Popis: | The United States plays a key role in global food security by producing and exporting agricultural products. Groundwater irrigation is increasingly important in agricultural production, nearly tripling since records began in 1950. Increased reliance on groundwater and prolonged unsustainable pumping of aquifers has led to groundwater depletion in many areas. In this study, we ask: How much groundwater depletion is embedded in the domestic transfers and international agricultural exports of the United States? How much do domestic and international agricultural commodity fluxes rely on unsustainable groundwater use? To address these questions, we quantify the amount of nonrenewable groundwater that is incorporated into agricultural commodities produced in the United States and transferred both within the country and exported internationally. We find that 26.3 km urn:x-wiley:wrcr:media:wrcr24413:wrcr24413-math-0001 of nonrenewable groundwater was transferred domestically in 2002 and 2.7 km urn:x-wiley:wrcr:media:wrcr24413:wrcr24413-math-0002 was sent abroad. In 2012, 34.8 km urn:x-wiley:wrcr:media:wrcr24413:wrcr24413-math-0003 was transferred domestically and 3.7 km urn:x-wiley:wrcr:media:wrcr24413:wrcr24413-math-0004 was exported. This indicates an increase of 32% in domestic transfers and 38% in international exports. In 2002, we find that 1,491,126 kt (340 billion USD) of agricultural products reliant on nonrenewable groundwater were domestically transferred, while 119,048 kt (47 billion USD) were exported. In 2012, the mass transfer of agricultural goods reliant on unsustainable groundwater decreased, but their value in national and international supply chains increased by 54% and 31%, respectively. Our results underscore the importance of the long‐term risks posed to global agricultural supply chains from reliance on unsustainable groundwater use. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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