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The Mega City Water Forum in 2006 was sponsored by GWRI and featured (left to right) Atlanta Commissioner Hunter, CIFAL Director Leblois, GT President Clough, Atlanta Mayor Franklin, and IWA Director Reiter.  The Yangtze  River downstream Three Gorges Dam Skiing at Lake Lanier, Georgia  
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Millions of women and girls in developing countries spend up to 4 hours a day collecting water, and nearly half a billion school days are lost each year to water-related illnesses.
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Drought Assessment

 

Sponsor: GWRI

Start Date: 2001-03-01; Completion Date: 2002-02-28;

Keywords: Basinwide planning, Decision support systems, Irrigation assessment, Technical Content


Abstract:

The water resources systems of the Southeastern U.S. are increasingly stressed by various demands. This stress is magnified during the periodic periods of drought that occur in the region, and agriculture is particularly affected by these droughts. Recent public policy has attempted to mitigate the impacts on farmers, but reliable methods of drought assessment and forecasting are needed to allow efficient policy implementation. A methodology is presented to assess the effects of droughts on crop yields, irrigation demands, and the full yield- irrigation relationship. The technique utilizes irrigation optimization algorithms coupled with physiologically based crop models. Ensembles of climatic forcing allow for quantification of the stochastic crop-water production function at specific sites and quantification of the changes in this function in drought periods. Data needs for assessment are discussed as well as sensitivity of the methodology to some input parameters. The technique is applied to four case study sites in southwestern Georgia, and potentially useful information is derived. Options for drought forecasting are briefly discussed

 

Agricultural Drought Assessment and Forecasting for the Southeastern United States

Technical Report

Principal Investigator: Aris Georgakakos (GWRI/Georgia Tech)      About...