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THE SOUTHERN UNITED STATES ARE HOME TO SIGNIFICANT SILVICULTURAL AND AGRICULTURAL INDUSTRIES THAT INTENSIVELY MANAGE THE PRODUCTION OF WOOD PRODUCTS, COTTON, POULTRY, CORN, PECANS, PEACHES, AND MANY OTHER AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS. INTENSIVE MANAGEMENT USES FERTILIZERS, HERBICIDES, AND OTHER SOLUBLE AGROCHEMICALS TO MAXIMIZE CROP GROWTH. APPLICATION OF CHEMICALS IN EXCESS OF UPTAKE OR SORPTION RESULTS IN MOVEMENT OF THE EXCESS TO GROUNDWATER AND STREAMS, WITH THE POTENTIAL TO CAUSE WATER QUALITY PROBLEMS DOWNSTREAM OF WHERE THEY WERE APPLIED. FOR RESOURCE MANAGERS AND POLICY MAKERS WHO SEEK TO UNDERSTAND THE HYDROLOGIC ROUTING OF GROUNDWATER SOLUTES, ONE OF THE CONSISTENT BARRIERS IS THE TIME, RESOURCES, AND EXPERTISE NEEDED TO PREDICT WATER TABLE POSITION, FLOW DIRECTION, AND TRANSIT TIMES. TRANSIT TIMES ARE INFLUENTIAL IN DICTATING THE BIOGEOCHEMICAL TRANSFORMATIONS OF GROUNDWATER POLLUTANTS WITHIN A WATERSHED. FURTHERMORE, DEPTH TO GROUNDWATER CAN INFLUENCE PLANT WATER SOURCING AND PRODUCTIVITY. TRADITIONAL WATERSHED-SCALE GROUNDWATER MODELING APPROACHES TO ESTIMATE WATER TABLES AND TRANSIT TIMES REQUIRE GRADUATE-LEVEL MODELLING EXPERTISE AND TIME-CONSUMING MODEL DEVELOPMENT. HERE WE DEVELOP A RELATIVELY SIMPLE, TOPOGRAPHICALLY-BASED, AND GIS-DRIVEN MODEL FOR ESTIMATING WATER TABLE POSITION AND TRANSIT TIMES ACROSS LANDSCAPES. THIS WILL PROVIDE RESOURCE MANAGERS WITH A RELATIVELY SIMPLE TOOL THAT CAN HELP ANSWER BASIC HYDROLOGY QUESTIONS. WE DEVELOP AND USE THIS MODEL AT HIGHLY-INSTRUMENTED EXPERIMENTAL HEADWATER CATCHMENTS DRAINING THE SAVANNAH RIVER SITE IN SOUTH CAROLINA WHICH HAVE BEEN CLEARCUT AND INTENSIVELY MANAGED FOR SHORT-ROTATION WOODY CROP PRODUCTION SINCE 2012. HIGH LEVELS OF SILVICULTURAL FERTILIZER APPLICATION IN THE PLANTATIONS CAUSED A JUMP NITRATE IN THE GROUNDWATER BUT NO CORRESPONDING INCREASE HAS BEEN RECORDED IN STREAMFLOW LEADING TO EXTENSIVE QUESTION REGARDING GROUNDWATER AGES, TRANSIT TIMES, AND DENITRIFICATION RATES AT THE SITE. WE WILL USEOUR DEVELOPED MODEL TO ESTIMATE GROUNDWATER TRANSIT TIMES ACROSS THESE CATCHMENTS AND ANSWER THOSE LINGERING QUESTION OF NITRATE TRANSPORT FROM THE SITE.

$56,405FY2022National Institute of Food and AgricultureUSDA

University Of Georgia Research Foundation, Inc.

Investigators

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THE SOUTHERN UNITED STATES ARE HOME TO SIGNIFICANT SILVICULTURAL AND AGRICULTURAL INDUSTRIES THAT INTENSIVELY MANAGE THE PRODUCTION OF WOOD PRODUCTS, COTTON, POULTRY, CORN, PECANS, PEACHES, AND MANY OTHER AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS. INTENSIVE MANAGEMENT USES FERTILIZERS, HERBICIDES, AND OTHER SOLUBLE AGROCHEMICALS TO MAXIMIZE CROP GROWTH. APPLICATION OF CHEMICALS IN EXCESS OF UPTAKE OR SORPTION RESULTS IN MOVEMENT OF THE EXCESS TO GROUNDWATER AND STREAMS, WITH THE POTENTIAL TO CAUSE WATER QUALITY PROBLEMS DOWNSTREAM OF WHERE THEY WERE APPLIED. FOR RESOURCE MANAGERS AND POLICY MAKERS WHO SEEK TO UNDERSTAND THE HYDROLOGIC ROUTING OF GROUNDWATER SOLUTES, ONE OF THE CONSISTENT BARRIERS IS THE TIME, RESOURCES, AND EXPERTISE NEEDED TO PREDICT WATER TABLE POSITION, FLOW DIRECTION, AND TRANSIT TIMES. TRANSIT TIMES ARE INFLUENTIAL IN DICTATING THE BIOGEOCHEMICAL TRANSFORMATIONS OF GROUNDWATER POLLUTANTS WITHIN A WATERSHED. FURTHERMORE, DEPTH TO GROUNDWATER CAN INFLUENCE PLANT WATER SOURCING AND PRODUCTIVITY. TRADITIONAL WATERSHED-SCALE GROUNDWATER MODELING APPROACHES TO ESTIMATE WATER TABLES AND TRANSIT TIMES REQUIRE GRADUATE-LEVEL MODELLING EXPERTISE AND TIME-CONSUMING MODEL DEVELOPMENT. HERE WE DEVELOP A RELATIVELY SIMPLE, TOPOGRAPHICALLY-BASED, AND GIS-DRIVEN MODEL FOR ESTIMATING WATER TABLE POSITION AND TRANSIT TIMES ACROSS LANDSCAPES. THIS WILL PROVIDE RESOURCE MANAGERS WITH A RELATIVELY SIMPLE TOOL THAT CAN HELP ANSWER BASIC HYDROLOGY QUESTIONS. WE DEVELOP AND USE THIS MODEL AT HIGHLY-INSTRUMENTED EXPERIMENTAL HEADWATER CATCHMENTS DRAINING THE SAVANNAH RIVER SITE IN SOUTH CAROLINA WHICH HAVE BEEN CLEARCUT AND INTENSIVELY MANAGED FOR SHORT-ROTATION WOODY CROP PRODUCTION SINCE 2012. HIGH LEVELS OF SILVICULTURAL FERTILIZER APPLICATION IN THE PLANTATIONS CAUSED A JUMP NITRATE IN THE GROUNDWATER BUT NO CORRESPONDING INCREASE HAS BEEN RECORDED IN STREAMFLOW LEADING TO EXTENSIVE QUESTION REGARDING GROUNDWATER AGES, TRANSIT TIMES, AND DENITRIFICATION RATES AT THE SITE. WE WILL USEOUR DEVELOPED MODEL TO ESTIMATE GROUNDWATER TRANSIT TIMES ACROSS THESE CATCHMENTS AND ANSWER THOSE LINGERING QUESTION OF NITRATE TRANSPORT FROM THE SITE. · GrantIndex