# Presentation: 550629

## Southeast Climate ConsortiumWater Group

- Upton Hatch, professor and director
- Auburn University Environmental Institute
- Alabama Water Resources Research Institute
- April 12, 2006

## Upton Hatch (water group leader), Mark Masters and Gandhi Bhattarai,  Auburn University - Bio-Economic Modeling.
Sajjad Ahmad and Reinaldo Garcia,  University of Miami - Urbanization, Water Availability and Economic Development.
David Stocksbury and Pierre Gerard-Marchant,  University of Georgia - Hydrology Modeling.
Cheryl Porter and Keith Ingram, University of Florida - Stream Flow and Water Quality.

- Upton Hatch (water group leader), Mark Masters and Gandhi Bhattarai,  Auburn University - Bio-Economic Modeling.
- Sajjad Ahmad and Reinaldo Garcia,  University of Miami - Urbanization, Water Availability and Economic Development.
- David Stocksbury and Pierre Gerard-Marchant,  University of Georgia - Hydrology Modeling.
- Cheryl Porter and Keith Ingram, University of Florida - Stream Flow and Water Quality.

## Assessment of stakeholder needs & establishment of partnerships
Understanding and describing effects of climate variability on water resources
Evaluating alternative watershed models and integrating them with crop models to predict effects of climate variability on water resources and management
Integrating hydrological models with down-scaled experimental climate forecasts
Integrating biophysical and economic models for assessing potential environmental and economic value of climate forecast use in managing water resources and analyzing alternative decisions
Developing and evaluating climate information and decision support tools for water resource management, and extension of information and tools to decision makers 

- Assessment of stakeholder needs & establishment of partnerships
- Understanding and describing effects of climate variability on water resources
- Evaluating alternative watershed models and integrating them with crop models to predict effects of climate variability on water resources and management
- Integrating hydrological models with down-scaled experimental climate forecasts
- Integrating biophysical and economic models for assessing potential environmental and economic value of climate forecast use in managing water resources and analyzing alternative decisions
- Developing and evaluating climate information and decision support tools for water resource management, and extension of information and tools to decision makers

## Focus on reducing risks to water resources under climate variability
Address applications of climate information at a watershed level to assure relevance
Evolve toward region-wide application products
Establish a common platform for integrating tools from different research activities
Conduct multidisciplinary research on physical, biological & social sciences to address the complex issues of water resources risk
Promote inter-institutional collaboration among SECC members
Design research projects with clearly identified outputs, including refereed publications and other products 

- Focus on reducing risks to water resources under climate variability
- Address applications of climate information at a watershed level to assure relevance
- Evolve toward region-wide application products
- Establish a common platform for integrating tools from different research activities
- Conduct multidisciplinary research on physical, biological & social sciences to address the complex issues of water resources risk
- Promote inter-institutional collaboration among SECC members
- Design research projects with clearly identified outputs, including refereed publications and other products

## Concentration of irrigation may threaten endangered species during drought
New and pending state water policies look to further regulate ag use
Of particular interest are all surface water withdrawals and those ground water withdrawals out of the Upper Floridian (greatest stream impact)
Earliest available climate predictors critical for farm-level planning and yearly drought declarations or irrig. suspension
County, basin, and region-wide agronomic and economic impacts  of alternative  management strategies to be examined

- Concentration of irrigation may threaten endangered species during drought
- New and pending state water policies look to further regulate ag use
- Of particular interest are all surface water withdrawals and those ground water withdrawals out of the Upper Floridian (greatest stream impact)
- Earliest available climate predictors critical for farm-level planning and yearly drought declarations or irrig. suspension
- County, basin, and region-wide agronomic and economic impacts  of alternative  management strategies to be examined

## Minimum Daily Stream Flow by ENSO Phase on Flint River

- _Major Research Questions_
-   Amount of stream flow variations attributed to climate
-   Significance of stream flow variations
-   Lags between stream flow and precipitations

**Minimum Daily Stream Flow by ENSO Phase on Flint River**

## ENSO Phase and Water Quality: Bioeconomic Modeling of Agricultural Production and Water Quality

- Research Questions
- Land management practices and water quality
- Adjustment in crop production for climate change information
- Optimum level of production under environmental constraints and climate forecasting

## Increasing water demand
Salt water intrusion
Min. levels & flows for Lake Okeechobee, Biscayne aquifer & Everglades 
Flood Control
Water Quality 
Climate Variability/Change

Research Questions
Major changes in terms of population growth, land use, water demand, and water availability - short and long term
Major effects of climate variability and change on water system 
Policies for water management in response to growth and climate change

- Increasing water demand
- Salt water intrusion
- Min. levels & flows for Lake Okeechobee, Biscayne aquifer & Everglades
- Flood Control
- Water Quality
- Climate Variability/Change
- Research Questions
- Major changes in terms of population growth, land use, water demand, and water availability - short and long term
- Major effects of climate variability and change on water system
- Policies for water management in response to growth and climate change

**Challenges of Regional Water Planning in South Florida**

## Suwannee & Santa Fe Watersheds Groundwater Monitoring Stations

**Suwannee & Santa Fe Watersheds Groundwater Monitoring Stations**

- N sources are of major importance in Northern Florida
- Improved climate predictions can support agricultural management decisions to minimize impacts to surface and groundwater quality
- Linked watershed and crop models can be used to assess both environmental and economics impacts of BMPs

## Analyze impacts of inter-annual precipitation variability on water resources and crop production in a pilot South Florida watershed
Apply Watershed Assessment Model (WAM) linked to the crop yield model (DSSAT)
Evaluate the response of different crops to spatial climate variations defined by the ENSO phase
Compare results with similar studies being conducted by the SECC in other regions

- Apply Watershed Assessment Model (WAM) linked to the crop yield model (DSSAT)
- Evaluate the response of different crops to spatial climate variations defined by the ENSO phase
- Compare results with similar studies being conducted by the SECC in other regions

**Evaluation of Climate Variability on Water Resources and Crop Yield in South Florida**