Classifying Colorado River Basin sub-watersheds by environmental and agricultural outcomes and assessing options for agriculture best management practices
Abstract
Despite shifts toward concentrated agriculture, no work has focused on quantifying the extent of agricultural intensification as a tool to reduce water withdrawals and pollution within the Colorado River Basin. Using hierarchical cluster analyses, we classified watersheds by relationships between agricultural intensity, biodiversity, and environmental sustainability over space. We found regions of moderate agricultural intensify and lower environmental degradation in southern Colorado, and regions of high agricultural intensity and higher environmental degradation near central Arizona urban areas. Interestingly, two watersheds had lower levels of surface water nutrient pollution despite high numbers of cattle, which may be due to reduced runoff in arid climates. From these analyses, case studies will be further evaluated to understand why some watersheds with similar agricultural intensities may have varied impacts on the surrounding ecosystem. Insights gained from this objective can provide roadmaps for improved sustainable intensification within the Colorado River Basin.
- Publication:
-
AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- December 2021
- Bibcode:
- 2021AGUFMGC35J0788R