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Article
Biomass Production with Conservation Practices for Two Iowa Watersheds
Journal of the American Water Resources Association
  • Miae Ha, Argonne National Laboratory
  • May Wu, Argonne National Laboratory
  • Mark D. Tomer, U.S. Department of Agriculture
  • Philip W. Gassman, Iowa State University
  • Thomas M. Isenhart, Iowa State University
  • Jeffrey G. Arnold, U.S. Department of Agriculture
  • Michael J. White, U.S. Department of Agriculture
  • Esther S. Parish, Oak Ridge National Laboratory
  • Kevin S. Comer, Antares Inc.
  • Bill Belden, Antares Inc.
Document Type
Article
Publication Version
Published Version
Publication Date
1-1-2020
DOI
10.1111/1752-1688.12880
Abstract

Hydrologic modeling was used to estimate potential changes in nutrients, suspended sediment, and streamflow in various biomass production scenarios with conservation practices under different landscape designs. Two major corn and soybean croplands were selected for study: the South Fork of the Iowa River watershed and the headwater of the Raccoon River watershed. A physically based model, the Soil and Water Assessment Tool, was used to simulate hydrology and water quality under different scenarios with conservation practices and biomass production. Scenarios are based on conservation practices and biomass production; riparian buffer (RB), saturated buffer, and grassed waterways; various stover harvest rates of 30%, 45%, and 70% with and without winter cover crops; and conversion of marginal land to switchgrass. Conservation practices and landscape design with different biomass feedstocks were shown to significantly improve water quality while supporting sustainable biomass production. Model results for nitrogen, phosphorus, and suspended sediments were analyzed temporally at spatial scales that varied from hydrologic response units to the entire watershed. With conservation practices, water quality could potentially improve by reducing nitrogen loads by up to 20%–30% (stover harvest with cover crop), phosphorus loads by 20%–40% (RB), and sediment loads by 30%–70% (stover harvest with cover crop and RB).

Comments

This article is published as Ha, M., Wu, M., Tomer, M.D., Gassman, P.W., Isenhart, T.M., Arnold, J.G., White, M.J., Parish, E., Comer, K.S., and Belden, B.. 2020. " Biomass Production with Conservation Practices for Two Iowa Watersheds." Journal of the American Water Resources Association. doi: 10.1111/1752-1688.12880.

Rights
Works produced by employees of the U.S. Government as part of their official duties are not copyrighted within the U.S. The content of this document is not copyrighted.
Language
en
File Format
application/pdf
Citation Information
Miae Ha, May Wu, Mark D. Tomer, Philip W. Gassman, et al.. "Biomass Production with Conservation Practices for Two Iowa Watersheds" Journal of the American Water Resources Association (2020)
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/thomas_isenhart/68/