Heavy Precipitation and Nitrogen Management

Project Summary

Increasing intensity and frequency of heavy precipitation events are damaging to crops and often result in large financial losses and other damages from the resulting flooding, but establishing a quantitative relationship over time between heavy precipitation and crop losses has proven difficult due to heterogeneities in practices over several decades. GLISA collaborated with water managers to better understand the role of increasing precipitation and heavy precipitation events on nitrogen fertilizer management and how irrigation strategies will need to evolve under climate change using a combination of field data and crop models.

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PROJECT ACCOMPLISHMENTS
  • Journal Articles:

Baule, W. J., Allred, B., Frankenberger, J., Gamble, D., Andresen, J., Gunn, K. M., & Brown, L. (2017). Northwest Ohio crop yield benefits of water capture and subirrigation based on future climate change projections. Agricultural Water Management, 189, 87-97. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agwat.2017.04.019

Baule, W. J., Andresen, J. A., & Winkler, J. A. (2022). Trends in quality controlled precipitation indicators in the United States Midwest and Great Lakes Region. Frontiers in Water, 4, 1-16. https://doi.org/10.3389/frwa.2022.817342

Gunn, K. M., Allred, B. J., Baule, W. J., & Brown, L.C., (2019). Investigating maize subirrigation strategies for three northwest Ohio soils. Journal of Soil and Water Conservation, 74(2), 111-125. https://doi.org/10.2489/jswc.74.2.111

Gunn, K. M., Baule, W. J., Frankenburger, J. R., Gamble, D. L., Allred, B. J., Andresen, J. A., & Brown, L. C. (2018). Modeled climate change impacts of subirrigated maize relative yield in northwest Ohio. Agricultural Water Management, 206, 56-66. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agwat.2018.04.034

Hunt, E. D., Birge, H. E., Laingen, C., Licht, M. A., McMechan, J., Baule, W. J., & Connor, T. (2020). A perspective on changes across the U.S. Corn Belt. Environmental Research Letters, 15(7), 071001. https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ab9333

RESEARCH FINDINGS

Increases in annual total precipitation, heavy precipitation events, and annual number of wet days were found from the mid 20th century through early 21st century across the Midwest, with the increase generally being greater and more spatially consistent in the eastern portions of the region. Crop modeling results indicated that lower yielding areas of agricultural fields were responsible for the majority of nitrogen loss with the largest loss events occurring in years following droughts.

GLISA CONTRIBUTION

Over a one-year period, GLISA will analyze and present on:

  • Observed climate changes including historical trends, research topics, confidence and uncertainty
  • Projected climate changes with a specific focus on heat and precipitation for the Lower Peninsula
  • Guidance on interpreting projections
  • Information on other climate variables such as ice storms, wind, and water levels

Project Partners

  • National Snow and Ice Data Center
  • Alaska Ocean Observing Center

GLISA Contact

Jenna Jorns, Program Manager, [email protected]

Related Publications: