Project Plan

Development of a playa wetlands geodatabase     

In the News

Hydrology/Climatology Priority Area Accomplishments for 2011   Annual accomplishment statements for this priority in 2011 are reported herein.   

Hydrology and Climatology Priority Area Accomplishments for 2010   Annual accomplishment statements for this priority area in 2010 are reported herein.   

Ogallala Agro-Climate Tool Available on OAP website as of May 2010   The Ogallala Agro-Climate Tool provides estimates of climate statistics, crop evapotranspiration and irrigation demand over the Ogallala aquifer region.   

Hydrology / Climatology Area Accomplishments for 2009   Annual accomplishment statements of this priority area are reported herein.  

Hydrology / Climatology Area Accomplishments for 2008   Annual accomplishment statements of this priority area are reported herein.  

Final Reports

Regional Climate Forecast   Coupled groundwater, economic and crop models have been developed for studies in the Ogallala Aquifer. The data for these studies have been gathered and stored in GIS data models. Results illustrate crop choices, changes in groundwater elevation, and total revenue.  

Assessing Impact of Climate Variability and Climate Change on Crop Production in Ogallala Aquifer Region.   Ogallala region will experience warmer temperatures and temporal shifting of precipitation patterns. In future climates, productivity of grain sorghum will decrease, while winter wheat will increase. Crop management decisions and genetic advancements can minimize yield losses.  

Evaluating 90-day Forecasts for Cropping Strategies   If accurate 90-day forecasts can be developed, then we posses the management knowledge to position crops to reduce the impacts of crop stress on yields.   

Understanding Climate Variability for Improving Management Decisions   Region would experience 4-6 C increase in the maximum temperature and highly variable rainfall. Variations in minimum temperatures would be more profound with an average increase of 5-7 C. A sharp decline in grain sorghum production; however, wheat showed a significant increase in yield.   

Modeling Aquifer Recharge   During 2006-2008, we monitored the water budget in ten playas on the Texas High Plains. Seepage rates ranged from 1 to 20 mm/d and varied significantly between locations and inundation events. Playas surrounded by cropland drained an average of four times faster than playas in native grassland.