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| Titel |
Linked hydrologic and social systems that support resilience of traditional irrigation communities |
| VerfasserIn |
A. Fernald, S. Guldan, K. Boykin, A. Cibils, M. Gonzales, B. Hurd, S. Lopez, C. Ochoa, M. Ortiz, J. Rivera, S. Rodríguez, C. Steele |
| Medientyp |
Artikel
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| Sprache |
Englisch
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| ISSN |
1027-5606
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| Digitales Dokument |
URL |
| Erschienen |
In: Hydrology and Earth System Sciences ; 19, no. 1 ; Nr. 19, no. 1 (2015-01-16), S.293-307 |
| Datensatznummer |
250120593
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| Publikation (Nr.) |
 copernicus.org/hess-19-293-2015.pdf |
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| Zusammenfassung |
| Southwestern US irrigated landscapes are facing upheaval due to water
scarcity and land use conversion associated with climate change, population
growth, and changing economics. In the traditionally irrigated valleys of
northern New Mexico, these stresses, as well as instances of
community longevity in the face of these stresses, are apparent. Human systems have
interacted with hydrologic processes over the last 400 years in river-fed
irrigated valleys to create linked systems. In this study, we ask if
concurrent data from multiple disciplines could show that human-adapted
hydrologic and socioeconomic systems have created conditions for resilience.
Various types of resiliencies are evident in the communities. Traditional
local knowledge about the hydrosocial cycle of community water management
and ability to adopt new water management practices is a key response to
disturbances such as low water supply from drought. Livestock producers have
retained their irrigated land by adapting: changing from sheep to cattle
and securing income from outside their livestock operations. Labor-intensive
crops decreased as off-farm employment opportunities became available.
Hydrologic resilience of the system can be affected by both human and
natural elements. We find, for example, that there are multiple hydrologic
benefits of traditional irrigation system water seepage: it recharges the
groundwater that recharges rivers, supports threatened biodiversity by
maintaining riparian vegetation, and ameliorates impacts of climate change
by prolonging streamflow hydrographs. Human decisions to transfer water out
of agriculture or change irrigation management, as well as natural
changes such as long-term drought or climate change, can result
in reduced seepage and the benefits it provides. We have worked with the
communities to translate the multidisciplinary dimensions of these systems
into a common language of causal loop diagrams, which form the basis for
modeling future scenarios to identify thresholds and tipping points of
sustainability. Early indications are that these systems, though not immune
to upheaval, have astonishing resilience. |
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