Articles | Volume 25, issue 1
https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-25-169-2021
© Author(s) 2021. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-25-169-2021
© Author(s) 2021. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
11 Jan 2021
Research article |
| 11 Jan 2021
| 11 Jan 2021
Physical versus economic water footprints in crop production: a spatial and temporal analysis for China
Xi Yang
College of Water Resources and Architectural Engineering, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, China
Institute of Water-saving Agriculture in Arid Regions of China, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, China
Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, China
Institute of Water-saving Agriculture in Arid Regions of China, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, China
Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Chinese Academy of Sciences and Ministry of Water Resources, Yangling 712100, China
Pengxuan Xie
College of Water Resources and Architectural Engineering, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, China
Institute of Water-saving Agriculture in Arid Regions of China, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, China
Hongrong Huang
College of Water Resources and Architectural Engineering, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, China
Institute of Water-saving Agriculture in Arid Regions of China, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, China
Bianbian Feng
College of Water Resources and Architectural Engineering, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, China
Institute of Water-saving Agriculture in Arid Regions of China, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, China
Pute Wu
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, China
Institute of Water-saving Agriculture in Arid Regions of China, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, China
Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Chinese Academy of Sciences and Ministry of Water Resources, Yangling 712100, China
Related authors
No articles found.
Wei Wang, La Zhuo, Xiangxiang Ji, Zhiwei Yue, Zhibin Li, Meng Li, Huimin Zhang, Rong Gao, Chenjian Yan, Ping Zhang, and Pute Wu
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 15, 4803–4827, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-15-4803-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-15-4803-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
The consumptive water footprint of crop production (WFCP) measures blue and green evapotranspiration of either irrigated or rainfed crops in time and space. A gridded monthly WFCP dataset for China is established. There are four improvements from existing datasets: (i) distinguishing water supply modes and irrigation techniques, (ii) distinguishing evaporation and transpiration, (iii) consisting of both total and unit WFCP, and (iv) providing benchmarks for unit WFCP by climatic zones.
Zhiwei Yue, Xiangxiang Ji, La Zhuo, Wei Wang, Zhibin Li, and Pute Wu
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 26, 4637–4656, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-26-4637-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-26-4637-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Facing the increasing challenge of sustainable crop supply with limited water resources due to climate change, large-scale responses in the water footprint (WF) and WF benchmarks of crop production remain unclear. Here, we quantify the effects of future climate change scenarios on the WF and WF benchmarks of maize and wheat in time and space in China. Differences in crop growth between rain-fed and irrigated farms and among furrow-, sprinkler-, and micro-irrigated regimes are identified.
Lei Tian, Baoqing Zhang, and Pute Wu
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 14, 2259–2278, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-14-2259-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-14-2259-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
We propose a global monthly drought dataset with a resolution of 0.25° from 1948 to 2010 based on a multitype and multiscalar drought index, the standardized moisture anomaly index adding snow processes (SZIsnow). The consideration of snow processes improved its capability, and the improvement is prominent over snow-covered high-latitude and high-altitude areas. This new dataset is well suited to monitoring, assessing, and characterizing drought and is a valuable resource for drought studies.
Pute Wu, La Zhuo, Guoping Zhang, Mesfin M. Mekonnen, Arjen Y. Hoekstra, Yoshihide Wada, Xuerui Gao, Xining Zhao, Yubao Wang, and Shikun Sun
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-2018-436, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-2018-436, 2018
Manuscript not accepted for further review
Short summary
Short summary
This study estimates the concomitant economic benefits and values to the crop-related (physical and virtual) water flows at a basin level. The net benefit of blue water was 13–42 % lower than that of green water in the case for the Yellow River Basin. The basin got a net income through the virtual water exports. It is necessary to manage the internal trade-offs between the water consumption and economic returns, for maximizing both the water use efficiency and water economic productivities.
La Zhuo, Mesfin M. Mekonnen, and Arjen Y. Hoekstra
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 20, 4547–4559, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-20-4547-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-20-4547-2016, 2016
Short summary
Short summary
Benchmarks for the water footprint (WF) of crop production can serve as a reference and be helpful in setting WF reduction targets. The study explores which environmental factors should be distinguished when determining benchmarks for the consumptive (green and blue) WF of crops. Through a case study for winter wheat in China over 1961–2008, we find that when determining benchmark levels for the consumptive WF of a crop, it is most useful to distinguish between different climate zones.
L. Zhuo, M. M. Mekonnen, and A. Y. Hoekstra
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 18, 2219–2234, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-18-2219-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-18-2219-2014, 2014
Related subject area
Subject: Water Resources Management | Techniques and Approaches: Mathematical applications
Synthesis of historical reservoir operations from 1980 to 2020 for the evaluation of reservoir representation in large-scale hydrologic models
A Bayesian model for quantifying errors in citizen science data: application to rainfall observations from Nepal
A novel objective function DYNO for automatic multivariable calibration of 3D lake models
The importance of non-stationary multiannual periodicities in the North Atlantic Oscillation index for forecasting water resource drought
Decreased virtual water outflows from the Yellow River basin are increasingly critical to China
AI-based techniques for multi-step streamflow forecasts: application for multi-objective reservoir operation optimization and performance assessment
Optimal water use strategies for mitigating high urban temperatures
Development of a revised method for indicators of hydrologic alteration for analyzing the cumulative impacts of cascading reservoirs on flow regime
Changing global cropping patterns to minimize national blue water scarcity
Climate change impacts on the Water Highway project in Morocco
HESS Opinions: How should a future water census address consumptive use? (And where can we substitute withdrawal data while we wait?)
Complex relationship between seasonal streamflow forecast skill and value in reservoir operations
Water footprint of crop production for different crop structures in the Hebei southern plain, North China
Benchmark levels for the consumptive water footprint of crop production for different environmental conditions: a case study for winter wheat in China
Technical note: Multiple wavelet coherence for untangling scale-specific and localized multivariate relationships in geosciences
Machine learning methods for empirical streamflow simulation: a comparison of model accuracy, interpretability, and uncertainty in seasonal watersheds
The question of Sudan: a hydro-economic optimization model for the Sudanese Blue Nile
Evolution of the human–water relationships in the Heihe River basin in the past 2000 years
A dynamic water accounting framework based on marginal resource opportunity cost
Climate change and non-stationary flood risk for the upper Truckee River basin
Determining regional limits and sectoral constraints for water use
China's water sustainability in the 21st century: a climate-informed water risk assessment covering multi-sector water demands
Recent evolution of China's virtual water trade: analysis of selected crops and considerations for policy
Assessing water reservoirs management and development in Northern Vietnam
A framework for the quantitative assessment of climate change impacts on water-related activities at the basin scale
Jennie C. Steyaert and Laura E. Condon
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 28, 1071–1088, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-1071-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-1071-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Reservoirs impact all river systems in the United States, yet their operations are difficult to quantify due to limited data. Using historical reservoir operations, we find that storage has declined over the past 40 years, with clear regional differences. We observe that active storage ranges are increasing in arid regions and decreasing in humid regions. By evaluating reservoir model assumptions, we find that they may miss out on seasonal dynamics and can underestimate storage.
Jessica A. Eisma, Gerrit Schoups, Jeffrey C. Davids, and Nick van de Giesen
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 27, 3565–3579, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-27-3565-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-27-3565-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Citizen scientists often submit high-quality data, but a robust method for assessing data quality is needed. This study develops a semi-automated program that characterizes the mistakes made by citizen scientists by grouping them into communities of citizen scientists with similar mistake tendencies and flags potentially erroneous data for further review. This work may help citizen science programs assess the quality of their data and can inform training practices.
Wei Xia, Taimoor Akhtar, and Christine A. Shoemaker
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 26, 3651–3671, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-26-3651-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-26-3651-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
The common practice of calibrating lake hydrodynamic models only to temperature data is shown to be unable to reproduce the flow dynamics well. We proposed a new dynamically normalized objective function (DYNO) for multivariable calibration to be used with parallel or serial optimization methods. DYNO is successfully applied to simultaneously calibrate the temperature and velocity of a 3-dimensional tropical lake model.
William Rust, John P. Bloomfield, Mark Cuthbert, Ron Corstanje, and Ian Holman
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 26, 2449–2467, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-26-2449-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-26-2449-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
We highlight the importance of the North Atlantic Oscillation in controlling droughts in the UK. Specifically, multi-year cycles in the NAO are shown to influence the frequency of droughts and this influence changes considerably over time. We show that the influence of these varying controls is similar to the projected effects of climate change on water resources. We also show that these time-varying behaviours have important implications for water resource forecasts used for drought planning.
Shuang Song, Shuai Wang, Xutong Wu, Yongyuan Huang, and Bojie Fu
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 26, 2035–2044, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-26-2035-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-26-2035-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
A reasonable assessment of the contribution of the water resources in a river basin to domestic crops supplies will be the first step in balancing the water–food nexus. Our results showed that although the Yellow River basin had reduced its virtual water outflow, its importance to crop production in China had been increasing when water footprint networks were considered. Our complexity-based approach provides a new perspective for understanding changes in a basin with a severe water shortage.
Yuxue Guo, Xinting Yu, Yue-Ping Xu, Hao Chen, Haiting Gu, and Jingkai Xie
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 25, 5951–5979, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-25-5951-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-25-5951-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
We developed an AI-based management methodology to assess forecast quality and forecast-informed reservoir operation performance together due to uncertain inflow forecasts. Results showed that higher forecast performance could lead to improved reservoir operation, while uncertain forecasts were more valuable than deterministic forecasts. Moreover, the relationship between the forecast horizon and reservoir operation was complex and depended on operating configurations and performance measures.
Bin Liu, Zhenghui Xie, Shuang Liu, Yujing Zeng, Ruichao Li, Longhuan Wang, Yan Wang, Binghao Jia, Peihua Qin, Si Chen, Jinbo Xie, and ChunXiang Shi
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 25, 387–400, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-25-387-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-25-387-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
We implemented both urban water use schemes in a model (Weather Research and Forecasting model) and assessed their cooling effects with different amounts of water in different parts of the city (center, suburbs, and rural areas) for both road sprinkling and urban irrigation by model simulation. Then, we developed an optimization scheme to find out the optimal water use strategies for mitigating high urban temperatures.
Xingyu Zhou, Xiaorong Huang, Hongbin Zhao, and Kai Ma
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 24, 4091–4107, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-24-4091-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-24-4091-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
The main objective of this work is to discuss the cumulative effects on flow regime with the construction of cascade reservoirs. A revised IHA (indicators of hydrologic alteration) method was developed by using a projection pursuit method based on the real-coded accelerated genetic algorithm in this study. Through this method, IHA parameters with a high contribution to hydrological-alteration evaluation could be selected out and given high weight to reduce the redundancy among the IHA metrics.
Hatem Chouchane, Maarten S. Krol, and Arjen Y. Hoekstra
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 24, 3015–3031, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-24-3015-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-24-3015-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Previous studies on water saving through food trade focussed either on comparing water productivities among countries or on analysing food trade in relation to national water endowments. Here, we consider, for the first time, both differences in water productivities and water endowments to analyse national comparative advantages. Our study reveals that blue water scarcity can be reduced to sustainable levels by changing cropping patterns while maintaining current levels of global production.
Nabil El Moçayd, Suchul Kang, and Elfatih A. B. Eltahir
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 24, 1467–1483, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-24-1467-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-24-1467-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
The present work addresses the impact of climate change on the Water Highway project in Morocco. This project aims to transfer 860 × 106 m3 yr−1 of water from the north to the south. As the project is very sensitive to the availability of water in the northern regions, we evaluate its feasibility under different future climate change scenarios: under a pessimistic climate scenario, the project is infeasible; however, under an optimistic scenario a rescaled version might be feasible.
Benjamin L. Ruddell
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 22, 5551–5558, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-22-5551-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-22-5551-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
We now lack sufficient empirical observations of consumptive use of water by humans and their economy, so it is worth considering what we can do with the withdrawal-based water use data we already possess. Fortunately, a wide range of applied water management and policy questions can be addressed using currently available withdrawal data. This discussion identifies important data collection problems and argues that the withdrawal data we already possess are adequate for some important purposes.
Sean W. D. Turner, James C. Bennett, David E. Robertson, and Stefano Galelli
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 21, 4841–4859, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-21-4841-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-21-4841-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
This study investigates the relationship between skill and value of ensemble seasonal streamflow forecasts. Using data from a modern forecasting system, we show that skilled forecasts are more likely to provide benefits for reservoirs operated to maintain a target water level rather than reservoirs operated to satisfy a target demand. We identify the primary causes for this behaviour and provide specific recommendations for assessing the value of forecasts for reservoirs with supply objectives.
Yingmin Chu, Yanjun Shen, and Zaijian Yuan
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 21, 3061–3069, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-21-3061-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-21-3061-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
In this study, we analyzed the water footprint (WF) of crop production and found winter wheat, summer maize and vegetables were the top water-consuming crops in the Hebei southern plain (HSP). The total WF, WFblue, WFgreen and WFgrey for 13 years (2000–2012) of crop production were 604.8, 288.5, 141.3 and 175.0 km3, respectively, with an annual downtrend from 2000 to 2012. Finally, we evaluated a reasonable farming structure by analyzing scenarios of the main crops' WF.
La Zhuo, Mesfin M. Mekonnen, and Arjen Y. Hoekstra
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 20, 4547–4559, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-20-4547-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-20-4547-2016, 2016
Short summary
Short summary
Benchmarks for the water footprint (WF) of crop production can serve as a reference and be helpful in setting WF reduction targets. The study explores which environmental factors should be distinguished when determining benchmarks for the consumptive (green and blue) WF of crops. Through a case study for winter wheat in China over 1961–2008, we find that when determining benchmark levels for the consumptive WF of a crop, it is most useful to distinguish between different climate zones.
Wei Hu and Bing Cheng Si
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 20, 3183–3191, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-20-3183-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-20-3183-2016, 2016
Short summary
Short summary
Bivariate wavelet coherence has been used to explore scale- and location-specific relationships between two variables. In reality, a process occurring on land surface is usually affected by more than two factors. Therefore, this manuscript is to develop a multiple wavelet coherence method. Results showed that new method outperforms other multivariate methods. Matlab codes for a new method are provided. This method can be widely applied in geosciences where a variable is controlled by many factors.
Julie E. Shortridge, Seth D. Guikema, and Benjamin F. Zaitchik
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 20, 2611–2628, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-20-2611-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-20-2611-2016, 2016
Short summary
Short summary
This paper compares six methods for data-driven rainfall–runoff simulation in terms of predictive accuracy, error structure, interpretability, and uncertainty. We demonstrate that autocorrelation in model errors can result in biased estimates of important values and show how certain model structures can be more easily interpreted to yield insights on physical watershed function. Finally, we explore how model structure can impact uncertainty in climate change sensitivity estimates.
S. Satti, B. Zaitchik, and S. Siddiqui
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 19, 2275–2293, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-19-2275-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-19-2275-2015, 2015
Z. Lu, Y. Wei, H. Xiao, S. Zou, J. Xie, J. Ren, and A. Western
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 19, 2261–2273, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-19-2261-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-19-2261-2015, 2015
Short summary
Short summary
This paper quantitatively analyzed the evolution of human-water relationships in the Heihe River basin over the past 2000 years by reconstructing the catchment water balance. The results provided the basis for investigating the impacts of human societies on hydrological systems. The evolutionary processes of human-water relationships can be divided into four stages: predevelopment, take-off, acceleration, and rebalancing. And the transition of the human-water relationship had no fixed pattern.
A. Tilmant, G. Marques, and Y. Mohamed
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 19, 1457–1467, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-19-1457-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-19-1457-2015, 2015
Short summary
Short summary
As water resources are increasingly used for various purposes, there is a need for a unified framework to describe, quantify and classify water use in a region, be it a catchment, a river basin or a country. This paper presents a novel water accounting framework whereby the contribution of traditional water uses but also storage services are properly considered.
L. E. Condon, S. Gangopadhyay, and T. Pruitt
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 19, 159–175, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-19-159-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-19-159-2015, 2015
T. K. Lissner, C. A. Sullivan, D. E. Reusser, and J. P. Kropp
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 18, 4039–4052, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-18-4039-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-18-4039-2014, 2014
X. Chen, D. Naresh, L. Upmanu, Z. Hao, L. Dong, Q. Ju, J. Wang, and S. Wang
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 18, 1653–1662, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-18-1653-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-18-1653-2014, 2014
J. Shi, J. Liu, and L. Pinter
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 18, 1349–1357, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-18-1349-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-18-1349-2014, 2014
A. Castelletti, F. Pianosi, X. Quach, and R. Soncini-Sessa
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 16, 189–199, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-16-189-2012, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-16-189-2012, 2012
D. Anghileri, F. Pianosi, and R. Soncini-Sessa
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 15, 2025–2038, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-15-2025-2011, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-15-2025-2011, 2011
Cited articles
Abedinpour, M., Sarangi, A., Rajput, T. B. S., Singh, M., Pathak, H., and Ahmad, T.:
Performance evaluation of AquaCrop model for maize crop in a semi-arid environment,
Agr. Water Manage.,
110, 55–66, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agwat.2012.04.001, 2012.
Allen, R. G., Pereira, L. S., Raes, D., and Smith, M.:
Crop evapotranspiration-Guidelines for computing crop water requirements-FAO Irrigation and drainage paper 56,
FAO, Rome, Italy, 1998.
Anselin, L.:
Local indicators of spatial association – LISA,
Geogr. Anal.,
27, 93–115, 1995.
Anselin, L.:
Exploring Spatial Data with GeoDa: A Workbook,
Spatial Analysis Laboratory, Department of Geography, University of ILLinois, Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, 2005.
Anselin, L., Syabri, I., and Kho, Y.:
GeoDa: An introduction to spatial data analysis,
Geogr. Anal.,
38, 5–22, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.0016-7363.2005.00671.x, 2006.
Batjes, N.:
ISRIC-WISE Derived Soil Properties on a 5 by 5 Arc-Minutes Global Grid(ver. 1.2),
Wageningen, the Netherlands,
available at: https://www.isric.org (last access: 30 June 2019), 2012.
Cao, X. C., Wu, P. T., Wang, Y. B., and Zhao, X. N.: Assessing blue and green water utilisation in wheat production of China from the perspectives of water footprint and total water use, Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 18, 3165–3178, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-18-3165-2014, 2014.
Chen, Y. M., Guo, G. S., Wang, G. X., Kang, S. Z., Luo, H. B., and Zhang, D. Z.:
Main crop water requirement and irrigation of China,
China: Hydraulic and Electric Press, Beijing, 1995.
Chouchane, H., Hoekstra, A. Y., Krol, M. S., and Mekonnen, M. M.:
The water footprint of Tunisia from an economic perspective,
Ecol. Indic.,
52, 311–319, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2014.12.015, 2015.
Chukalla, A. D., Krol, M. S., and Hoekstra, A. Y.: Green and blue water footprint reduction in irrigated agriculture: effect of irrigation techniques, irrigation strategies and mulching, Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 19, 4877–4891, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-19-4877-2015, 2015.
CMDC:
China Meteorological Data Service Center, China,
available at: http://data.cma.cn/en, last access: 30 July 2019.
CNKI:
China Yearbooks Full-text Database,
available at: http://epub.cnki.net/kns/brief/result.aspx?dbPrefix=CYFD, last access: 30 September 2019.
Cui, Z., Zhang, H., Chen, X., Zhang, C., Ma, W., Huang, C., Zhang, W., Mi, G., Miao, Y., Li, X., Gao, Q., Yang, J., Wang, Z., Ye, Y., Guo, S., Lu, J., Huang, J., Lv, S., Sun, Y., Liu, Y., Peng, X., Ren, J., Li, S., Deng, X., Shi, X., Zhang, Q., Yang, Z., Tang, L., Wei, C., Jia, L., Zhang, J., He, M., Tong, Y., Tang, Q., Zhong, X., Liu, Z., Cao, N., Kou, C., Ying, H., Yin, Y., Jiao, X., Zhang, Q., Fan, M., Jiang, R., Zhang, F., and Dou, Z.:
Pursuing sustainable productivity with millions of smallholder farmers,
Nature,
555, 363–366, https://doi.org/10.1038/nature25785, 2018.
Dijkshoorn, J. A., Engelen, V. W. P. V., and Huting, J. R. M.:
Soil and landform properties for LADA partner countries (Argentina, China, Cuba, Senegal, South Africa and Tunisia),
ISRIC–World Soil Information and FAO, Wageningen, the Netherlands, 2008.
Falkenmark, M., and Rockstrom, J.:
The new blue and green water paradigm: Breaking new ground for water resources planning and management,
J. Water Res. Pl.-ASCE,
132, 129–132, https://doi.org/10.1061/(asce)0733-9496(2006)132:3(129), 2006.
Gao, L. and Bryan, B. A.:
Finding pathways to national-scale land-sector sustainability,
Nature,
544, 217–235, https://doi.org/10.1038/nature21694, 2017.
Garrido, A., Llamas, R., Varela-Ortega, C., Novo, P., Rodríguez-Casado, R., and Aldaya, M. M.:
Water Footprint and Virtual Water Trade in Spain: Policy Implications,
Springer, New York, USA, 2010.
Hoekstra, A. Y. (ed.):
Virtual water trade: Proceedings of the International Expert Meeting on Virtual Water Trade, Delft, the Netherlands, 12–13 December 2002, Value of Water Research Report Series No. 12,
UNESCO-IHE, Delft, The Netherlands, 2003.
Hoekstra, A. Y.:
Sustainable, efficient, and equitable water use: the three pillars under wise freshwater allocation,
WIREs Water,
1, 31–40, https://doi.org/10.1002/wat2.1000, 2013.
Hoekstra, A. Y.:
Water scarcity challenges to business,
Nat. Clim. Change,
4, 318–320, https://doi.org/10.1038/nclimate2214, 2014.
Hoekstra, A. Y.:
Green-blue water accounting in a soil water balance,
Adv. Water Resour.,
129, 112–117, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.advwatres.2019.05.012, 2019.
Hoekstra, A. Y. and Chapagain, A. K.:
Water footprints of nations: Water use by people as a function of their consumption pattern,
Water Resour. Manag.,
21, 35–48, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11269-006-9039-x, 2007.
Hoekstra, A. Y., Chapagain, A. K., Aldaya, M. M., and Mekonnen, M. M.:
The Water Footprint Assessment Manual: Setting the Global Standard,
Earthscan, London, UK, 2011.
Hsiao, T. C., Heng, L., Steduto, P., Rojas-Lara, B., Raes, D., and Fereres, E.:
AquaCrop-The FAO Crop Model to Simulate Yield Response to Water: III. Parameterization and Testing for Maize,
Agron. J.,
101, 448–459, https://doi.org/10.2134/agronj2008.0218s, 2009.
Ibidhi, R. and Salem, H. B.:
Water footprint and economic water productivity of sheep meat at farm scale in humid and semi-arid agro-ecological zones,
Small Ruminant Res.,
166, 101–108, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.smallrumres.2018.06.003, 2018.
Jin, X., Feng, H., Zhu, X., Li, Z., Song, S., Song, X., Yang, G., Xu, X., and Guo, W.:
Assessment of the AquaCrop Model for Use in Simulation of Irrigated Winter Wheat Canopy Cover, Biomass, and Grain Yield in the North China Plain,
Plos One,
9, https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0086938, 2014.
Kang, S., Hao, X., Du, T., Tong, L., Su, X., Lu, H., Li, X., Huo, Z., Li, S., and Ding, R.:
Improving agricultural water productivity to ensure food security in China under changing environment: From research to practice,
Agr. Water Manage.,
179, 5–17, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agwat.2016.05.007, 2017.
Kendall, M. G.:
Rank correlation methods,
Griffin, London, 1975.
Khan, S., Hanjra, M. A., and Mu, J.:
Water management and crop production for food security in China: A review,
Agr. Water Manage.,
96, 349–360, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agwat.2008.09.022, 2009.
Kisi, O. and Ay, M.:
Comparison of Mann–Kendall and innovative trend method for water quality parameters of the Kizilirmak River, Turkey,
J. Hydrol.,
513, 362–375, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2014.03.005, 2014.
Kumar, P., Sarangi, A., Singh, D. K., and Parihar, S. S.:
EVALUATION OF AQUACROP MODEL IN PREDICTING WHEAT YIELD AND WATER PRODUCTIVITY UNDER IRRIGATED SALINE REGIMES,
Irrig. Drain.,
63, 474–487, https://doi.org/10.1002/ird.1841, 2014.
Mann, H. B.:
Nonparametric Tests Against Trend,
Econometrica,
13, 245–259, 1945.
Mekonnen, M. M. and Hoekstra, A. Y.: The green, blue and grey water footprint of crops and derived crop products, Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 15, 1577–1600, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-15-1577-2011, 2011.
Mekonnen, M. M. and Hoekstra, A. Y.:
Water conservation through trade the case of Kenya,
Water Int.,
39, 451–468,, https://doi.org/10.1080/02508060.2014.922014, 2014a.
Mekonnen, M. M. and Hoekstra, A. Y.:
Water footprint benchmarks for crop production: A first global assessment,
Ecol. Indic.,
46, 214–223, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2014.06.013, 2014b.
Mekonnen, M. M. and Hoekstra, A. Y.:
Four billion people facing severe water scarcity,
Science Advances,
2, https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.1500323, 2016.
Miglietta, P. P., Morrone, D., and Lamastra, L.:
Water footprint and economic water productivity of Italian wines with appellation of origin: Managing sustainability through an integrated approach,
Sci. Total Environ.,
633, 1280–1286, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.03.270, 2018.
Moran, P. A. P.:
Notes on continuous stochastic phenomena,
Biometrika,
37, 17–23, https://doi.org/10.2307/2332142, 1950.
NBSC:
National Data,
National Bureau of Statistics, Beijing, China,
available at: http://data.stats.gov.cn/english/easyquery.htm?cn=E0103, last access: 30 September 2019.
Owusu-Sekyere, E., Jordaan, H., and Chouchane, H.:
Evaluation of water footprint and economic water productivities of dairy products of South Africa,
Ecol. Indic.,
83, 32–40, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2017.07.041, 2017a.
Owusu-Sekyere, E., Scheepers, M. E., and Jordaan, H.:
Economic Water Productivities Along the Dairy Value Chain in South Africa: Implications for Sustainable and Economically Efficient Water-use Policies in the Dairy Industry,
Ecol. Econ.,
134, 22–28, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2016.12.020, 2017b.
Portmann, F. T., Siebert, S., and Döll, P.:
MIRCA2000 – Global monthly irrigated and rainfed crop areas around the year 2000: A new high-resolution data set for agricultural and hydrological modeling,
Global Biogeochem. Cy.,
24, https://doi.org/10.1029/2008gb003435, 2010.
Raes, D., Steduto, P., Hsiao, T. C., and Fereres, E.:
AquaCrop-The FAO Crop Model to Simulate Yield Response to Water: II. Main Algorithms and Software Description,
Agron. J.,
101, 438–447, https://doi.org/10.2134/agronj2008.0140s, 2009.
Raes, D., Steduto, P., Hsiao, T. C., and Fereres, E.:
Reference manual for AquaCrop version 6.0, chap. 3,
Food and Agriculture Organization, Rome, Italy, 2017.
Rallison, R. E.:
Origin and evolution of the SCS runoff equation,
in: Symposium on Watershed Management, Boise, Idaho, United States, 21–23 July, 912–924, 1980.
Schyns, J. F. and Hoekstra, A. Y.: The
added value of water footprint assessment for national water policy: a case study for Morocco,
PLoS One,
9, e99705, https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0099705, 2014.
Siebert, S. and Döll, P.:
Quantifying blue and green virtual water contents in global crop production as well as potential production losses without irrigation,
J. Hydrol.,
384, 198–217, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2009.07.031, 2010.
Steduto, P., Hsiao, T. C., Raes, D., and Fereres, E.:
AquaCrop-The FAO Crop Model to Simulate Yield Response to Water: I. Concepts and Underlying Principles,
Agron. J.,
101, 426–437, https://doi.org/10.2134/agronj2008.0139s, 2009.
Steenhuis, T. S., Winchell, M., Rossing, J., Zollweg, J. A., and Walter, M. F.:
SCS Runoff Equation Revisited for Variable-Source Runoff Areas,
J. Irrig. Drain. E.-ASCE,
121, 234–238, https://doi.org/10.1061/(asce)0733-9437(1995)121:3(234), 1995.
Sun, S., Wu, P., Wang, Y., Zhao, X., Liu, J., and Zhang, X.:
The impacts of interannual climate variability and agricultural inputs on water footprint of crop production in an irrigation district of China,
Sci. Total Environ.,
444, 498–507, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2012.12.016, 2013.
Sun, S. K., Zhang, C. F., Li, X. L., Zhou, T. W., Wang, Y. B., Wu, P. T., and Cai, H. J.:
Sensitivity of crop water productivity to the variation of agricultural and climatic factors: A study of Hetao irrigation district, China,
J. Clea. Prod.,
142, 2562–2569, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2016.11.020, 2017.
The World Bank:
World Bank Open Data,
available at: https://data.worldbank.org, last access: 30 September 2019.
Tilman, D., Balzer, C., Hill, J., and Befort, B. L.:
Global food demand and the sustainable intensification of agriculture,
P. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA,
108, 20260–20264, https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1116437108, 2011.
Tobler, W. R.:
A Computer Movie Simulating Urban Growth in the Detroit Region,
Econ. Geogr.,
46, 234–240, https://doi.org/10.2307/143141, 1970.
USDA:
Estimation of direct runoff from storm rainfall,
Section 4 Hydrology, Chapter 4,
National Engineering Handbook, Washington DC, USA, 1–24, 1964.
Veldkamp, T. I. E., Wada, Y., Aerts, J. C. J. H., Doell, P., Gosling, S. N., Liu, J., Masaki, Y., Oki, T., Ostberg, S., Pokhrel, Y., Satoh, Y., Kim, H., and Ward, P. J.:
Water scarcity hotspots travel downstream due to human interventions in the 20th and 21st century,
Nat. Commun.,
8, https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms15697, 2017.
Wang, W., Zhuo, L., Li, M., Liu, Y., and Wu, P.:
The effect of development in water-saving irrigation techniques on spatial-temporal variations in crop water footprint and benchmarking,
J. Hydrol.,
577, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2019.123916, 2019.
Xie, G. H., Han, D. Q., Wang, X. Y., and Lv, R. H.:
Harvest index and residue factor of cereal crops in China,
Journal of China Agricultural University,
16, 1–8, 2011.
Zhang, F., Chen, X., and Vitousek, P.:
An experiment for the world,
Nature,
497, 33–35, https://doi.org/10.1038/497033a, 2013.
Zhang, F. C. and Zhu, Z. H.:
Harvest index for various crops in China,
Scientia Agricultura Sinica,
23, 83–87, 1990.
Zhuo, L., Mekonnen, M. M., and Hoekstra, A. Y.: Sensitivity and uncertainty in crop water footprint accounting: a case study for the Yellow River basin, Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 18, 2219–2234, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-18-2219-2014, 2014.
Zhuo, L., Mekonnen, M. M., and Hoekstra, A. Y.: Benchmark levels for the consumptive water footprint of crop production for different environmental conditions: a case study for winter wheat in China, Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 20, 4547–4559, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-20-4547-2016, 2016a.
Zhuo, L., Mekonnen, M. M., and Hoekstra, A. Y.:
The effect of inter-annual variability of consumption, production, trade and climate on crop-related green and blue water footprints and inter-regional virtual water trade: A study for China (1978–2008),
Water Res.,
94, 73–85, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.watres.2016.02.037, 2016b.
Zhuo, L., Mekonnen, M. M., Hoekstra, A. Y., and Wada, Y.:
Inter- and intra-annual variation of water footprint of crops and blue water scarcity in the Yellow River basin (1961–2009),
Adv. Water Resour.,
87, 29–41, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.advwatres.2015.11.002, 2016c.
Zhuo, L., Liu, Y., Yang, H., Hoekstra, A. Y., Liu, W., Cao, X., Wang, M., and Wu, P.:
Water for maize for pigs for pork: An analysis of inter-provincial trade in China,
Water Res.,
166, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.watres.2019.115074, 2019.
Short summary
Maximizing economic benefits with higher water productivity or lower water footprint is the core sustainable goal of agricultural water resources management. Here we look at spatial and temporal variations and developments in both production-based (PWF) and economic value-based (EWF) water footprints of crops, by taking a case study for China. A synergy evaluation index is proposed to further quantitatively evaluate the synergies and trade-offs between PWF and EWF.
Maximizing economic benefits with higher water productivity or lower water footprint is the core...
