Regional Scale Characterzationand Assessment of Water Use and Competition Impacts for U.S. Food Crops

water competition footprint;life cycle assessment;water stress;food;Natural Resources and Environment

Meyer, RobertHeller, Martin ;

University of Michigan

关键词: water competition footprint;    life cycle assessment;    water stress;    food;    Natural Resources and Environment;   

Others  :  https://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/handle/2027.42/136555/Meyer_Robert_Thesis.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y

瑞士|英语

来源: The Illinois Digital Environment for Access to Learning and Scholarship

【 摘 要 】

Our growing population and increasingly variable climate conditions challenge our abilityto meet pressing demands for food, water and energy. With approximately 70% of U.S.freshwater resources applied to agriculture with most withdrawals occurring in water scarceregions, critical analysis is required to determine how regional water use and availability impactuser competition for water resources. Aiming to provide insight into the cradle-to-farm gateimpacts of different U.S. consumed crops, this thesis begins with a comprehensive literaturereview to consider the progress and opportunities occurring around water scarcity studies overthe last 40 years. Using empirical data and emerging water impact assessment models, amethodology is proposed providing characterization of 10 U.S. consumed crops at regional levels(county, state, and national), resulting in production-weighted water competition footprints foreach crop. This analysis also considers water competition footprints of crop imports and exports,which factor into national water footprint values of U.S. consumed crops. Results contrast wateruse and competition footprint values for select crops at difference spatial scales, indicating thesignificant impact agricultural processes have in water scarce regions. This research is expectedto contribute towards diet-level impact studies, filling gaps where additional life cycle waterassessment methods are needed.