Land and Climate Seminar - Using satellite data to quantify patterns and effects of irrigation expansion in traditionally rainfed areas

Speaker: Jill Deines

In recent years, irrigation has been expanding in the traditionally rainfed and temperate US Corn Belt, a major global producer of maize and soybeans. Although still relatively rare on the landscape, it is important to quantify the drivers and effects of Corn Belt irrigation as farmers adapt to global change. Here we analyze satellite-derived annual maps of field-level irrigation expansion across the US Corn Belt since 1999 to better understand how and where irrigation is spreading, along with impacts to crop yields and regional Earth systems.