Irrigation Water Balance Modelling: Better Landscapes Through an Improved Design Process

摘要

It is generally agreed that water is a limited resources. 97% of the world's water is saline; we have a long and well documented history of abusing this resource/an almost exponential rise in human water use because of increases in population and percapita water use in the last 75 years. Climate change/global warming has simply exacerbated the problem.Landscape irrigation is based primarily on potable water sources. Recent initiatives to improve the efficiency of landscape irrigation design and products have reduced irrigation water consumption. Although admirable, these initiatives do nothing to address the problem/disease rather than the symptoms. The only way to start addressing the issue is to truly understand how much irrigation water will be required before the landscape design is finalized.In its simplest form, Irrigation Water Balance Modeling, or IWBM, is an irrigation water consumption calculation based on plant water use, on a species by species basis, microclimate, soils and seasonally available precipitation information. This calculation allows us to accurately predict quantify daily, weekly, monthly and seasonal irrigation water requirements for a given landscape design early enough in the design process that the irrigation water design consumption can be quantified and potentiallyreduced through the elimination of irrigation in non-essential area and/or the substitution of less water consumption species. Only by understanding these factors can we design landscapes that are viable without continuing to overdraw on our water resources.