Abstract
Attributing nitrogen (N) in the environment to emissions from agricultural management practices is difficult because of the complex and inter-related chemical and biological reactions associated with N and its cascading effects across land, air and water. Such analyses are critical, however, in understanding the benefits and disbenefits associated with environmental management options. Coupled physical models present new opportunities to understand relationships among environmental variables across multiple sources, pathways and scenarios. Because they trace the environmental fate of pollutant concentrations found in the environment through first-principle physical and chemical processes, they shed new light on these complex interactions and how they will respond under various management scenarios. In this study, we use a coupled modeling system to holistically assess the impacts of increased corn production on groundwater and air quality. In particular, we show how the models provide new information on the drivers for contamination in groundwater and air, and then relate pollutant concentration changes attributed to potential changes in corn production between 2002 and 2022 to health and cost outcomes.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
VanGrinsven HJ, Holland M, Jacobsen BH, Klimont Z, Sutton MA, Willems WJ (2013) Costs and benefits of nitrogen for Europe and implications for mitigation. Environ Sci Technol 47:3571–3579
Cooter EJ, Bash JO, Benson V, Ran L (2012) Linking agricultural crop management and air quality models for regional to national-scale nitrogen assessments. Biogeosciences 9:6095–6127
Acknowledgments and Disclaimer
Although this work has been reviewed and approved for publication by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, it does not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the agency.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Questioner
Questioner
No questions were asked of speaker.
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2016 Springer International Publishing Switzerland
About this paper
Cite this paper
Garcia, V. et al. (2016). Using a Coupled Modelling System to Examine the Impacts of Increased Corn Production on Groundwater Quality and Human Health. In: Steyn, D., Chaumerliac, N. (eds) Air Pollution Modeling and its Application XXIV. Springer Proceedings in Complexity. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-24478-5_18
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-24478-5_18
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-24476-1
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-24478-5
eBook Packages: Earth and Environmental ScienceEarth and Environmental Science (R0)