MAPPING AGRICULTURAL DRAINAGE EXTENT IN THE US CORN BELT: THE VALUE OF MULTIPLE METHODS

Artificial drainage is essential to agricultural productivity in much of the Midwest, and has an important impact on hydrology and water quality. Planners, engineers, resource professionals, and others who are interested in Corn Belt hydrology would benefit from increased understanding of existing drainage installations. The objective of this work is to increase access to and understanding of options for estimating subsurface/surface drainage extent and the advantages and disadvantages of different methods to benefit data users who need to know what products are appropriate for their specific application. This includes creating an online accessible drainage estimate data layer for the entire Corn Belt region; com-paring three different drainage extent products for this region and investigating the various applications of these three products in four case study locations in Indiana, Iowa, Missouri, and Minnesota. Results show how different drainage datasets can be utilized depending on the nature of the research question and conditions of the investigation.

Automated summary

Artificial drainage plays a crucial role in agricultural productivity and has significant impact on hydrology and water quality in the Midwest. This research aims to enhance understanding of existing drainage installations and provide data users with options for estimating drainage extent and the advantages and disadvantages of different methods.