events, drought, reduced mountain snowpack, among others, are all risks to our water system due to a changing climate.
In agriculture, too much or too little water creates many challenges. Too much water washes away nutrients, drowns out crops, or prevents field work from getting done. Too little water creates drought stress, plant death, and reduced groundwater and surface water levels. Damage from flooding to infrastructure and to the land can be catastrophic to farming operations, as well as many other industries and communities. The quality of the water is another challenge. Warming temperatures and increasing heavy precipitation events contribute to the conditions for harmful algal blooms, creating poor conditions for recreation, habitat, and drinking water. Nutrient and sediment losses to the environment from erosion or saturated conditions reduce the quality of our groundwater and surface water. On a larger scale, reduced sea and land ice, and an increase in sea levels, create additional challenges beyond water quantity and quality. Infrastructure and transportation of agricultural materials and goods outside of the Great Plains and Midwest can also be influenced by these risks outside of the region.
Aftermath from flooding of White River near Crawford, NE. Photo courtesy of Gary Stone, University of Nebraska, 2019.
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