Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering

lrrigation systems, water saving, and food­ water energy nexus

This research line contributes to the Department key research area NATURAL SYSTEMS, ENVIRONMENT AND LAND PLANNING: Natural resources management and Environmental, Sanitary Engineering. The research area deals with modelling and monitoring of water fluxes in the soil-vegetation atmosphere system, irrigation needs, water and food security, and water-food- energy nexus.

Topics under this research area include:

  • assessment of soil moisture dynamic, infiltration, evapo-transpiration and carbon fluxes, measuring and modeling using micro-meteorological stations and satellite remote sensing;
  • assessment of irrigation water needs, atmospheric boundary layer processes, surface water-groundwater interaction, irrigation needs at the farm, district and basin scale;
  • analysis of irrigation practice with numerical modeling and field experiments, water saving strategies;
  • real time monitoring and forecasting of irrigation water needs;
  • optimized use of fertilizers and energy with respect of traditional irrigation practice;
  • assessment of water footprint of trade goods, water needs in life cycle of goods;
  • virtual water fluxes, assessment at local and global scale; large scale land acquisition and impacts upon water/food security;
  • water-energy nexus, hydropower production from run of river regulated plants under present and prospective climate change;
  • climate driven crop, pasture yield assessment using models and field experiments under present and prospective climate change.
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