Our Research
Breaking ground in agrohydrology
We are pushing the boundaries on agricultural water management strategies to ensure that growers can produce more food with less water.
We combine regenerative agricultural ideas with rigorous physics and hydrology
Themes in our research include:
Optimizing Irrigation and Drainage
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Optimization irrigation refines the magnitude, timing, and spatial application of irrigation and fertilizer. This method benefits crop yield, quality, nutrition, disease prevention, pest suppression, and water conservation. Our goal is to keep nutrient-rich water in the root zone when and where it is needed the most through the use of ecological engineering.
Crop Water Measurement and Mapping
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We are constantly developing and refining new tools and algorithms to map crop evapotranspiration and water or salinity stress at very high resolutions. We think of this as “applied remote sensing” to improve management of soils and water across fields and over time. Many water managers and specialty crop growers are purchasing drones and cameras but are unsure how to incorporate them into farm operations or use the data generated. Our lab is interested in helping new mappers transform these data into insights.
Physics of Regenerative Agriculture
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We see regenerative agriculture as a common term to bring many different groups of people together under similar motivations. The Conservation Irrigation Lab aims to bridge regenerative agricultural practices and agrohydrology to better understand how these practices might transform soil moisture dynamics, drainage, nutrient leaching, and recharge. We’re developing new strategies by studying both single soil health practices (e.g., cover crops) and the 'stacking' of multiple practices for synergistic hydrological effects.
Current Research Projects
We are leading the way in evapotranspiration mapping and drainage measurement technology.
Irrigation in the Earth System
In 2019, Dr. Nocco had a hypothesized that irrigation could change regional climate through evaporative cooling in the Midwest of the United States.
This was high contested because the region was thought to be too humid to see a climatic impact from these processes. However, using a network of 28 micrometeorological stations, Dr. Nocco was able to demonstrate the relationship. In collaboration with Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, she paired groundwater pumping data to micrometeorological observations.
The publication of these results sparked further collaborations with Dr. Sonali McDermid and a group of climate scientists to develop and publish a state of knowledge of how irrigation changes water, energy, carbon, and nutrient cycles across the planet. This collaboration continues to analyze and develop solutions to keep nutrients out of groundwater and decrease greenhouse gas emissions.
The Tree Remote Sensing of Evapotranspiration (TREX) Project
The TREX Project is an ongoing initiative to measure water use and water stress across many different spatial and temporal scales to ensure the future of almond growing in California.
This project combines satellite, aerial vehicles, and proximal sensing technologies to advance our understanding of water management and cultural practices on water. In its entirety, the project has an extremely ambitious goal of integrating these novel water management practices, aiding almond growers of California to reduce their water usage by 20%
The Conservation Irrigation Lab is focusing on:
(1) Capturing high resolution estimates of evapotranspiration at the tree level to manage water at high spatial scales using the drone imagery and towers,
(2) Finding the earliest indicator of water stress in almonds using remote sensing, and
(3) Developing methods for drones to conduct 'distribution uniformity' tests that can evaluate the performance of an irrigation system for leaks or clogs.
Advanced agricultural solutions in the Wisconsin Central Sands
The Central Sands region of Wisconsin is hallmarked by sandy soils and a shallow unconfined aquifer, making it the ideal location for growing specialty crops like potatoes, sweet corn, snap beans, peas, and carrots.
However, this agricultural productivity has come with a cost to both water quantity and water quality. Wisconsin’s lakes and streams are hit the hardest in drought as growers continue to pump groundwater for irrigation, thereby reducing groundwater quality and increasing nitrate levels.
The Conservation Irrigation Lab is focusing on how much water is used by the crops, also known as evapotranspiration (ET) and how much water is recharged. Additionally, we are developing high resolution maps of ET for growers to do precision irrigation in the region.
We partner closely with farmer and the trade association. The goal of the project is to improve methods of measuring and managing groundwater quality, and deepen our understanding of how to keep nitrogen in the root zone before it enters groundwater.
