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A Review of the Laws & Regulations in Safeguarding Operative Water Conservation in Mississippi – Focusing 'Green Infrastructure & Education' Projects
Year: 2025 Authors: Ahmed Y., Ahmed S.M., Maan G.M.
Owing to swift urbanization trends and subsequent hike in per capita demand of water in the urban areas in the world, the adequacy of water management stands as a challenge across the globe. In order to maintain sustainable resource mechanism in urban & semi-urban developments, it becomes imperative to overcome phenomenal decrease in access of public to water resources and services as observed in various parts of the World in recent centuries. The water conservation in Mississippi aimed at improving water quality as well as sustainable water usage by the commercial, agricultural and residential sectors, includes targets which not only highlight water-saving strategies but also promote technological and educational campaigns to achieve the goal of water conservation. In this regard, the role of regulations referring to governance of water resources based on the categorization of 'Surface' and 'Ground' water usage is also very significant. The application of rules and laws in the preview of Water Conservation in Mississippi mandates a balance of usage of water resources by the various sectors of built environment and similarly, the Environmental Protection Act pronounces regulations for water consumption. The Green Infrastructure projects have been studied in this research as tangible and engineered solutions to cater to the underserved communities; primarily for providing clean drinking water as basic life necessity as well as to harness them to public health authorities for regular quality control speculation of water. The public awareness campaigns and involvement of community as stakeholders is a very important feature that has been effectively addressed in Mississippi and; therefore, will be elaborated in this research with futuristic approaches. The blend of social, administrative and technological solutions will be presented in this research with aims and objectives for broader approaches to conserve water resources preceded by a comprehensive review of the 'laws & regulations that support the cause of water conservation'.
Determining the Optimal Growth Stage of Irrigation Termination of Soybeans in Mississippi
Year: 2025 Authors: Arena J., Spencer D.
The R6.5 growth stage has traditionally been recommended as the primary indicator for terminating irrigation due to factors of seed fill and water conservation, however minimal research exists on confirming its optimization of these factors. This study aims to determine the optimal irrigation termination growth stage of soybeans to improve yield and sustain Mississippi's water resources. 42 eight-row determinate and indeterminate soybean plots fifteen meters long were planted at 115,000 seeds/acre at the Delta Research Extension Center in Stoneville, Mississippi. Based on soil texture, a pivotal factor in irrigation decisions, treatment plots were grouped at R5.5, R6, R6.5, R7, and R7.5 terminations. Lateral irrigation was used in this study. Irrigation decisions were determined by using watermark irrocloud sensors that read soil-water pressure. Harvest data collection included pod count, seed count, and seed weight by top, middle, and bottom zones to factor seed fill and pod loss. Additional data included node counts, water use of lateral, and plant height. Data is still being collected. Early data indicates improved water usage in earlier irrigation cut-offs and improved efficiency of indeterminate beans compared to the determinate variety. This research will assist farmers and researchers by discovering the ideal growth stage to irrigate termination which will conserve water and optimize yield.
Bark water properties as a function of morphology and subsequent impacts on stemflow volume in a mixed hardwood stand; an analysis of 6 different southeastern tree species
Year: 2025 Authors: Arnold M., Siegert C., Polinko A., Dowtin A., Blakely H.
Forests are integral components of the hydrologic cycle, intercepting rainfall and redistributing water through mechanisms such as throughfall, transpiration, and stemflow. Stemflow, the movement of water down the stems and trunks of vegetative structures, plays a small but critical role in this cycling, and is strongly linked to bark morphology and associated properties including bulk density, porosity and size of pores, and bark hygroscopicity. Bark hygroscopicity is a measure of bark's ability to absorb and exchange water with the environment. Those species with more hygroscopic bark will absorb more water from the environment in the absence of rainfall, leading to lesser absorption at the onset of rainfall and greater stemflow generation. This ongoing study explores the interspecific variation of stemflow production in southeastern U.S. forests via characterization of bark water properties and high-resolution analysis of distinct rainfall events. Stemflow volumes from white oak, southern red oak, loblolly pine, shortleaf pine, mockernut hickory, and sweetgum were collected from November 2024 to November 2025 from the John W. Starr Memorial Forest in Oktibbeha County, Mississippi. Analysis of bark water storage properties including capacity and retention time will reveal a relationship with subsequent stemflow generation, including the influence of specific properties such as bark hygroscopicity. Preliminary results of the study have revealed strong stemflow production from mockernut hickory and loblolly pine, whereas other species such as white oak and shortleaf pine have generated significantly less stemflow under the same rainfall conditions. Significant differences in the bark structure of these species indicate that multiple morphological properties influence stemflow production. Bark hygroscopicity, in particular, may be especially influential: mockernut hickory, having the most hygroscopic bark, has generated large volumes of stemflow despite its rough bark, which is generally associated with lower stemflow production. Further analyses of bark properties will be used to assess the predominant drivers of stemflow production. This work will provide critical insight into the spatial and temporal variability of rainfall distribution in forested ecosystems and the significant influences that bark morphology and rainfall characteristics exert on the hydrologic cycle.
Soil Effects of Cover Crops and Conservation Tillage in Cotton Production Systems of the Mississippi Delta
Year: 2025 Authors: Bakare M., Simpson A., Gholson D., Lo H.
Conservation tillage and cover cropping are increasingly being adopted in cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) production to enhance soil health and promote sustainability. However, research on the role of cover crops and conservation tillage in improving soil health within cotton production systems in Mississippi Delta remains limited. A study was conducted at the Delta Research and Experiment Station in Stoneville, Mississippi, to evaluate the effects of seven tillage and cover crop systems on soil properties in a cotton production system. The experiment followed a randomized complete block design with three replications. Treatments included: 1) disk tillage + subsoiling + winter fallow (control), 2) strip tillage + winter fallow, 3) strip tillage + cover crop, 4) strip tillage + subsoiling + cover crop, 5) no seedbed tillage + winter fallow, 6) no seedbed tillage + cover crop, and 7) no seedbed tillage + subsoiling + cover crop. This presentation will summarize findings from the fifth year of this study with a focus on infiltration rate, soil moisture content, soil carbon, soil nutrient, aggregate stability, and bulk density. This result will inform the promotion of cover crop and conservation tillage in the Mississippi Delta which is expected to enhance water resource sustainability in the region.
Characterization of Water Quality in Mississippi Sound: An In-Situ and Satellite-Based Approach
Year: 2025 Authors: Butler E., Martins V., Paulino R., Caballero C., Sparks E.
The Mississippi Sound is a very productive brackish environment that has historic, cultural, and economic importance for the region. Over the past decades, natural and anthropogenic sources have negatively impacted the Mississippi Sound through hurricanes, oil spills, and influxes of sediment-rich freshwater from various watersheds. Lake Pontchartrain and Mobile Bay, fresh to brackish bodies of water, feed into the Sound, which can additionally contribute to the variability of different water quality parameters. Understanding where and when these parameters vary within the Mississippi Sound will allow for informed water quality management. This study performed data collection in 25 locations in the MSS from Bay St. Louis to Biloxi Bay in various months of 2023/2024/2025 to characterize the seasonal variability of water quality parameters in addition to utilizing remote sensing to create monthly satellite-based water quality parameter concentration maps. Surface water sampling and radiometric measurements were performed from 8:00 AM to 1:00 PM during clear-sky days. TriOS sensors recorded water-leaving radiance, sky radiance, and solar downwelling irradiance to estimate water surface reflectance. Other in-situ data (turbidity, pH, dissolved oxygen, conductivity, water temperature) were collected using a YSI 4-probe sonde. Additionally, date, time, GPS location, sky and water surface conditions, Secchi depth, water depth, air temperature, and wind speed were collected utilizing various devices. Eight liters of water from each point were collected, filtered, and analyzed in the lab for colored dissolved organic matter, total suspended solids, transmittance and reflectance, chlorophyll-a, and phycocyanin using spectroscopy. As a result, concentration maps using Sentinel-3 Ocean and Land Cover Instrument (OLCI) imagery were produced to visualize the spatial and temporal distribution of water quality parameters on the in-situ data. These results demonstrated that the peak turbidity and total suspended sediment concentration occur during summer, while chlorophyll-a and phycocyanin concentrations remained low or insignificant over time. Secchi disk depth showed an increasing trend from the coastline to offshore points. Colored dissolved organic matter values were homogenous and low among the samples. Collection of such data sets and maps can be utilized by other researchers, agencies, and water quality/resource managers to train remote sensing or hydrologic models, identify critical areas for monitoring stations, or target watersheds for enhanced management practices.
SatBuoy: A Satellite-Based Virtual Buoy Network for Real-Time Coastal Water Quality Monitoring in Mississippi Sound
Year: 2025 Authors: Caballero C., Martins V.S., Paulino R.S., Butler E., Sparks E.
Water quality monitoring in dynamic coastal ecosystems is crucial for sustaining ecological health and economic activities. The Mississippi Sound, a vital and productive ecosystem that supports diverse marine life and commercial industries, faces significant water quality changes that threaten its sustainability. Effective water quality monitoring and management strategies are necessary in the region, but the traditional in situ monitoring has spatial and temporal limitations, as well as high operational costs. We present SatBuoy, a Satellite-Based Virtual Buoy Observation Network designed to provide real-time water quality information across the Mississippi Sound through a public interactive web portal. SatBuoy integrates the Sentinel-3 Coastal Analysis Ready Data (S3CARD) framework to process daily OLCI (Ocean and Land Colour Instrument) imagery into atmospherically corrected, gridded surface reflectance images, enabling automated retrieval of water quality indicators at 75 strategically placed virtual stations. Each virtual buoy continuously monitors five key water quality parameters: turbidity, Secchi Disk Depth, total suspended solids, chlorophyll-a, and colored dissolved organic matter concentrations, using empirical and machine learning models calibrated and validated with in situ data. Time-series analysis and descriptive statistics are provided at each station. SatBuoy enables near-real-time detection and assessment of various coastal phenomena, including sediment plumes, algal blooms, and fluctuations in water clarity, directly supporting restoration monitoring, early warning systems, and informed stakeholder decision-making. This system aims to overcome operational barriers with the integration of free satellite data and modeling pipelines into a user-friendly platform. It offers a practical solution for coastal water quality monitoring, particularly in the Mississippi Sound, demonstrating how satellite technology can enhance environmental monitoring capabilities.
3D Numerical Modeling of Flow Hydrodynamics and Cohesive Sediment Transport in Ross Barnett Reservoir
Year: 2025 Authors: Chao X., Zhang Y., Shuchana I., Pophet N., Al-Hamdan M.
Ross Barnett Reservoir (RBR), the largest drinking water source in Mississippi, was formed by a 5.6 km man-made dam on the Pearl River near Jackson and covers an area of 130 square kilometers. Located downstream of the Upper Pearl River Basin, the reservoir receives large amounts of fine-grained cohesive sediment due to highly erodible soils in the watershed. These sediments, along with associated nutrients, significantly influence water quality in RBR. Flow fields in RBR are primarily driven by wind and river inflow, with storm events introducing substantial sediment and nutrient loads. In this study, the CCHE3D model was applied to simulate the free surface hydrodynamics and cohesive sediment transport in RBR. The model incorporated sediment flocculation and settling processes, as well as erosion and deposition rates of cohesive sediment. Flow boundary conditions were derived from USGS gage data, while sediment loads from upland watersheds were calculated using the AnnAGNPS watershed model. In this 3D model, the sediment transport was coupled with flow simulation. The model results were validated with field measurements collected by the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) and remote sensing data. The simulation results show that flow fields near the inlet are mainly influenced by river inflow, while wind shear dominates circulation patterns farther away from the inlet. Suspended sediment concentrations are higher in shallow areas than in deeper regions, reflecting strong interactions between hydrodynamics and sediment resuspension. The 3D model results, together with remote sensing data, provide valuable information to analyze the transport, deposition, and resuspension of cohesive sediment in large reservoirs under the combined influence of river inflows and wind-driven currents.
Mississippi Sound Estuary Program's Water Quality Needs and Action Plan
Year: 2025 Authors: Cressman K., Martin S., Zapfe C., McQueen E., Sparks E.
The Mississippi Sound Estuary Program (MSEP) was created in 2023 to fill the need for a centralized approach to conservation and restoration of the Mississippi Sound. The mission of the MSEP is to facilitate community-driven conservation, restoration, and stewardship of the Sound, by engaging with a diverse range of stakeholders, such state and federal agencies, local governments, non-governmental organizations, universities, businesses, and residents. MSEP staff, working closely with advisory committees, developed a Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan (CCMP). The CCMP establishes priorities for activities, research, and funding; and acts as a blueprint to guide decisions. During the recent public comment period, a survey was distributed to gather community input on which CCMP actions the program should address first. This presentation will discuss water-related goals, objectives, and actions from the CCMP, share public feedback on water issues, and outline the MSEP's next steps to protect and improve the waters of the Mississippi Sound and its watershed.
Wetland trees in standing water grow faster when it rains: response of bald cypress (Taxodium distichum) to precipitation and other hydrologic/environmental variables
Year: 2025 Authors: Davidson G., Granger J., Yarbrough L.D., Counts R.C.
Oxbow lake-wetland systems of the Mississippi River Valley alluvial plain are under consideration for impoundment of surface water to increase natural recharge to the underlying over-pumped aquifer. The potential impact of an altered hydraulic regime on bald cypress (Taxodium distichum) forests, the dominant tree species in these systems, prompted a four-year investigation of radial stem growth of trees in Sky Lake, MS. Point dendrometers have been recording changes in the diameter of 40 mature trees along an elevation gradient, with sub-hourly measurements and sub-micrometer precision (sufficient to track diurnal expansion and contraction). Daily or sub-daily environmental data includes timing of flooding/aeration, water depth, temperature, solar radiation, vapor pressure deficit, and precipitation; tree data includes stand density, tree diameter, and number and size of knees (determined using high resolution terrestrial LiDAR). Maximum daily growth is correlated with overcast skies, lower temperature, and precipitation events exceeding 1 cm/d, including trees growing in standing water. Accelerated growth following rain (when water is not a growth-limiting resource) may be due to in-washing of nutrients, oxygenation of surface water, or as yet unidentified factor. The impact of water depth on growth has been variable between years with possible explanations related to conditions in the previous year, timing of first flooding or first aeration during the growing season, or combination of climatic variables.
Integration of regenerative management practices for improved soil health, water quality, and water use efficiency in cotton and sorghum cropping systems
Year: 2025 Authors: Dhakal M., Locke M., Reddy K., Moore M., Steinriede W.
Regenerative management practices such as tillage and cover cropping are known to affect soil health, water quality, and the environmental footprint of crop production and economic return. Field research was conducted to determine whether soil water storage, rootzone water quality, and soil health could be improved through regenerative management practices. Effects of tillage (conventional tillage [CT] vs. no-tillage [NT]) and cover cropping (no cover crop [NC] and Austrian pea [Pisum sativum] cover crop [CC]) on soil water balance, soil extracellular enzymes, and root zone water quality in sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) and cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) systems were evaluated from 2019 to 2021. Pooled across years and cropping systems, NT improved volumetric water content (VWC) in the 0-40 and 40-120 cm soil layers by 8.5% and 6.8% during the cover crop season and 6.5% and 11.2% during the cash crop seasons, respectively, compared to CT. Tillage exacerbated runoff by 24.5% and 47% during winter and summer, respectively, compared to NT, which was significant in cotton (63%). Tillage increased the water footprints of cotton yield and sales revenue by 7% and 6% over NT treatments, respectively. Cover cropping has neither improved soil water storage nor evapotranspiration throughout the study. It increased fluorescein diacetate (FDA), acid phosphatase (AP), b-glucosidase (BG), and b-N-acetyl-glucosaminidase (NAG) activities in 0-5 cm depth, compared to NC. Cover cropping reduced the aryl sulfatase (AST) activities in the same depth. At 5-10 cm depth, tillage without CC enhanced most of the enzyme activities except AP. Cover crop reduced most enzyme activities except AP when incorporated into the soil at a lower depth (10-15 cm). Cover cropping elevated the concentrations of NH4+–N, NO3–N, and PO43–P in the soil water, compared to NC, especially after termination during the cash crop season. Total dissolved organic carbon (TDOC) concentrations in soil water tended to be greater when CC roots were absent, but after termination, TDOC concentration increased in the CC treatment, especially in cotton. Overall, NTCC can improve soil water balance, while a balanced combination of tillage and CC can improve overall soil health and soil water quality.
Web Development Implementation of AIMS: A Scalable Decision Support Platform for Agricultural Watershed Management
Year: 2025 Authors: Dibou N., Rébillout L., Al-Hamdan M., Sahin N., Smith P.
This presentation showcases the full-stack web development approach behind the Agricultural Integrated Management System (AIMS), a web-based decision support system that evaluates the impacts of agricultural conservation practices on watershed-scale water quality. AIMS integrates the USDA's AnnAGNPS model with modern web technologies to automate data preparation, enable instant watershed delineation, and simulate runoff, sediment, and nutrient transport for any U.S. watershed–making advanced hydrologic modeling accessible via standard web browsers. The platform leverages a Vue.js frontend, Django REST API backend, and PostgreSQL spatial database to provide real-time watershed analysis. The Vue.js interface supports interactive mapping and data visualization, Django manages complex geospatial workflows and user authentication, and PostgreSQL's PostGIS extensions allow efficient querying of pre-processed TOPAGNPS watershed delineations covering 4,800 hydrologic units nationwide. A central development challenge was designing a responsive web interface capable of handling massive geospatial datasets while maintaining sub -second response times. Key solutions include: 1. Pre-processing and indexing watershed boundaries for instant retrieval 2. Implementing asynchronous processing for AnnAGNPS model runs 3. Optimizing database queries for spatial datasets containing millions of records 4. Developing RESTful APIs to seamlessly integrate multiple federal datasets (USGS elevation, NRCS soils, NASA climate data) AIMS can process watersheds with over 626,000 computational cells through parallel processing, and database optimizations enable immediate watershed delineation from user map interactions. By eliminating traditional software installation barriers, the web-based deployment ensures universal access. By transforming desktop-only modeling workflows into accessible web applications, AIMS broadens adoption of science-based conservation planning tools, demonstrating how modern web development practices can bridge complex environmental models and practical decision-making.
Cover cropping effects on runoff from a silty clay soil in Mississippi
Year: 2025 Authors: Fleming D., Spencer G.D.
Runoff and erosion are important issues of US agriculture and contribute to non-point source pollution of pesticides. Cover crops and conservation tillage have been touted as a mitigation strategy to prevent runoff and agrochemical losses and are part of new federal pesticide label requirements. Prior work has shown that conservation tillage is inferior to reduced tillage at reduced pesticide losses in runoff and cover crop studies on runoff have been limited. This research was conducted to determine the effects of cover crops on burndown pesticide runoff. The results revealed no differences in soil coverage by cover crop biomass, no differences in sediment in runoff, and no differences in the amount of 2,4-D concentration or mass in runoff. Glyphosate runoff (mass and concentration) was reduced approximately 50% by cover crops. These results indicate that there is potential to use cover crops to reduce pre-plant timing runoff of glyphosate.
Assessment of Gridded Precipitation Products in the Ohio River Basin
Year: 2025 Authors: Fomaca de Sousa Junior M., Parajuli P.
Gridded precipitation products play a key role in hydrological and water resources modeling by capturing the spatial variability of rainfall, especially in regions with sparse or limited ground-based weather station data. This study aimed to assess seven gridded precipitation products over the Ohio River Basin at Ironton (ORBI), a region of critical importance for transportation and as a source of drinking water for eight U.S. states. The evaluated products include four remote sensing products (GPM IMERG, GSMaP, CHIRPS, and PERSIANN-CDR), one reanalysis product (ERA5-Land), and two station-based products (PRISM and DAYMET). Monthly precipitation estimates were compared against in-situ observations from 108 NOAA weather stations using five performance metrics: Mean Absolute Error (MAE), Root Mean Square Error (RMSE), Nash-Sutcliffe Efficiency (ENS), Kling-Gupta Efficiency (EKG), and Bias. Results show that all products exhibited reasonable agreement with observed data, but performance varied significantly across data types. Station-based products outperformed the others, with PRISM showing the best overall performance (-(E_KG ) = 0.91, -(E_NS )= 0.87). DAYMET also performed similarly well (-(E_KG ) = 0.88, -(E_NS ) = 0.83). Among the remote sensing products, CHIRPS achieved the highest performance (-(E_KG ) = 0.78, -(E_NS ) = 0.78), followed by GPM IMERG (-(E_KG ) = 0.78, -(E_NS ) = 0.65) and GSMaP (-(E_KG ) = 0.74, -(E_NS ) = 0.65). The reanalysis product ERA5-Land (-(E_KG ) = 0.70, -(E_NS ) = 0.49) and the satellite-based PERSIANN-CDR (-(E_KG ) = 0.68, -(E_NS ) = 0.5) showed the lowest agreement with in-situ observations. These findings highlight the value of gridded precipitation products in providing spatially continuous precipitation data in regions with limited ground-based observations. These assessments of datasets will support future hydrological modeling efforts and water resource assessments in the ORBI basin.
Integrating SWAT+ and Drought Index to Assess the Harmful Algal Bloom in the Ohio River Watershed
Year: 2025 Authors: Fomaca de Sousa Junior M., Parajuli P.
Harmful algal blooms (HABs) have significant socio-economic impacts across multiple sectors, including public health, recreation, fisheries, and tourism. Their occurrence is influenced by a range of physical and chemical factors such as streamflow, temperature, nutrient loading, salinity, pH, and light availability. A notable case occurred in the Ohio River Watershed at Ironton (ORBI) in August 2015, when an unprecedented HAB affected more than 700 miles of its 981-mile length. Limited studies have been done to assess the role of drought conditions in relation to HABs at the ORBI. The objective of this study is to characterize the 2015 HABs event in the ORBI using a drought index, streamflow, and temperature. Streamflow was simulated with the SWAT+ model (the restructured version of SWAT) calibrated for two USGS gauge stations directly affected by the bloom: Ohio River above Sardis (USGS 03114306) and Ohio River at Ironton (USGS 03216070). Model performance was evaluated using the Nash–Sutcliffe Efficiency (NSE) and the Kling–Gupta Efficiency (KGE). The 6-month Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) was calculated from observed precipitation data obtained from NOAA weather stations. SWAT+ achieved high accuracy in streamflow simulations (Sardis: NSE = 0.92, KGE = 0.87 in calibration; NSE = 0.84, KGE = 0.89 in validation; Ironton: NSE = 0.95, KGE = 0.88 in calibration; NSE = 0.93, KGE = 0.94 in validation). Analysis of the 2002–2022 period showed that years with high July flows followed by low August flows were 2003, 2015, and 2019 at Sardis, and 2003, 2013, 2015, and 2019 at Ironton. While similar hydrological and thermal conditions occurred in other years, only in 2015 was a positive 6-month SPI recorded during summer (0.42 to 1.13), following a prolonged drought from May 2014 to June 2015. Such extended droughts can concentrate salts and organic matter in sediments, subsequent high-flow events may then release nutrients and alter salinity, creating conditions favorable to HABs development. These findings highlight the unique hydrological sequence that led to the 2015 Ohio River bloom and demonstrate that drought indices provide valuable insights for monitoring and anticipating HAB occurrences.
Precipitation Levels in Jackson, Mississippi since 2000
Year: 2025 Authors: Ford G., Rokooei S.
Monthly precipitation in the Jackson, Mississippi area was examined for the period from January, 2000 to February, 2025. Golbal warming studies have been performed resulting in statistically significant increasing dry bulb temperatures. There are fewer studies about rainfall amounts but much speculation that precipitation amounts and intensity may be increasing. The authors collected monthly weather station rain data for the Jackson, Mississippi area and performed statistical tests to determine if monthly and annual rainfall amounts were possibly changing due to global warming. Various hypothesis tests were conducted and found no significant trend in annual rainfall amounts for the period. There was a slightly increasing statistically significant increase in precipitation (0.14 inches/Yr) for the month of January (R squared= 0.16), but observation of rainfall for all other months indication none which reached statistical significance. Sen's slope estimator was used to calculate annual total rainfall since the test provides a robust estimate that's less sensitive to outliers than linear regression. For residents and industrial water users in the Jackson, Mississippi area, consistent annual precipitation levels appear to be expected, but additional study and observation of the available data should be noted and recorded to avoid any surprises in the natural water supply. In addition, the population of the state of Mississippi has declined over the last decade further supporting an assumption of consistent water supplies available to water treatment facilities.
Discrepancies in Curve Number Calibration: A Comparison of Maximum and Event Precipitation Depths
Year: 2025 Authors: Galindo Cruz D., Ramirez Avila J., Ortega Achry S.
The Curve Number (CN) method remains one of the most widely used approaches for estimating direct runoff from rainfall events. However, its performance is highly sensitive to how precipitation data are selected and processed. This study investigates whether calibrating CN values using only maximum precipitation events (Pmax) for defined time periods yields better hydrologic model performance than using all available precipitation events (Pa11). Using rainfall–runoff data from the southeastern United States, CN values were estimated under annual and seasonal groupings through the Least Squares Error (LSE) approach, applying three initial abstraction ratios (λ = 0.2, 0.05, and an optimized λ). The analysis tested multiple configurations, combining precipitation thresholds (P > 0 in and P >= 1 in) with the abstraction ratios. Results indicate that CN values calibrated using only maximum precipitation events consistently outperform those derived from all available events across temporal and spatial scales. These findings reinforce the original design assumption of the CN method as an event-based tool for significant storms. In contrast, CN values derived from all events were often inflated by low-intensity, abstraction-dominated storms, particularly under fixed λ values. Filtering for maximum events minimized this distortion and improved the runoff model reliability. If using only the Pmax events isn't possible because of limited data, using all events with at least 1 in of rain is a good backup that still gives better results. This study underscores the importance of event selection strategies in CN-based modeling and demonstrates that calibration using Pmax events provides a more hydrologically robust foundation for runoff estimation. These insights offer practical guidance for improving CN calibration methodologies in research and applied hydrology.
Evaluation of Nitrogen Fertilizer on Nutrient Load Concentrations in Surface Runoff
Year: 2025 Authors: Galloway L., Spencer D., Reynolds Z.
Incorrect amounts of fertilizer applied to a field can limit crop productivity and negatively affect runoff water quality. The objective of this research is to determine the relationship between nitrogen (N) rate and application with transport in runoff immediately after a large rainfall event. Water runoff N dynamics were analyzed at the Black Belt Branch Experiment Station in Brooksville, MS. Total N in runoff from plots fertilized by urea increased linearly as urea rate increased. However, total N in runoff from plots fertilized by urea ammonium nitrate (UAN) did not increase linearly as UAN rate increased. Runoff total N loss was proportional to urea application rate, while runoff total N loss exhibited logarithmic growth relative to UAN application rate. Therefore, increasing UAN fertilizer rate does not result in a proportionally similar increase of total N in runoff compared to urea.
Estimating Soil Hydraulic Properties with MIR Spectroscopy: A Robust Alternative to Pedotransfer Functions
Year: 2025 Authors: Gamagedara Y., Feng G., Tagert M.L., Martins V.S., Wijewardane N.K.
Understanding soil–water relationships is vital for managing water retention and movement in soils, directly impacting agricultural productivity, environmental sustainability, and irrigation strategies. However, direct measurement of soil hydraulic properties (SHPs) is often labor-intensive, time-consuming, and costly. Pedotransfer functions (PTFs) like Rosetta 3 provide an alternative by estimating SHPs from more readily available dynamic soil properties (DSPs). Spectroscopy, particularly in the visible–near-infrared (vis-NIR) and mid-infrared (MIR) ranges, enables rapid, non-destructive assessment of soil chemical signatures and has been successfully used to predict DSPs. Its potential for SHP prediction, however, remains relatively untapped. This study evaluated and compared the performance of Rosetta 3-based PTFs and spectroscopy-based models in predicting Mualem–van Genuchten SHP parameters and key derived properties, including field capacity (FC) and permanent wilting point (PWP). Spectroscopic models, especially those utilizing MIR spectra, consistently outperformed Rosetta 3, yielding higher R² values across multiple modeling scenarios. MIR spectroscopy also demonstrated greater robustness and accuracy than vis-NIR under varied soil scanning conditions: fine-ground, non-fine-ground, and fresh (unprocessed). The PWP predictions were generally more stable and less sensitive to sample variability than FC. Among the modeling techniques evaluated, partial least squares regression and ridge regression outperformed tree-based methods such as random forest and categorical boosting, although performance varied slightly with spectrometer type. Sample preparation had a significant impact on prediction accuracy, with fine-ground and non-fine-ground samples yielding superior results compared to fresh samples, underscoring the importance of consistent particle size and moisture conditions. These findings highlight the strong potential of MIR spectroscopy, particularly when paired with proper sample preparation and optimized regression models, as a reliable and cost-effective tool for estimating SHPs. This approach offers valuable applications for rapid soil health assessment and data-driven water resource management at broader spatial scales.
On-farm efficacy of cover crop treatments on sediment/nutrient load transport abatement and crop yields
Year: 2025 Authors: Hampshire J., Spencer D., Krutz J., Oakley G.
Conservation cropping systems promote nutrient and sediment load reductions in surface runoff. This study was conducted to determine whether conventional tillage with fallow season cover crops can reduce nutrient loads and sediment runoff from on-farm conventionally tilled row-crop fields. The effects of cover crop implementation, in a raised seedbed production system on sediment and nutrient load/loss and cash crop yield from corn (Zea mays L.) and soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.], were investigated at six paired production fields across the Delta region of Mississippi on soil textures ranging from clay to silt loam. The results from this study are yet to be analyzed. However, the plan is to report on crop yields and total solids/nutrients transported off field.
Sustainable Nano-Cellulose Aerogel for PFAS Removal from Water
Year: 2025 Authors: Hamza M., Elsayed I., Hassan E.B.
Perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are forever chemicals attributed to their stable and persistent nature. Due to these properties, they are widely used in consumer products. Once they enter the environment, they pose a significant threat to humans because they cause disruptions in the body when ingested through food and water. Recently, chemical adsorbents have been used to remove PFAS from water. However, our study focused on synthesizing green, sustainable, and cost-effective adsorbents. In this study, we synthesized a quaternary amine-functionalized cellulose nanofiber (CNF)/deacetylated chitin (DAC) composite aerogel, using epichlorohydrin as a crosslinker under mild reaction conditions. The prepared aerogel was characterized using FTIR, TGA, SEM, EDS, N2 adsorption-desorption isotherm, elemental analysis, and conductometric titrations. These analyses confirmed the successful crosslinking and amination of the aerogel by showing high amine content (0.598 mmol/g) and a high surface area (64.5 m²/g). This aerogel was utilized as an adsorbent for the removal of PFOS and PFHxA from water through adsorption experiments, as a function of solution pH, contact time, temperature, and reusability. The maximum adsorption capacities for PFOS (255.97 mg/g) and PFHxA (83.20 mg/g) were observed at pH 6.78 and 4.1, with rapid adsorption times of 0.5 and 3 minutes, respectively. Multilayer exothermic adsorption of PFAS molecules on a heterogeneous aerogel surface was confirmed by pseudo-second-order kinetics (PSO-2) and the Freundlich model. These results demonstrate the efficiency of sustainable QA-CNF/DAC composite aerogel in removing PFAS from water over multiple cycles.
Sustainable QA-CNF/DAC Composite Aerogel for Rapid Adsorption of PFAS from Water
Year: 2025 Authors: Hamza M., Elsayed I., Hassan E.B.
Perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are often called forever chemicals because of their stable and persistent nature. Due to these characteristics, they are commonly used in consumer products. Once they enter the environment, they pose a significant threat to humans because they disrupt the body when ingested through food and water. Recently, chemical adsorbents have been used to remove PFAS from water. However, our study focused on synthesizing green, sustainable, and cost-effective adsorbents. In this study, we synthesized a quaternary amine-functionalized cellulose nanofiber (CNF)/deacetylated chitin (DAC) composite aerogel using epichlorohydrin as a crosslinker under mild reaction conditions. The prepared aerogel was characterized using FTIR, TGA, SEM, EDS, N2 adsorption-desorption isotherm, elemental analysis, and conductometric titrations. These analyses confirmed the successful crosslinking and amination of the aerogel by showing high amine content (0.598 mmol/g) and a high surface area (64.5 m²/g). This aerogel was used as an adsorbent for removing PFOS and PFHxA from water through adsorption experiments conducted as functions of solution pH, contact time, temperature, and reusability. The maximum adsorption capacities for PFOS (255.97 mg/g) and PFHxA (83.20 mg/g) were observed at pH 6.78 and 4.1, with rapid adsorption times of 0.5 and 3 minutes, respectively. Multilayer exothermic adsorption of PFAS molecules on a heterogeneous aerogel surface was confirmed by pseudo-second-order kinetics (PSO-2) and the Freundlich model. These results demonstrate the effectiveness of the sustainable QA-CNF/DAC composite aerogel in removing PFAS from water over multiple cycles.
Exploring how soil microbial amendments alter root structure across six poplar genotypes
Year: 2025 Authors: Hansen P., Siegert C., Shafqat W., Booth W.C., Himes A.
Poplar species are ideal woody bioenergy crops, due to their fast growth rates. In these production systems, trees can be harvested through coppicing at 2-3 year intervals, leaving intact root systems that enhance underground carbon sequestration. Recent field trials have demonstrated that soil microbial amendments with endophytes have the potential to enhance productivity and provisioning of ecosystem services. IN order to better understand these relationships, we excavated and destructively sampled the root systems of 36 trees across six poplar genotypes, half of which were inoculated with endophytes at the start of a field trial four years ago. Roots were then cleaned and categorized based on root diameter (fine: <2mm, small: 2-5mm, coarse: 5-10mm, large: >10mm). In addition to destructive root sampling, total belowground biomass and biomass partitioning across varying root sizes was also determined. While results are still pending, we expect to find structural differences in root partitioning across the several genotypes. Furthermore, we expect these differences to be correlated between aboveground growth and belowground carbon sequestration.
Mississippi Water Stewards: Community science contributions to monitoring and protecting Mississippi's waterways
Year: 2025 Authors: Hill M., Baker B.
Consistent, long-term water-quality monitoring is often constrained by funding, personnel, and logistics. Community-based water monitoring (CBWM) offers a valuable complement to traditional monitoring networks by expanding spatial and temporal coverage and fostering public engagement. This study reports on seven years (2019-2025) of monitoring conducted by the Mississippi Water Stewards program, during which trained volunteers collected more than 2,500 observations across rivers, streams, and lakes in Mississippi. Participants were trained to measure bacteriological indicators (E. coli and total coliforms) and water-chemistry parameters including dissolved oxygen, alkalinity, hardness, pH, and turbidity. Certified volunteer monitors followed standardized data collection protocols, methodologies, and data forms and reporting mechanisms, and quality assurance/quality control checks confirmed that the vast majority of records were suitable for analysis. Any data that failed quality assurance checks were removed from the data set. Of the data observations collected and included in the analysis, 76% reported bacteriological measurements only, 11% reported chemistry measurements only, and 13% reported both bacteriological and chemistry data. To support long-term assessments of surface water quality, we characterized the ten most frequently monitored sites as baselines for evaluating seasonal and annual variability in water quality parameters as baseline for any future changes in water quality conditions. Monitors documented unsafe levels of bacteriological contamination at multiple sites, identifying waters that may pose risks to recreation and human health. The dataset also captured the number of exceedances of public health guidelines for harmful bacteria, providing an early-warning system that helps regulatory agencies and local managers prioritize further monitoring investigations and interventions. Together, these results illustrate how citizen science can serve as a critical expansion of more traditional monitoring systems and an educational mechanism, bridging the gap between community observations and institutional response. The dataset demonstrates that citizen-generated water-quality data can achieve both credibility and utility. This study emphasizes the value of CBWM beyond data collection, as water quality observations foster two-way exchange that educates and empowers participants while generating information at scales unattainable by professional networks alone. This dual impact–on people and data–demonstrates that citizen science is a scalable and credible approach to addressing water-quality challenges.
Furrow-Irrigated Rice Productivity, Profitability, and Water Use Responses to Reusing Tailwater
Year: 2025 Authors: Hutton M., Spencer D., Krutz J., Reynolds Z., Gholson D.
Furrow-irrigation water management can improve aquifer sustainability for rice (Oryza sativa L.), but have reduced yield relative to a continuous flood production system. This research was conducted to determine whether reusing tailwater in a furrow-irrigated rice production system can improve productivity, profitability and water usage relative to conventional furrow-irrigated and continuous flood practices. The effects of reusing tailwater in furrow-irrigated rice on water applied, grain yield, seed quality, and net returns were investigated on paired fields across the mid-southern United States Delta regions of Mississippi, Louisiana, and Arkansas and the Bootheel of Missouri. The results from this study are yet to be analyzed, however we expect that by reusing tailwater in a furrow-irrigated rice production system, water applied will be reduced and rice grain yield and profitability either maintained or improved as compared to conventional furrow-irrigated and continuous flood practices. Reusing tailwater in a furrow-irrigated rice production system has the potential to improve irrigated agriculture sustainability and maximize crop productivity and profitability.
Conservation management effects on nutrient loads and environmental damage costs
Year: 2025 Authors: Johnson F., Lizotte R., Witthaus L., Webster B., Taylor J.
Nutrient loading associated with runoff is a problem with societal impacts in agricultural watersheds. Freshwater ecosystems in the Lower Mississippi River Basin are prone to eutrophication due to nutrient loading from intensively managed row crop agriculture and clay and phosphorus (P) rich soils with high erosivity and susceptibility to erosion and runoff. Incorporating conservation practices within agricultural watersheds can reduce transport of nutrient loads to adjacent water bodies. The objectives of this work were to: 1) investigate how conservation practices influence nutrient loads into adjacent water bodies, 2) conduct simulations on sub-watersheds to estimate effects of specific conservation practices on nutrient loads, and 3) estimate the environmental damage cost (EDC) in sub-watersheds with and without conservation practices. This work was conducted at Beasley Lake, located in Sunflower County, western Mississippi. Since 1996, three conservation practices have been implemented in the lake watershed: vegetated buffers (VBS), wild-life habitat established under the conservation reserve program (CRP), and a sediment retention pond. Lake surface water samples were collected bi-weekly from 1998 – 2023 and analyzed for a variety of water quality parameters. Simulations were conducted using the Annualized Agricultural Non-Point Source pollution watershed model to evaluate practices. Lake water quality results showed a decrease in nitrate and total P during the monitoring period. Watershed simulations also demonstrated reduced loss of both nutrients and support our observed results with a predicted 31% and 66% decrease in EDC for VBS and CRP inclusion, respectively. These simulated reductions of nitrate and total P estimated a decrease in EDC of approximately 41,000 – 66,000 USD$ yr-1. This work highlights how the implementation of conservation management practices in agricultural watersheds can improve the water quality of adjacent water bodies and reduce potential damage costs to the environment.
Impacts of Biodiversity of Short-Rotation Woody Crops on Water Quality
Year: 2025 Authors: Jones N., Siegert C., Dominici B., Shafqat W., Booth C.
Mitigating agricultural nutrient runoff and improving water quality is a key challenge in meeting food and energy demands. To address this challenge, short-rotation woody bioenergy crops, specifically Populus deltoides (eastern cottonwood) and its hybrids, can be planted at the interface of riparian areas and agricultural production fields to alleviate fertilizer runoff into adjacent bodies of water. This research employed an experimental design to evaluate the effects of P. deltoides diversity on tree productivity and nutrient uptake and how it mitigates agricultural runoff. We deployed ion exchange resins 0.5 meters below the soil surface at four different sites in Mississippi that contained either monoculture plantings of a single P. deltoides genotype or a mixture of two genotypes for the entire growing season. Across three years and in all of the sites, nitrate concentrations were reduced by 19%, and ammonia concentrations were reduced by 53% relative to concentrations in agricultural soils. In all years, multi-genotype plots reduced soil ammonia concentrations more than single-genotype plots by an average of 19%. This trend was reversed for soil nitrate, with single-genotype plots reducing soil nitrate by an average of 2% more than multi-genotype plots. A more detailed analysis of differences in soil nitrate will be considered, taking into account differences in environmental site conditions and tree productivity. The results of this study display the efficiency of the short-rotation woody crops in reducing water quality degradation that may have positive downstream impacts. This study can be used as an example of mitigation techniques for fertilizer runoff in agricultural fields to limit such degradation of water quality and prevent monetary/economic loss for agricultural producers.
Protected Fertility Management Mitigates Greenhouse Gas Emissions with Sustainable Corn Production
Year: 2025 Authors: Joshi P.P., Oloyede O., Spencer D., Dhakal M.
Corn relies extensively on nitrogenous (N) fertilizers, which significantly contribute to the atmospheric nitrous oxide (N2O) level. Management practices that enhance the nitrogen uptake and reduce its mineralization can reduce N2O effluxes. Field experiments were initiated in May 2024 to evaluate two N application levels (Low: 246 kg N ha-1 and High: 297kg N ha-1 as Urea and Urea Ammonium Sulfate), N-stabilizer (No-stabilizer and 0.75 g ai N-(n-butyl)-thiophophoric triamide (NBPT) kg-1 Urea), fertilizer placement depths (0 and 10 cm), and post-fertilization management (closing trench with packer wheel and leaving open) on total seasonal carbon-dioxide equivalent (CO2e) emission (including N2O, CH4 and CO2), yield, and yield-scaled emission (YSE) in corn (Zea mays). Treatments were arranged in a randomized complete block design with four replications. Weekly to biweekly measurements of soil N2O, CH4, and CO2 fluxes will be taken using trace gas analyzers and static flux chambers. In 2024, results showed that high N rate increased seasonal CO2 production by 12.89% than the low rate. At low N rate, CO2e and YSE were reduced by 11.79% and 12.22%, respectively, compared to the high N rate. However, depths, surface management, and inhibitors had no impact on total emissions. Yield was comparable across all treatments. Results suggest that fertility management strategies suited to improve N use can reduce N2O emissions and the overall GHG footprint of corn production.
Soil Texture Identification in the Mississippi Delta: A Transfer Learning Approach Using Hyperspectral Data
Year: 2025 Authors: Kasaragod A., Thomas J., Oommen T.
Soil texture is a key variable that influences soil water retention, infiltration, nutrient supply, and other factors, which in turn affect soil fertility and other related soil properties. Therefore, identifying soil texture is crucial for numerous agricultural, environmental, and geological applications. Traditional methods for identifying soil texture are laborious, time-consuming, and costly. More importantly, such methods only provide point data, lacking a larger spatial extent. Remote sensing methods, on the other hand, provide reasonable estimates of soil texture with a larger spatial extent and are time and cost-effective. The wavelength range from 400 to 2500 nm is often utilized for soil texture identification tasks, as this range best reflects the variations in soil physical and chemical properties. Hyperspectral remote sensing images contain higher spectral resolution data, spanning the 400 to 2500 nm range, which reflects variations in mineralogy and soil texture that can be leveraged to identify soil types. However, developing a generalized model that can yield a reasonable estimate of soil texture using hyperspectral images requires a large soil spectra library (SSL), along with the utilization of advanced deep learning algorithms. Two large SSLs, namely the Kellogg Soil Spectral Library (KSSL) and the Open-source Soil Spectral Library (OSSL), as well as a deep learning algorithm (Swin Transformers), were utilized in this study to predict USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) soil texture classes, focusing on the Mississippi delta region. The USDA soil texture classes were derived by grouping clay, sand, and silt fractions available from the SSLs. The developed model is then used to predict USDA classes with the Earth Surface Mineral Dust Source Investigation (EMIT) hyperspectral image based on transfer learning approaches. The predicted USDA classes align well with the USDA soil classes obtained from the data points of the Soil Survey Geographic (SSURGO) database, demonstrating promise in utilizing the developed generalized model to predict USDA soil texture maps.
Integrating Medium-Resolution Harmonized Satellite Observations and Vision Transformers for Algal Bloom Monitoring in the Gulf of America
Year: 2025 Authors: Lima T., Martins V.
Gulf of America has experienced increasing frequency and extent of algal bloom events in the last decades, and satellite imagery has been used operationally to monitor and track these blooms. Among these events, both harmful algal blooms (HABs) and floating macroalgae such as Sargassum pose significant threats to marine life, coastal economies, and human health. However, achieving consistent large-scale monitoring remains challenging due to limitations in spatial resolution, atmospheric and adjacency effects in nearshore waters, and uncertainties in detecting bloom abundance across offshore regions. In this study, we present a novel application of a calibrated Vision Transformer deep learning model for algal bloom mapping in the Gulf of America using harmonized Landsat-Sentinel observations. First, our approach integrated both sensors using an aquatic-focused atmospheric correction and spectral harmonization pipeline, enabling temporally consistent, medium-resolution bloom detection. Next, we trained a Swin Transformer model on a high-quality, globally distributed algal bloom dataset comprising 24,264 image patches. The resulting model exhibited strong generalization across a wide range of optical water types and seasonal conditions. As an application example, we mapped bloom dynamics throughout the Gulf, capturing spatial patterns and temporal shifts aligned with known ecological and oceanographic drivers. To assess spatial consistency, we compared our 30 m algal bloom maps with coarser-resolution MODIS (1 km) products, highlighting the added value of medium-resolution monitoring in capturing nearshore features and fine-scale variability. The proposed framework is scalable, transferable, and particularly useful to support early warning systems and ecological assessments in coastal and inland aquatic ecosystems worldwide.
Evaluation of the Relationship of Soil Moisture to Iron Deficiency Chlorosis in Soybean
Year: 2025 Authors: Little C., Tagert M.L., Bumguardner A., Wijewardane N.
Iron deficiency chlorosis (IDC is a common problem throughout the Midwest as well as the Black Prairie region of Mississippi. Soybeans are valued at over 1.5 billion dollars annually in the state of Mississippi and is the commodity of choice in the Black Prairie region. IDC can cause substantial yield loss in affected areas of the field. Symptoms of IDC include interveinal chlorosis of newly developed leaves, stunted growth, poor root-nodule formation, tissue death near leaf edges, and even plant death in severe cases. IDC occurs when soybeans are grown in soils with a high CaCO3 content. Other factors that influence IDC severity are high soil pH, soil nitrate content and soil moisture. This project will evaluate the effects of soil moisture on IDC symptoms. This topic has been researched in a temperate, humid continental climate, but research is lacking in a humid subtropical climate which is an area where soybeans endure higher temperatures. IDC symptoms are known to be worse in saturated conditions, but IDC is thought to be worse in hotter-drier conditions in the south due to the amount of stress plants undergo due to higher temperatures. The relationship between soil moisture and IDC symptoms will be evaluated by using Watermark model 200SS granular matrix sensors to measure soil moisture and weekly visual ratings to access IDC symptoms.
The Soul of the South: protecting the Mississippi rivers Waterways and Energy resources.
Year: 2025 Authors: Maan G.M., Maan S., Kornegay S.
The Mississippi River has been a lifeline to millions of Americans, it has helped turn cities such as Natchez, New Orleans and Vicksburg into major global economic hubs. Its importance is laced within the culture and art of America, for example, Mark Twain who captured its life in the famous novel Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Furthermore, it plays a huge role in the country's economy by producing exorbitant amounts of hydropower, drinking water, farming communities, biodiversity which results in huge fisheries. In addition to this, it is also a hub for tourism, which gives many people a livelihood. However, its sanctity to the country must be protected as it faces threats from the evolving, modern world. Such as, industrial discharge, agricultural runoff, groundwater depletion, flooding and drought, oil and gas spills, thermal pollution and various other forms of environmental justice which impact not only the people, but the economy as well. Therefore, on a communal level, to counter these issues initiatives such as rain gardens to absorb runoff, community riverbank cleanups, low impact farming education on how nontoxic fertilizers and lastly, school drives on how to make mini-wind turbines and solar panels to reduce dependency on the river on a societal level. On a larger scale, governments can take a plethora of steps to protect the river that is the soul of the South such as buffer zones (grassy strips) to absorb runoff, protect groundwater by monitoring & limiting withdrawal through smart irrigation and crop rotation, and wetland restoration projects in the Delta to rebuild protective ecosystems. In conclusion, protecting the Mississippi river is not environmentally imperative, but, on a cultural, economic, and societal necessity that demands both community action and policy-level commitment
Data Analysis for Agronomy using Python
Year: 2025 Authors: Manuel J.
As agricultural equipment becomes more advanced and capable of collecting detailed geospatial data, the demand for tailored data analysis techniques continues to grow. This presentation will demonstrate using the scripting language "Python" to analyze agricultural datasets and give actionable insights to farmers. There will be a live demo using a jupyter notebook to demonstrate simple data preprocessing for tabular data using Pandas, preprocessing for geospatial data using GeoPandas, and visualization techniques using python's data visualization libraries; matplotlib and seaborn.
Flood Frequency, Land Ownership, and Agricultural Loss: Insights from the 2019 Mississippi River Basin Floods
Year: 2025 Authors: Marfo J., Ambinakudige S.
In 2019, the Mississippi River basin experienced severe flooding driven by saturated and frozen soils, heavy snowmelt, intense rainfall, and backwater flooding from levee management in the Delta. The event underscored the region's persistent vulnerability, particularly for agriculture, livelihoods, and infrastructure. This study develops a geospatial framework to assess flood extent, persistence, and recurrence, and their impacts on farmland, built environments, and ownership patterns in Mississippi. Data sources include the USDA Cropland Data Layer, cadastral parcels, and built-up area signatures, with land use/land cover classifications derived from Sentinel-2 imagery (Dec 2018–Aug 2019, excluding Feb and June) using a Random Forest classifier. Results show floods occurred most often in January, May, and July, primarily as low-persistence, low-recurrence events that affected the largest number of buildings and fields. Of 2,048 affected structures, most experienced only one event. Soybeans were the most vulnerable crop, with peak flooding in May (4,475 ha). Over 5,000 ha of soybean fields were impacted in low-persistence, low-recurrence zones. Losses were severe for single-parcel landowners, while multi-parcel owners saw less impact. High-persistence and high-recurrence floods were rare and contributed minimally to crop loss. Findings highlight that flood impacts fall disproportionately on small-scale landowners and low-frequency events. They underscore the need for resilience strategies tailored to flood frequency, land use, and ownership, demonstrating the value of geospatial tools in guiding equitable adaptation and sustainable land governance in flood-prone agricultural landscapes.
Assessing Wide-Skip Furrow Irrigation in Cracking Clay Soils
Year: 2025 Authors: Mboma E., Lo H., Gholson D., Deason A., Russell D.
Most plants grow best when the soil stays neither too dry nor too wet. In cracking clay soils locally known as 'buckshot', the soil can be too wet for several consecutive days whenever a large rain occurs shortly after furrow irrigation. To lessen this problem, some farmers in the Delta have been concentrating irrigation water into one furrow every 10 feet or wider. With funding from USDA-ARS and Mississippi Corn Promotion Board, a team led by the National Center for Alluvial Aquifer Research has been comparing this practice of 'wide-skip furrow irrigation' against standard furrow irrigation practices on farms across the Delta. Preliminary results from 2024 did not reveal significant differences in crop yield between the standard treatment and a wide-skip treatment where irrigated furrows were 20 feet apart. Corn yield averaged 221 bushels per acre for the standard treatment and 223 bushels per acre for the wide-skip treatment. Soybean yield, on the other hand, averaged 72 bushels per acre for the standard treatment and 70 bushels per acre for the wide-skip treatment. However, the wide-skip treatment reduced soybean irrigation volume by 20%, which would leave more groundwater in the Mississippi River Valley Alluvial Aquifer. The team looks forward to collecting more site-years of data and developing Extension recommendations based on the conclusions.
Next-generation Capabilities of DSS-WISE Web, the Web-Based Flood Modeling Decision Support System
Year: 2025 Authors: McGrath M., Al-Hamdan M., Pophet N., Smith P., Srinivasa U.
The National Center for Computational Hydroscience and Engineering (NCCHE) at the University of Mississippi has been developing and operating the web-based Decision Support System for Water Infrastructural Security (DSS-WISE Web) since November 2016. With funding from the FEMA National Dam Safety Program, DHS S&T, and others, this simple and easy-to-use tool has been relied upon by over 2,500 users from the dam safety community to submit over 100,000 dam-break flood inundation simulations at no cost to them. Most simulations can be set up in under 5 minutes, and detailed, GIS-compatible results are available within 30 minutes for 85% of cases. This tool has been designed to allow users to get a first-level analysis of flood inundation, flood arrival time, and Human Consequences (HCOM) with Population At Risk (PAR) in various hazard categories for prioritization and screening. It needs only a minimum set of inputs without requiring users to obtain expensive software, servers, or numerical modeling expertise. Up to this point, the system has been primarily focused on modeling sunny-day, single dam failure events and the subsequent flooding. However, with development made possible through the support of FEMA, DHS S&T, and the Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC), the DSS-WISE Web system is being upgraded with a suite of new modules and capabilities. These include cascading dam failures, wet-day events, levee breaching, potential life loss, integrating the latest high-resolution DEM elevation data, and others. The core systems have been completely redesigned to make use of the latest computational innovations such as cloud computing and distributed processing in anticipation of increased demand from users, providing increased value and enhanced safety to federal, state, and local agencies with limited budgets. All of these powerful innovations are sure to greatly enhance the benefits provided to the stakeholder community, and the population at large, and it is all being done right here at the University of Mississippi. These new features will be showcased as a poster presentation.
Stormwater pond resilience under future rainfall scenarios: a Montana case study
Year: 2025 Authors: Mendez-Monroy J.F., Tilenis J., Ray H., Ray D., McCullough A.
Stormwater management (SWM) systems usually rely on historical rainfall data. As climate change affects rainfall patterns, existing infrastructure may become less effective and face a higher risk of failure. This study uses a climate stress-testing framework to evaluate a stormwater pond designed by HRC Engineers in 2016 for a development in Montana. It uses NOAA Atlas 15 Pilot data from the National Water Prediction Service (NWPS) as the main source for current and future rainfall estimates. The analysis concentrates on 24-hour rainfall amounts for the 2-, 5-, 10-, 25-, 50-, and 100-year return periods. It compares three benchmarks: (1) the 2016 baseline permitting data; (2) the 2023 Atlas 15 Pilot nonstationary estimates; and (3) projections for 2030, 2050, 2070, and 2100 under SSP2-4.5 and SSP5-8.5. Scenario-specific rainfall amounts were changed into design hyetographs using the Rational Method, and the concentration time was calculated using NRCS TR-55. Event-based hydrologic routing assessed compliance with water quality drawdown (24-48 hours), channel protection, overbank flood control, and extreme flood safety, including freeboard and emergency spillway activation. Results indicate that 100-year 24-hour rainfall amounts increase by about 33% by 2030 and stabilize at around 40% above baseline after 2050 under SSP2-4.5. Under SSP5-8.5, they increase by 35% by 2030, 47% by 2070, and nearly 60% by 2100. Moderate events (10-25 years) show a growth of about 20-25% in both scenarios. Despite these increases, modeled 100-year water surface elevations rise only about 0.04 ft (from 3247.81 to 3247.85 ft), which reduces freeboard from 1.69 ft to 1.65 ft (about a 2.4% decrease). This indicates that the pond can handle long-term increases. However, more inflow might increase spillway activation frequency and shorten drawdown times for smaller return period storms. This approach combines site-specific design data with climate-adjusted rainfall datasets to find performance thresholds and identify retrofit needs. This approach can be applied to other SWM facilities, supporting resilient and effective management under changing climate conditions.
Will gypsum addition aid in phytoremediation of pesticides and nutrients: A mesocosm experiment
Year: 2025 Authors: Moore M.T., Locke M.A.
Agricultural runoff from production acreage can contain nutrients and pesticides in varying amounts. Several management practices target reduction of runoff potential both in-field and at the edge-of-field. One emerging practice is to use vegetated drainage ditches amended with gypsum to reduce contaminant concentrations in runoff. A mesocosm study was conducted with three common, emergent aquatic plants to determine the ability of vegetated drainage ditches amended with gypsum to reduce concentrations of the herbicides diuron and glyphosate, the insecticide diazinon, and nitrate, ammonium, and orthophosphate. Water amended with the above contaminants was pumped through individual mesocosms using a metered piston pump to deliver an 8 h retention time for each system. Following the 8 h exposure, contaminant-amended water ceased, and the system was allowed to sit for 40 h. Forty-eight hours after the original contaminant amendment, each system received unamended water for another 8 h to simulate effects of 'flushing.' No significant differences in overall retention capacity were noted between the three plant species and the unvegetated control. Pesticide mitigation ranged from 45-71% and nutrient mitigation ranged from 12-71%. Overall, gypsum did not appear to enhance the phytoremediation ability of certain pesticides and nutrients in simulated runoff water.
Affordable Membrane-based Microbial Fuel Cell for Power Generation from Wastewater
Year: 2025 Authors: Mushtaq K., Huang H.W., Zhao J.
Microbial fuel cell (MFC) is a promising technology for simultaneous wastewater treatment and electricity generation; however, the high cost of membrane and catalysts remains a major challenge for large-scale deployment. A new, low-cost polymer membrane, a graphite tube anode electrode, and a graphite disk cathode were developed in the present study. The membrane was fabricated from poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA) synthesized with polyvinyl butyral (PVB) and Heptafluorobutyric acid (HFBA). The lab-made membranes demonstrated excellent electrochemical performance in comparison with benchmark Nafion membranes, typically with higher cost. The cost of lab-made membrane (~$0.10/cm2) was reduced by 64% in comparison with Nafion materials (~$0.28/cm2). The anode was made of a perforated graphite tube coated with activated carbon (AC) paste, while the cathode was a graphite disc coated with activated carbon and manganese dioxide (MnO2) catalysts, eliminating the need for expensive platinum. The anode chamber was filled with acetate substrate (1 g/L) and deionized (DI) water, and sodium chloride (NaCl) was added to deionized water at a concentration of 1 g/L to serve as the catholyte in a 250 mL cathode chamber. The MFC was tested at room temperature for 6 days without external inoculum. On Day 6, an open-circuit voltage (OCV) of around 0.693 V was recorded, with the maximum power density of 3,204 mW/m2. The current density at maximum power reached 9 A/m2 based on a 16 cm2 electrode active area. The maximum volumetric current density and power density were found to be 57.6 A/m3 and 20.5 W/m3 (or 0.021 W/L), respectively. The cell maintained consistent microbial activity over the 6 days with no visible biofouling or gas bubbling. White crystalline deposits appeared on the membrane after use, likely from salt buildup. Overall, the present study demonstrated an affordable MFC design using affordable materials with high performance comparable to systems based on costly commercial membranes. The developed membrane and electrode configuration shows strong potential for scalable waste-to-energy applications, enabling simultaneous wastewater treatment and electricity generation if durability and power output can be further improved. Keywords: Microbial fuel cell; PVA blend membrane; Heptafluorobutyric Acid (HFBA); Graphite tube; Activated carbon; Waste-to-energy; Water treatment
Discovering challenges in modeling irrigation water use with agro-hydrologic models
Year: 2025 Authors: Nelson M., Gholson D., Delhom C.
Accurate irrigation simulation in agro-hydrologic computational models is imperative if the models are to be effective tools in water resource planning and management. Three field scale models were built to evaluate the irrigation volumes simulated through an automatic irrigation regime by verifying the volumes against in-field trials set to the same irrigation trigger parameters. The differences for irrigation volumes varied by year, crop, and field, with averages ranging from -72% to 165%. The years with the highest disparity between the simulated and observed values of irrigation volumes applied occurred in the driest year, though the patterns differed by fields, showing a high value of underestimation (72%) in one field and an overestimation of 165% in another. The need for the incorporation of dynamic irrigation modules in modeling will be discussed, especially as many of the individual decisions and best management practices are aiming to have smaller, but cumulative and impactful effects working towards water sustainability.
Online Geophysical Information for Water and Energy
Year: 2025 Authors: Newcomb A., Parrish P.
Borehole geophysics is the science of recording and analyzing measurements of physical properties made in wells or test holes. Probes that measure different properties are lowered into the borehole to collect continuous or point data that is graphically displayed as a geophysical log. The logs are then interpreted by geologists for specific information about the subsurface geology and hydrogeology. The Environmental Geology Division of the Mississippi Office of Geology houses a shallow geophysical log collection that begins in 1919. The current geophysical logging program of the Environmental Geology Division is continually adding to the collection through the logging program and donations from private industry. The collection is comprised of ~11,000 logs. A web page was built to house this data and make it readily available to industry, stakeholders, government and academia. The web page (www.geology.deq.ms.gov/environmental) is the result of several years of work. The historic collection was scanned into digital format. A database was developed to include as many borehole attributes as were available. Accurate location information was developed for the database from the borehole header data and from site visits. The resulting geodatabase allowed for a GIS based web tool that would allow agency staff, industry, government, and private stakeholders to have updated geophysical information at their fingertips. The web page was well received by the public. It went live in July of 2017. Feedback has been very positive due to the user-friendly format. Several suggestions have been implemented to add to the capabilities of the tool. Suggestions and feedback mainly came from water well contractors, private sector environmental/geotechnical professionals, and academia. This web page is a living page unlike many static government pages. Updates occur monthly to include new geophysical logs. The Environmental Geology Division also houses the state core and sample library. To continue to put data at the fingertips of the public, work has begun to make an online resource for the cores and samples. Scanning deep geophysical logs, geolocation, and database creation are already underway. The finished product should allow for arc-based viewing of the geophysical logs representing the 7884 oil and gas wells in the collection. This effort will be followed by core photography and gleaning data from oil and gas reports associated with the cores and samples. These two web applications will hopefully provide the geophysical and spatial information that researchers, industry, and the public need for projects involving water, energy, and geology.
Effect of tailwater recirculation on water and methane fluxes in irrigated rice production systems
Year: 2025 Authors: Oloyede O., Spencer D., Joshi P.P., Krutz L.J., Dhakal M.
Traditional methods of continuous flooding in rice production cause freshwater depletion and significantly contribute to atmospheric methane (CH4) composition. Irrigation practices such as intermittent flooding and furrow irrigation can reduce freshwater demand and CH4 emissions, ultimately making irrigated rice production more sustainable. Field trials were initiated in April 2025 at farmers' fields in the Mississippi delta to (i) evaluate irrigation systems – continuous flooding and recirculating row rice (furrow irrigation with end block involving automated tailwater recirculation) on CH4 emissions; (ii) quantify ecosystem exchange and evapotranspiration (ET) in rice; and (iii) develop crop coefficient for row rice. Methane flux was measured using open-path (non-dispersive infrared spectroscopy, LI-7700, LICOR Inc.) gas analyzers, and carbon dioxide (CO2) and water (H2O) fluxes were measured using open-path (wavelength modulation spectroscopy, LI-7500DS, LICOR Inc.) gas analyzers in eddy covariance (EC) systems on the fields. In each EC system, the velocity of vertical transport of eddies from the cropping system was measured using a 3D sonic anemometer (Gill Windmaster, Gill Instruments). Additionally, growth and biomass data were collected on a bi-weekly basis. Preliminary results demonstrated that ET was reduced, with up to 6.7% increase in plant height and 8 – 19% increase in canopy cover, under recirculating row rice compared to continuous flooding. The results indicate that crop water use and methane production can be reduced by recirculating water in the row rice system.
Microplastics Research at the University of Mississippi: Chemical Imaging Studies and Field Testing of Biochar and Woodchips for Tire Wear Particle Removal from Urban Stormwater
Year: 2025 Authors: Olubusoye B., Cizdziel J., Wontor K., Li R., Hambuchen R.
Chemical imaging microspectroscopy are advanced analytical techniques that combine microscopy with spectroscopy to obtain spatially resolved chemical information. The microscopic visualization and chemical characterization is ideal for microplastics (MPs) research. Here, we highlight the technique and its use in ongoing research at Ole Miss, with emphasis on tire wear particles (TWPs), a form of MP pollution. TWPs are transported into water bodies through stormwater runoff, leading to environmental pollution and impacts on certain aquatic biota. We investigated the effectiveness of rice husk biochar and pine tree woodchips in reducing TWP pollution in urban stormwater in Oxford, Mississippi at two sites during two separate storm events. Triplicate runoff samples were collected upstream and downstream of the biofilters at two sites at peak flow, within minutes of the start of the storm, and after 30 min. Samples were analyzed for TWPs using a combination of stereomicroscopy, micro-attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (μ-ATR-FTIR) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). Concentrations (TWPs/L) upstream of the biofilter were variable but highest at the start of the runoff, dropping from an average of 2811 ± 1700 to 476 ± 63 after 30 minutes at site 1 and from 2702 ± 353 to 2356 ± 884 at site 2. Biochar was more effective than woodchips at removing TWPs, reducing concentrations by an average of 97.6% (first use) and 85.3% (second use) compared to 66.2% and 54.2% for woodchips, respectively. Biochar was particularly effective at removing smaller TWPs (<100 µm). Both materials became less effective with use suggesting fewer available trapping sites and the need for replacement of the material with time. Overall, this study suggests that biochar and woodchips, alone or in combination, deserve further scrutiny as a potential cost-effective method to mitigate the transfer of TWPs (and other contaminants) to aquatic ecosystems and sensitive biota. Further, it demonstrates that non-destructive microspectroscopy has the potential to be integrated into workflows to advance understanding of the prevalence, sources, and human health hazards of microplastics, along with developing potential mitigation strategies.
Regional Variability of Curve Number Calibration
Year: 2025 Authors: Garcia J.O., Avila J.R., Sanches de Oliveira P., Achury S.O.
The Soil Conservation Service Curve Number (SCS-CN) method remains a foundational tool for rainfall–runoff modeling, combining land use and land cover data into a single Curve Number (CN) parameter. Despite its widespread use, key assumptions, such as the default initial abstraction ratio (λ = 0.2), have been increasingly challenged. Prior research has shown that empirically derived CNs often diverge from tabulated values, a lower λ (e.g., 0.05) can yield substantially improved runoff predictions in certain contexts, and λ is not a universal constant but varies with regional factors like rainfall intensity and soil type. Therefore, it is necessary to develop λ-specific conversion equations to provide more accurate runoff estimations to determine the CN value that may yield a better fit for a given watershed , this study calibrates CN and λ across 1,358 watersheds spanning the contiguous United States (CONUS), using multiple precipitation thresholds (P > 0 mm, P > 25.4 mm, for frequency matched and natural datasets) and calibration methods (Least Squares Error and Asymptotic). The linear and exponential approaches examined in this study demonstrated an improvement in correlation performance in contrast to the conversions proposed by previous models. Additionally, it emphasizes the necessity of site-specific regional calibration and identifies methodological challenges that must be overcome to generalize λ conversion improvements across different hydrologic contexts.
Assessing Impacts of Afforestation on Sediment Load into the Northern Gulf of America
Year: 2025 Authors: Ouyang Y.
Pollution and deposition of sediment in the northern Gulf of America (NGOA) – also known as the northern Gulf of Mexico – negatively affect seafood production, recreational activities, and marine transportation, and represent critical environmental, ecological, and economic concerns. With growing recognition of afforestation to maximize timber production and improve water quality, there is a pressing need to investigate its impact on sediment transport and loads to the NGOA. This study evaluates the impacts of afforestation on sediment transport and load to the NGOA over a 30-year period (2025–2054) from the Pearl River Basin (PRB), which spans Mississippi and Louisiana. The assessment is conducted using the HAWQS (Hydrologic and Water Quality System) model and the Kolmogorov–Smirnov (K–S) test. HAWQS is a customized version of the SWAT (Soil and Water Assessment Tool) model, and afforestation here refers to the conversion of marginal croplands into forestlands within the PRB. Simulations showed that the average annual sediment load was lower with afforestation than without, with statistically significant differences confirmed by the K–S test. Results suggest that afforestation led to a substantial reduction in annual sediment load from the PRB to the NGOA, achieved by enhancing sediment adsorption and immobilization in forest soils and reducing soil erosion through decreased surface runoff. Few studies have examined the effects of afforestation on both daily and annual sediment loads to the NGOA, and this work helps fill that research gap.
MSU Extension Service's SipSafe Program
Year: 2025 Authors: Palmer J.
Protecting children from lead exposure plays a critical role in ensuring they develop into healthy adults. Children under the age of 6 have shown slowed growth, learning disabilities and other physical and mental impairments after prolonged exposure to environmental lead. The SipSafe Program seeks to limit children's exposure to lead via drinking water by screening water in qualifying schools and childcare facilities across Mississippi, as well as offering remediation assistance via reimbursements and educational materials about the dangers of lead. Mississippi State University Extension Service receives funding for the SipSafe Program from the EPA WIIN Grant and has implemented their 3Ts model. With assistance from Mississippi State Department of Health, Mississippi Department of Education, Mississippi State Chemical Laboratory, and other cooperating partners, SipSafe has developed into a program that: • Trains directors and staff at participating facilities how to protect their children from lead exposure. • Tests drinking water in participating facilities for lead and its sources. • Takes action to help facilities reduce the amount of lead in their drinking water and further raise state-wide awareness of lead exposure in children. Utilizing public water quality data and elevated blood lead level data, SipSafe initially identified 14 counties in Mississippi in which to focus its early screening activities. The program has now conducted lead screenings in 55+ counties in the four years since the program began. The data collected is being used to help water utilities with the new LCRR sampling requirements.
Ionic Liquids: From "Green" Everything to Potential Horizon Environmental Contaminants
Year: 2025 Authors: Patrick A.
Ionic liquids are a class of chemical compounds with a wide liquid range and attractive physical properties for a diverse range of applications--from electrochemistry to lubrication to spacecraft propulsion. While initially touted as "green" generally, more recent research results raise questions about the generalizability of this moniker. The same stability and solubility properties that can make them attractive for these diverse applications can also raise concerns about environmental persistence and bio-accumulation. There have now been reports of detecting ionic liquid-specific species from environmental samples and concerns are growing about ionic liquids as potential "horizon" environmental contaminants. To fully understand the scope of this problem, improved analytical method development is needed for the detection, characterization, and quantitation of these species. In this talk, I will introduce ionic liquids, introduce the potential environmental/water contamination concern, discuss the need for improve analytical method development, and provide an update on research ongoing in my group to (1) improve analytical method development and (2) better understand molecular decomposition products of ionic liquids (which could themselves be potential contaminants).
Estimating Water Use Efficiency Traits in Populus Deltoides and its Hybrids Using UAV-Based Hyperspectral Imaging
Year: 2025 Authors: Paudel B., Renninger H., Poudel K., Du J.Q., Bhattarai R.
Populus deltoides and its hybrids are high-yield short-rotation woody crops with strong potential in bioenergy and industrial applications. With plantation expansion into upland and water limited areas, identifying genotypes with efficient water use is crucial to ensure biomass productivity and ecological sustainability. Genotypic variation in Water Use Efficiency (WUE) traits including stomatal conductance, transpiration, and carbon isotope composition (δ¹³C) affects drought resilience and ecological water dynamics. Rapid and non-destructive evaluation of these traits is needed, and hyperspectral remote sensing offers an effective solution through canopy-level spectral analysis. Therefore, this study aims to develop a robust framework to predict WUE traits using UAV-based canopy hyperspectral reflectance (397.865–1001.51 nm, 270 bands with ~ 2.24 nm band spacing) in P. deltoides and its hybrids. Ground truth data for three taxa (D×D, D×M, and D×T), including six clones, were collected under monoclonal and polyclonal strategies across two sites in Mississippi to capture physiological variation from clonal diversity, endophyte inoculation and site effects. Machine learning algorithms (eg, SVM, XGboost) and deep learning (CNN) were implemented along with statistical techniques like Least Absolute shrinkage and Selection Operator (LASSO), and Partial Least Squares Regression (PLSR), using spectral reflectance, spectral derivatives, and vegetative indices. Preliminary findings showed that WUE exhibited strong spectral association in the blue-green, red-edge, and near infrared region corresponding to chlorophyll content, stress response, and canopy water status. Notably, hyperspectral parameters including first-order derivative and vegetative indices produced the highest accuracies for estimation of WUE traits (e.g., Enhanced Vegetation Index, Normalized Vegetative Index, Normalized Difference Vegetative Index etc.). These results support the use of hyperspectral information for predicting WUE dynamics, underscoring its potential for genotype selection and improved water-adaptive ecosystem.
Exploring relationships among water quality parameters in the western Mississippi sound
Year: 2025 Authors: Paul V., Eziashi C., Dash P., Katkar A., Turnage G.
Coastal environments are heavily influenced by human and natural processes, often with negative impacts on water quality. In this study, surface water samples were collected from a crewed vessel, and water quality data were collected using an autonomous surface vessel (ASV) in the Western Mississippi Sound (WMS) from 24 stations during the summer of 2021 and 19 stations during the summer of 2022. Samples were analyzed for salinity, temperature, pH, chlorophyll-a (Chl-a), nutrients, and trace metals to evaluate spatial and temporal trends. Salinity in the WMS ranged from 2.4 PSU to 22.9 PSU, indicating temporal and spatial variations in freshwater inputs from the Mississippi and Pearl Rivers, St. Louis and Biloxi Bays, the Pascagoula River, and Mobile Bay. These variations often followed precipitation events, which diluted salinity and transported nutrients. Chl-a concentrations generally increased with decreasing salinity, suggesting that nutrient-rich freshwater inputs promoted phytoplankton growth. Nutrients also showed negative correlations with salinity in both summers, with the exception of ammonium in 2022. Nutrient concentrations varied substantially across seasons and years: nitrate ranged from 0.11-660 µg/L in 2021 and 74- 151 µg/L in 2022; phosphate ranged from 54.13-85.47 µg/L in 2021 and 74-113 µg/L in 2022; ammonium ranged from 0.00-660 µg/L in 2021 and 4.15-139 µg/L in 2022. Trace metals (Al, As, Be, Cd, Cr, and Cs) were higher in concentrations in 2022 than in 2021, particularly under conditions of elevated temperatures, pH, salinity, and Chl-a, reflecting variability in freshwater influx and anthropogenic activities in years. These results highlight the importance of continuous monitoring to capture temporal variability and to assess ecological risks, as elevated nutrients and trace metal concentrations can pose significant risks to marine ecosystems, human health, and local economies.
A Colorful Story of Optical Water Types over the Mississippi Sound
Year: 2025 Authors: Paulino R., Martins V., Caballero C., Butler E., Sparks E.
Optical Water Types (OWTs) are intuitive and categorical representations of water masses used to describe the optical properties of aquatic systems based on their spectral and biogeochemical composition, enabling the tracking of water mass variability and transitions over time. The coastal waters of the Mississippi Sound are dynamic, and OWTs offer valuable insights into their optical diversity and water quality. In this study, an OWT classification was developed for the Mississippi Sound using a comprehensive dataset of in-situ measurements (n > 200), including radiometric observations and biogeochemical parameters such as algal pigments, suspended particulate matter, and colored dissolved organic matter (CDOM). Radiometric measurements were normalized and grouped into five distinct OWT classes using the unsupervised k-means clustering algorithm. These OWT classes were then applied to a five-year (2020–2025) annual time series of Sentinel-3 OLCI satellite imagery to assess the temporal dynamics of water color in the region. The resulting OWTs showed strong spectral separability and represented a gradient of water types, ranging from clear to turbid conditions. Dominant OWT classes in the Mississippi Sound were characterized by low-to-moderate chlorophyll-a concentrations (< 10 mg m ⁻³), moderate-to-high levels of suspended minerals (< 70 mg L ⁻¹), and moderate CDOM absorption at 440 nm (< 3 m ⁻¹). Spatial patterns revealed recurrent seasonal transitions. Despite some limitations in in-situ data coverage (2024–2025), this study demonstrates the value of OWTs for describing the optical complexity of coastal systems.
Long-Term Rainfall–Runoff Relationships During Fallow Seasons in a Humid Region
Year: 2025 Authors: Peng R., Bi G.
The hydrological processes of agricultural fields during the fallow season in east-central Mississippi remain poorly understood due to the region's unique rainfall patterns. This study utilized long-term rainfall records from 1924 to 2023 to evaluate runoff characteristics and responses to various rainfall events during fallow seasons in Mississippi by applying the DRAINMOD model. Analysis revealed that the average rainfall during the fallow season was 760 mm over the past 100 years, accounting for 65% of the annual total. In dry, normal, and wet fallow seasons, the average rainfall was 528 mm, 751 mm, and 1,010 mm, respectively, resulting in corresponding runoff of 227 mm, 388 mm, and 602 mm. Runoff frequency increased with wetter conditions, rising from 16 events in dry seasons to 23 in normal seasons and 30 in wet seasons. Over the past century, runoff dynamics were predominantly driven by high-intensity rainfall events during the fallow season. Very heavy rainfall events (mean frequency = 11 events) generated 215 mm of runoff, accounting for 53% of the total runoff. In contrast, extreme rainfall events (mean frequency = 2 events) contributed 135 mm, or 34% of the total runoff. Moreover, the study found that the mean daily runoff frequency decreased from 13.5% in March to 7.6% in May, while monthly runoff declined from 74 mm to 38 mm. Increased extreme rainfall (R95p) in April contributed over 45% of the total runoff and led to the highest daily mean runoff of 20 mm, compared to 18 mm in March and 16 mm in May. These results, based on a century of historical weather data, can improve field-scale water resource management, enhance runoff risk prediction, and optimize planting windows in the humid region of east-central Mississippi.
Surface runoff responses on quantity and quality to cover crops and conservation tillage in cotton production systems
Year: 2025 Authors: Pilgram W., Gholson D., Nelson A.
Agricultural production in the mid-southern United States can generate significant amounts of water runoff from furrow irrigation. Mitigating runoff and increasing water use efficiency in furrow-irrigated cotton are challenges for producers in this area. A long-term field study was established in 2019 to investigate the effects of cover crops and conservation practices on surface runoff quantity and quality in cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.). A randomized complete block design with three blocks and seven treatments was arranged on 2.5 hectares. The seven tillage treatments, reduced tillage (RT); strip till (ST); strip till with cover crop (ST,CC); strip till with subsoil and cover crop(ST,SS,CC); no till (NT); no till with cover crop (NT,CC); and no till with minimal surface disturbance subsoil and cover crop (NT,MS,CC) were evaluated on a Dubb silt loam (fine-silty, mixed, active, thermic Typic Hapludalfs) and Bosket very fine sandy loam (fine-loamy, mixed, active, thermic Mollic Hapludalfs). The site consists of 21 plots that are 150 m long by eight rows spaced 1 m apart with a 1.8 m -wide earthen levee to separate each plot. Composite runoff samples were collected during runoff events to determine sediment and nutrient (N and P) losses. The objective of this study is to examine the effects of different tillage methods and cover crops on runoff water quality in cotton. treatments. Total solids also peaked in the later summer months and were highest in NT-CC and ST-CC plots. Additional concentration and load results will be presented.
Assessing Streambank Instability and Sediment Loads Using GIS and AnnAGNPS: A Case Study of the Upper Pearl River Watershed
Year: 2025 Authors: Pophet N., Rébillout L., Al-Hamdan M., Chao X., Bingner R.
Streambank erosion impacts downstream water resources by increasing sediment delivery, degrading aquatic habitats, reducing channel conveyance, and raising turbidity, which complicates drinking-water treatment. Identifying unstable channel banks is therefore essential for prioritizing restoration efforts and targeting sediment-reduction strategies. Traditional field surveys and manual air-photo interpretation, however, are time-consuming, costly, and impractical at the watershed scale. To address this challenge, we present a GIS-based screening framework that uses widely available datasets to identify potentially unstable stream reaches. The framework integrates key controlling factors frequently cited in the literature, including riparian vegetation condition, local channel slope, planform curvature, and soil properties such as texture and erodibility. By combining these indicators, the approach classifies stream reaches into two categories–stable or unstable–providing a transparent, scalable method for prioritizing segments for management or further assessment. We demonstrate the framework by linking stability maps with sediment simulations in the Annualized Agricultural Non-Point Source Pollution model (AnnAGNPS) for the Upper Pearl River Watershed up to Ross Barnett Reservoir. Three scenarios are evaluated: (1) all channels stable (no erosion), (2) all channels unstable (erosion enabled), and (3) selective instability where only reaches classified as unstable are allowed to erode. These scenarios provide a lower bound, upper bound, and intermediate, map-informed estimate of channel-derived sediment loads. It is important to note that AnnAGNPS does not simulate planform changes or cross-section adjustments (no widening, aggradation, or degradation over time), so results should be interpreted as screening-level estimates rather than fully morphodynamic predictions.
Fractal and Chaos Analysis of US Low-Flow Regimes
Year: 2025 Authors: Raczynski K., Grala K., Cartwright J.
The study of streamflow dynamics provides critical insights into the behavior of low-flow regimes and their underlying hydrological processes. Minimal (Qmin) streamflow dynamics were examined across 3,135 USGS gauges from January 1, 1970, through December 31, 2023, to assess the balance between stochastic variability and deterministic structure in low-flow regimes. Daily flow records were aggregated to weekly, monthly, quarterly, and annual minima and characterized via rescaled range and detrended fluctuation analyses, multifractal detrended fluctuation analysis, sample entropy, Lyapunov exponents, and recurrence quantification analysis metrics. Qmin series exhibit strong persistence, with Hurst exponents clustering around 0.80–0.85 at weekly and monthly scales and remaining well above the random-walk threshold even at annual aggregations. Generalized Hurst and multifractal slopes declined at weekly and monthly scales, indicating pronounced multifractality and complex scaling behavior emerging at short aggregations. Sample entropy remained comparatively low (median <0.5 weekly; .0 monthly), inversely tracking both determinism (>0.8 weekly; .6 monthly) and trapping time (>5 days weekly; days monthly), suggesting alternating laminar and burst phases. The largest Lyapunov exponent averaged around 0.30 across scales, confirming modest chaotic dynamics. Spatial fuzzy clustering delineated three dynamic regimes: Western and Central basins with the strongest persistence, steepest multifractal slopes, strongest determinism, and laminarity; a transitional cluster in the Great Plains and Appalachia with intermediate characteristics; and Northeastern and Gulf Coast areas with the lowest persistence and recurrence and the highest entropy. These findings imply that low-flow regimes are governed by robust long-memory and multifractal processes–likely driven by groundwater baseflow and climatic seasonality–with important regional variations. Incorporating Qmin-specific fractal and recurrence features into drought forecasting and water-management models may enhance low-flow prediction and resource allocation under changing hydrological conditions.
Geomorphic Assessment of Streams within the Catalpa Creek Watershed
Year: 2025 Authors: Avila J.R., Roldan M., Achury S.O., Czarnecki J., Schauwecker T.
Conducting geomorphic assessments and stream classification are essential procedures for watershed management, restoration, and conservation. They provide a clear understanding of stream behavior, identify causes of instability, and guide interventions tailored to each stream's characteristics. A study evaluated the geomorphic condition of streams within the Red Bud/Catalpa Creek watershed, a 117 km² sub-basin of the Tombigbee River Basin in Mississippi, to determine the applicability of the Rosgen Stream Classification system to low-gradient streams in the Southeastern Plains (Ecoregion 65). A total of 79 reaches along 15 tributary streams and the main channel were surveyed, combining field surveys, sediment sampling, GIS and aerial image analyses, and land use/land cover assessment. Geomorphic parameters including entrenchment ratio, width-to-depth ratio, sinuosity, slope, and dominant bed material were used to classify stream reaches following Rosgen's Level I and II criteria. Results indicated that 83.55% of the reaches exhibited significant degradation, with 45.57% classified as Type G (incised channels) and 37.98% as Type F (degraded and widening). Only 16.45% of the reaches were considered stable or slightly incised, represented by Type C (7.59%) and Type E (8.86%) streams, located primarily in headwater areas. Entrenchment was greatest along forested headwaters, while deeply incised channels were prevalent in pasture-dominated mid- and downstream sections. Land use analysis revealed that historic conversion of forested wetlands and mixed forests to agriculture and pastures, coupled with more recent urban expansion, strongly influenced channel instability. The study demonstrates that the Rosgen Classification can be applied to streams of the Tombigbee Basin, though interpretation of sinuosity and slope requires caution. These findings provide insight into channel evolution processes and highlight the influence of land management on stream degradation in southeastern U.S. watersheds.
Mapping Multi-Year Crop Rotations from NASS Crop Sequence Boundaries to RUSLE2 Management Practices Using Language Models
Year: 2025 Authors: Rébillout L., Bingner R., Al-Hamdan M.
Accurate assessment of soil erosion potential requires detailed, field-level information on crop management practices. While the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation 2 (RUSLE2) database provides a comprehensive list of management schedules for modeling, a key challenge remains: the lack of detailed ground-level data necessary to assign these schedules to specific agricultural areas. Traditional methods often rely on coarse-resolution, single-year land use data, which fails to capture the complexity and dynamism of multi-year crop rotations. Additionally, manually assembling more accurate data is both complex and time-consuming. This study introduces a novel, data-driven methodology to bridge this data gap. We used the USDA-NASS Crop Sequence Boundaries (CSB) dataset, which provides multi-year crop rotation histories for individual fields, as our primary source of ground truth. A custom Python tool was developed to encode these complex crop sequences into descriptive sentences using heuristic pattern-matching methods. Concurrently, the descriptive names of RUSLE2 management schedules were cleaned and prepared for analysis. Using pre-trained language models from the Qwen embedding model family, we generated high-dimensional vector embeddings for both the CSB-derived crop sequence descriptions and the RUSLE2 management schedules. We then applied a matching algorithm based on cosine similarity to pair each CSB field polygon with its most semantically similar RUSLE2 schedule within each Crop Management Zone (CMZ). This innovative approach significantly improves upon conventional methods by enabling a more granular, spatially and sequentially explicit assignment of management schedules–crucial for enhanced soil erosion modeling. Preliminary results show encouraging matches, demonstrating the viability of this framework as the methodology continues to be refined. This research highlights a promising pathway for integrating disparate agricultural datasets through a common vector space, with the potential to substantially enhance the precision of RUSLE2-based soil erosion models and contribute to more effective water resource management in Mississippi and the rest of the United States.
Advancing Irrigation Education: Two Years of Mississippi Master Irrigator and What's Ahead
Year: 2025 Authors: Russell D., Gholson D.
The Mississippi Master Irrigator program was established to address critical water resource challenges in the Mississippi Delta by raising awareness of the decline of the Mississippi River Valley Alluvial Aquifer (MRVAA) and encouraging the adoption of proven irrigation water management practices. Modeled after the original program in Texas, the Mississippi initiative integrates the region-specific Mississippi Irrigation Manual with expertise from irrigation specialists nationwide. The 24-hour curriculum combines eight hours of self-paced online coursework with a two-day, in-person workshop focused on precision irrigation strategies and conservation practices. Over the first two program cycles (2023-2024 and 2024-2025), a total of 98 participants from multiple Mid-South states completed the program. Participants demonstrated significant knowledge gains, with average assessment scores improving from 67% pre-course to 97% post-course, alongside consistent reports of increased confidence in irrigation decision-making. Feedback highlighted the program's strong balance between online and in-person training, its applicability to real-world farm management, and its value as continuing education. The program has also been recognized through state and federal partnerships, including specialized training opportunities with USDA-NRCS. Looking ahead, the third Mississippi Master Irrigator program is scheduled for February 2025, with ongoing efforts to expand multi-state collaborations, enhance curriculum with new technologies, and strengthen farmer engagement. Continued program growth aims to support aquifer sustainability, improve irrigation water management, and build long-term resilience for agricultural irrigation in the Mid-South. This presentation will highlight the program's conception, execution, and assessment while emphasizing its role in supporting the resupply of the Mississippi River Valley Alluvial Aquifer (MRVAA) through greater adoption of sustainable irrigation practices.
Multi-Year Evaluation of Irrigation Scheduling Methods and Telemetry Services on Soybean Production in the Mid-Southern USA
Year: 2025 Authors: Russell D., Gholson D.
Effective irrigation scheduling is a critical tool for sustaining soybean productivity in the Mid-Southern USA, where unpredictable rainfall complicates water management decisions. This study evaluated the effects of several irrigation scheduling methods and telemetry services on soybean production, irrigation frequency, and irrigation water productivity over three growing seasons (2023, 2024, and 2025) at the National Center for Alluvial Aquifer Research in Leland, MS. A randomized complete block design with three replications was used to compare eight treatments: a no-irrigation control, weekly calendar scheduling, Watermark sensors at a -75 kPa irrigation threshold, Goanna Ag's irrigation scheduling service, Simplot's irrigation scheduling service, an NCAAR-developed soil water balance model, an NCAAR-developed Sentek relative rate of depletion method, and the SmartIrrigation Crop Fit app. Data collected in 2023 reflected the challenges of excessive rainfall, as frequent post-irrigation rainfall events often caused waterlogging and reduced yields in treatments with higher irrigation frequency. In contrast, limited rainfall in 2024 required consistent irrigation to avoid stress, and treatments with more precise or frequent irrigation tended to perform better under drier conditions. Together, the two seasons illustrated how rainfall variability directly influenced the effectiveness of different irrigation scheduling methods, underscoring the need for management strategies that adapt to both wet and dry conditions. Updated results from the 2025 growing season will be presented at the conference to provide an additional year of comparison across variable weather conditions.
Estimating Hydraulic Geometry Using Artificial Neural Networks Integrated with HYDROSWOT and NHDPlus Data
Year: 2025 Authors: Sahin A., Yasarer H., Ozeren Y., Langendoen E., Al-Hamdan M.
This study presents the development and evaluation of a machine learning framework for estimating river channel hydraulic geometry, addressing the persistent shortage of detailed cross-sectional data that limits large-scale hydrodynamic modeling. A proof-of-concept analysis showed that Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) outperform traditional regression methods in predicting channel width, depth, and cross-sectional area, demonstrating their effectiveness in capturing the nonlinear relationships within fluvial systems. The framework was first applied in the Yazoo Watershed, where results highlighted challenges in data-scarce settings for bankfull geometry but showed improved performance under mean flow conditions. At the national scale, integration of field data from the Hydrology from SWOT (Surface Water and Ocean Topography) Mission (HYDROSWOT) with watershed attributes from the National Hydrography Dataset Plus (NHDPlus) enabled the development of robust models trained on more than 53,000 records. Predictions of mean flow cross-sectional area achieved coefficients of determination (R²) up to 0.91. Feature importance analysis using SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) indicated that physically meaningful variables–such as flow metrics and network hierarchy–were the primary drivers, enhancing interpretability. Collectively, these results establish a scalable, data-driven approach for estimating hydraulic geometry and provide a foundation for linking upland watershed models with in-stream hydrodynamic simulations at regional and national scales.
Impact of Evapotranspiration Data Sources on Watershed Modeling for Improved Runoff Predictions
Year: 2025 Authors: Shuchana I., Rébillout L., Pophet N., Al-Hamdan M., Bingner R.
Accurate quantification of evapotranspiration (ET) across large areas remains a challenge in hydrological modeling, limiting our understanding of ecosystem functioning and water resource management. This study systematically evaluated how different ET data sources influence the performance of the Annualized Agricultural Non-Point Source (AnnAGNPS) watershed model in predicting runoff. Three distinct ET datasets were compared over the 2000–2024 period: the gap-filled Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Terra product (MOD16A2GF), the North American Land Data Assimilation System Phase 2 (NLDAS-2) NOAH land surface model output, and Penman-Monteith equation-based ET estimates generated within AnnAGNPS. Model validation was performed across four watersheds of varying spatial scales: Big Creek, Louisiana (135 km²); Boulder Creek, Colorado (1,157 km²); Pearl River at Burnside, Mississippi (8,760 km²); and Yockanookany River, Mississippi (2,690 km²). Land cover across these watersheds was predominantly forested, with wetland and grassland components, modeled under generalized management scenarios. Results showed variable model performance depending on watershed characteristics and temporal scale. MODIS ET performed best in smaller, forested catchments, while NLDAS-2 NOAH ET yielded improved results in larger, more heterogeneous basins. The combination of high-resolution Parameter-elevation Regressions on Independent Slopes Model (PRISM) precipitation data with MODIS-derived ET was most effective in forested watersheds. However, model accuracy remained constrained by generalized management parameterization and the lack of site-specific land use practices. These findings underscore the importance of integrating external ET datasets to improve watershed model performance, particularly in data-sparse regions where direct runoff observations are unavailable. The study highlights how ET data selection can be optimized based on watershed characteristics and spatial scale to enhance hydrological modeling efforts.
Potential Loss of Life (PLL) Module - DSS WISE
Year: 2025 Authors: Srinivasa U., McGrath M., Al-Hamdan M., Pophet N., Suchana I.
The Potential Life Loss (PLL) module is a new feature integrated into the Decision Support System for Water Infrastructure Security (DSS-WISE) web platform, designed to help dam safety professionals and emergency managers estimate the potential loss of human life from dam failure flooding. While DSS-WISE has long provided high-resolution flood modeling and hazard mapping, PLL extends these capabilities by linking hydrodynamic outputs with consequence estimation. This function is critical for risk-informed decision making, emergency planning, and prioritization of dam safety actions. The PLL methodology is based on the Reclamation Consequence Estimating Methodology (RCEM), which analyzes numerous historical dam-break and extreme flooding events, including the Vajont Dam disaster, St. Francis Dam failure, the 2011 Japan tsunami, and the Teton Dam failure. These case histories emphasize how warning time, flood severity, and public understanding strongly influence fatality outcomes. RCEM developed empirical charts relating fatality rates to depth-velocity (DV) conditions under two scenarios: little or no warning, and adequate warning. These charts form the basis of PLL's approach. In implementation, fatality rate boundaries were refined into four severity ranges: Low–Low (LL), Low–Medium (LM), High–Medium (HM), and High–High (HH). Depth-velocity thresholds and corresponding fatality curves were established for both warning conditions. The PLL module considers DV, flood arrival time, severity classification, warning time, and population at risk (day and night). The workflow begins with interpolating fatality rates from the appropriate severity-based curve. If flood arrival time is shorter than assumed warning time (e.g., <60 minutes), little/no warning curves are applied. If arrival time exceeds warning time, adequate warning curves are used, reflecting evacuation opportunities. Once fatality rates are identified, they are multiplied by the population at risk within the inundation region. By accounting for both daytime and nighttime exposure, the module provides realistic life-loss estimates under varying conditions. Outputs are delivered as tabular and report summaries, presenting loss estimates across severity levels (LL, LM, HM, HH), day vs. night, and multiple warning times. These results allow dam safety officials and emergency managers to quickly gauge the consequences of dam-break scenarios, evaluate the sensitivity of estimates to changes in warning time, and plan evacuations accordingly. The PLL module strengthens DSS-WISE by quantifying human consequences in addition to physical flood impacts. This integration supports clearer risk communication, prioritization of mitigation measures, and informed decision making. Ultimately, it provides dam safety officials with a rapid, accessible, and scientifically grounded tool to safeguard at-risk populations during extreme flood events.
Nitrogen removal rapidly reverses eutrophication in shallow phosphorus-rich lakes
Year: 2025 Authors: Taylor J., Andersen I., Kelly P., Scott T.
The culmination of natural conditions and historic anthropogenic P loads to lakes has led to approximately 1.1 million shallow lakes with high P concentrations in the U.S. Productivity in shallow eutrophic lakes may be driven by nitrogen (N) inputs in these systems due to significant time lags associated with phosphorus (P) export and increased N cycling mechanisms associated with P enrichment. We hypothesized that N drives primary production and may be an important control mechanism for mitigating harmful effects of eutrophication in shallow lakes. We conducted large-scale manipulation experiments to test the effects of variable N and high P loading on the eutrophication of lakes, particularly regarding the comparative productivity of lakes with low N:P inputs versus high N:P inputs. We found that phytoplankton met upwards of 70% of their N demand through N fixation and this pushed ecosystems toward balanced ratios within a season in lake mesocosms with low N:P inputs. In lake mesocosms with high N inputs relative to P, N demand was met by N inputs and excess N was denitrified. Despite observed high N fixation activity and stoichiometric balancing in low N:P mesocosms, both algal biomass and productivity remained similar to control ponds over a 4-year period. However, N enrichment in excess of balanced N:P ratios (20 - 50 molar) resulted in chlorophyll a and gross primary productivity well above thresholds indicative of healthy lake ecosystems. After 4 years of both N and P enrichment, we sampled a 5th year where we only enriched lake mesocosms with P. After reduction in N inputs, we observed a 60% relative decline in chlorophyll a across the lake mesocosms. These results indicate that excess N is a significant driver of eutrophication in shallow, high P lakes. Our results support N management as a tool for reducing harmful impacts in a significant portion of North American Lakes.
Advances in Irrigation in Northeast Mississippi
Year: 2025 Authors: Theobald S., Tagert M.L., Lo H., Martins V.S.
In Northeast Mississippi, access to groundwater is limited, and only 37% of the annual precipitation in the region occurs during the growing season. As a result, on-farm water storage (OFWS) systems in combination with center pivot irrigation systems have been built throughout the region in recent years to address irrigation needs. Precipitation and runoff are captured and stored in OFWS and used for irrigation during the growing season. Due to the limited amount of rainfall received during the growing season, producers in Northeast Mississippi have a finite amount of water to use for irrigation and must implement best management practices (BMP) to conserve water and maximize production. Variable rate irrigation (VRI) is a BMP that allows farmers to apply water to different areas of a field at varying rates. In northeast Mississippi, most irrigation systems are late-model center pivots with control panels that are capable of sector control VRI without additional maintenance or cost. However, few if any producers have implemented sector control applications. This study evaluates the benefits of sector control VRI on an 18-ha production field under center pivot sprinkler irrigation in Noxubee County, MS. Elevation, yield, and soil water tension data collected from 2018-2021 were used to create two irrigation management zones within the field. Two irrigation treatments – a full rate and a reduced (20%) rate - were applied both to a "dry" irrigation management zone in one section of the field and a wet irrigation management zone in another section of the field. Each zone was sub-divided into six different pie-shaped sectors, and both irrigation treatments were replicated three times in each zone. Two sets of granular matrix sensors were placed in the centroid of the outermost span of each sector to measure soil water tension in the rooting zone throughout the growing season when corn, cotton, and corn, respectively, were grown during 2022-2024. Cotton is currently being grown in 2025. Soil water tension and yield data for the past three years have been analyzed to determine if water savings were realized without a yield loss. Three other production fields on the same farm are also being evaluated to create a simple guide producers can use to implement VRI into their operation. Elevation, yield, soil type, and soil water tension across the three fields are being used to create the guide. At the conclusion of the 2025 growing season, there will be three years of data collected for each field. Finally, an inventory of OFWS systems and center pivot irrigation systems is being developed and combined with other data sources from 1992-2022 to detect changes in irrigation across northeast Mississippi over time and assess current and future needs.
Remote Sensing-Based Assessment of Water Quality and Catchment Vegetation Dynamics in Oxbow Lakes of the Mississippi Alluvial Plain
Year: 2025 Authors: Thomas J., Kasaragod A., Oommen T., Davidson G.
Floodplain lakes in the Mississippi Alluvial Plain (MAP) are highly sensitive to catchment-scale land use and vegetation dynamics, particularly in agriculturally dominated landscapes. This study utilizes multispectral satellite data from Landsat 8/9 and Sentinel-2 to assess water quality and surrounding catchment attributes across multiple oxbow lakes. Various spectral indices implying water quality, including the Normalized Difference Turbidity Index (NDTI), Colored Dissolved Organic Matter Index (CDOMI), Normalized Difference Aquatic Vegetation Index (NDAVI), Red-Edge Chlorophyll Index (RECI), and Algal Bloom Index (ABI), were computed to characterize spatiotemporal variations in lake water quality conditions. Statistical analyses suggest strong associations between vegetation dynamics and water quality indicators, highlighting the role of seasonal agricultural activity and land cover changes in driving eutrophication and turbidity patterns. This remote sensing approach provides a scalable framework for monitoring nutrient pollution and ecological health in floodplain lake systems, offering valuable insights for watershed management and conservation planning in the MAP.
Control of Aquatic Plants to Conserve Aquatic and Wetland Habitats
Year: 2025 Authors: Turnage G.
Alligatorweed (Alternanthera philoxeroides) and knotgrass (Paspalum distichum) are two widespread aquatic weeds in Mississippi. Both can survive stressors such as drawdown or drought and biocontrol agents provide varying levels (alligatorweed) or no reduction (knotgrass) depending on species and geographic location. Some data exist regarding chemical control of each species, but newer herbicides are commercially available that have not been evaluated against either species. In 2022, initial foliar herbicide screening for operational control of alligatorweed found that imazapyr, bispyribac-sodium, topramezone, and florpyrauxifen-benzyl reduced plant biomass 74 to 84% one year after treatment. A second trial initiated in 2023, found that tank mixtures generally provided greater alligatorweed reduction (>90% biomass reduction) than single herbicide applications. Initial knotgrass treatments found that glyphosate, imazamox, imazapyr, and penoxsulam all reduced knotgrass one year after treatment when applied at the maximum label rate. A second knotgrass trial (2023) found that all year 1 herbicides except imazamox could be reduced 50% and still provide greater than 77% biomass reduction one year after treatment. All herbicide applications included a 0.5% v:v MSO surfactant and were applied at a 467.7 L/ha (50 gal/ac) diluent rate. This work provides multiple control techniques for each species so that resource managers have a multitude of treatment options to select among for budgeting and herbicide stewardship purposes.
Genotypic Variation in Transpiration Efficiency and Drought Response in Populus deltoides
Year: 2025 Authors: Usama M., Renninger H., Galeano E., Magbanua Z., Seigert C.
Climate change is intensifying drought conditions across forest ecosystems, adversely affecting biomass production and highlighting the need for resilient, high-yielding genotypes. This study investigates the physiological responses to drought in contrasting Populus deltoides genotypes under controlled water-limiting conditions, using manual pot weighing to estimate cumulative water loss and transpiration efficiency. Assessed eco-physiological traits include photosynthesis, gas exchange, intrinsic water-use efficiency (iWUE), total leaf area, height, diameter and transpiration dynamics. Our findings reveal genotype-specific adaptation strategies, with some genotypes experiencing greater stress than others due to differences in transpiration rates driven by stomatal regulation and iWUE. These insights can inform the selection of suitable candidates for reforestation and bioenergy applications in drought-prone regions. This work contributes to climate-resilient forestry by identifying traits associated with improved drought performance, aligning with the goals of sustainable water-energy-land resource management under future climate scenarios
Poultry Litter Enhances Soybean Yield by Improving Leaf Phosphorus and Potassium Nutrition and Plant Physiological Traits
Year: 2025 Authors: Vital S., Feng G., Tewolde H., Shankle M., Brooks J.
The mechanisms through which poultry litter (PL) and cover crops improve soil nutrients, soybean physiology, and yield on marginal upland soils in Mississippi are not well understood. A split-plot experiment was conducted over five growing seasons (2018-2022) with two planting dates: early and late, in a randomized complete block design. The main plots were five cover crop treatments (cereal rye, vetch, wheat, cereal rye + mustard, native vegetation), and the sub-plots were three fertilizer treatments [chemical fertilizer, PL, and an unfertilized control]. We measured soil nutrients, leaf nutrient concentration, key plant physiological traits [leaf area index (LAI), plant height, chlorophyll index], and yield. The analysis of data using generalized Linear mixed models showed that the cover crop treatment did not affect the measured variables. In contrast, fertilizer emerged as the primary determinant of soybean performance. Both PL and chemical fertilizer significantly increased soybean yield, leaf P and K concentrations, plant height, and LAI relative to unfertilized controls (P < 0.05). Principal component analysis (PCA) supports these results, as it shows that the first principal component axis is dominated by yield, LAI, plant height, leaf P, and leaf K, which load strongly together on this axis. Building upon the PCA result, a causal pathway between fertilizer type and soybean was tested using piecewise structural equation modeling (PSEM), incorporating Leaf Nutrient (leaf P + K) and Plant Growth (LAI + height) as latent variables. The PSEM analysis also showed that PL significantly increased the scores (β = 1.14, 0.96, and 1.24) for Leaf Nutrients, Plant Growth, and soybean yield, respectively, compared to the unfertilized control. These results suggest that PL benefits soybean yield mainly by improving leaf P and leaf K concentrations, plant height, and LAI, rather than through measured changes in soil nutrient dynamics. Overall, this study provides mechanistic evidence that supports the use of PL as an effective amendment strategy to enhance soybean productivity on marginal soils, while suggesting that longer-term studies than 5 years may be needed to detect cover crop benefits on soybean performance.
Pipes, Pressure, and a Precious Resource: The Engineering Challenge of Aging Water Infrastructure
Year: 2025 Authors: Williams E.
The nation's water infrastructure is under significant strain due to a convergence of aging assets, escalating costs, and increasingly stringent regulatory requirements. Many water distribution systems and treatment facilities have exceeded their intended service life, resulting in increased maintenance demands, reduced efficiency, and elevated risk of failure. These technical challenges are further compounded by an aging workforce and governance bodies, which can hinder the adoption of modern technologies and long-term planning initiatives. Simultaneously, utilities face rising capital expenditures, higher chemical costs, and the persistent effects of inflation, all while operating within the constraints of historically low water rates. Compliance with evolving federal health and safety regulations places added pressure on already overburdened systems. Together, these factors present a multifaceted engineering challenge that requires strategic investment and the integration of advanced technologies to ensure the continued delivery of safe, reliable, and sustainable water services.
Microgreen: Save Water and Space While Boosting Nutrition in Mississippi
Year: 2025 Authors: Wu J., Wu G., Li T., Bi G., Zhang Q.
Hydroponic cultivation of microgreens offers a sustainable approach that conserves water and optimizes space compared to conventional farming. Hydroponic microgreens, with their short-period life cycle, requirements of small cultivation space, and low-cost and energy-saving production, are particularly suitable for urban farming. Cold stress is one of the abiotic stresses, it may induce the accumulation of phytochemical properties in plants. This study investigated the effects of short-term, pre-harvest cold treatment on the nutritional contents of microgreens. Four microgreens including buckwheat, pea, sunflower and watercress, were grown hydroponically. After three or four days of sowing seeds, we started to fertilize microgreens using 150ppm Holand nutrient solution. We treated these four microgreens with a short-term treatment including control and cold treatment at 4°C for 24h before harvesting. The results showed that shoot length, stem diameter, and shoot dry weight in four microgreen species were not affected by cold treatment compared to the control. But cold treatment increased the fresh weight of watercress and the SPAD values in pea and sunflower. Cold treatment significantly affected soluble sugar content. Specifically, it increased fructose, glucose, and sucrose contents in pea microgreen compared to the control. In sunflower microgreen, it improved fructose and glucose content by 65% and 78%, respectively, but had no effect on sucrose levels. Buckwheat microgreen under short-term cold treatment showed increased sucrose content, while fructose and glucose levels remained unchanged. In watercress microgreen, short-term cold treatment increased fructose content by 39% but decreased glucose content by 29%. These findings suggest that buckwheat, pea, sunflower, and watercress microgreens have different responses to a 24h short-term cold treatment regarding plant growth and specific phytochemical contents. While this treatment did not have a negative effect on the yield of the four microgreens, it influenced their flavor by significantly increasing fructose, glucose, and sucrose levels. Given the small space required for a microgreen tray, a short-term 4°C cold treatment is easily achievable in refrigerators, providing economic benefits with minimal cost As a simple, low-cost, energy-efficient approach, this innovative pre-harvest cold treatment offers an effective way to enhance the flavor and nutritional quality of microgreens. Moreover, this approach can be integrated into urban farming systems and indoor controlled environments for supporting healthy diets. Future research will explore the impact of short-term cold treatment on other phytochemicals in microgreens.
Enhancing Sustainable Hydroponic Lettuce Production in Mississippi with Biostimulant Application
Year: 2025 Authors: Wu G., Wu J., Li T., Zhang Q.
Over-applying conventional fertilizers is a significant threat to water systems and ecosystems. Rain and irrigation carry away the excess nutrients in the runoff process, which pollutes both surface and underground water sources, including those that supply drinking water. Hydroponic cultivation offers a promising solution by saving water and mineral nutrients through recirculation in a closed system and enabling year-round production. However, there is a lack of regionally relevant guidance on hydroponic lettuce production in Mississippi. This study evaluated cultivar adaptability, the type of hydroponic systems, and biostimulant application in hydroponic lettuce production. Six lettuce cultivars (Buttercrunch, Adriana, Rex, Rouxai, Oscarde, and Skyphos) were cultivated in two systems (deep-water culture and vertical tower) under three biostimulant treatments (control, kelp, and microbial). Results showed that cultivar significantly influenced plant performance: Adriana produced the largest leaf area and biomass, while Buttercrunch had the highest SPAD readings and shoot fresh weight. Deep-water culture promoted faster growth and higher yields compared to the vertical tower system. Biostimulant effects varied by cultivar and hydroponic system, with kelp enhancing plant growth index and SPAD compared to the control. In conclusion, this study demonstrated that hydroponic cultivation is a viable solution for lettuce production in Mississippi, with deep-water culture system and kelp significantly enhancing plant growth parameters.
Numerical Study of Sediment Transport with Flow Hydrographs of Varying Length in a Laboratory Flume
Year: 2025 Authors: Zhang Y., Wren D., Al-Hamdan M., Chao X.
This paper presents a numerical sediment transport model based on data from a series of experiments with flow hydrographs of varying lengths in a laboratory flume with a sand bed. The model was calibrated and validated using one flow hydrograph and then applied to other hydrographs. Digital flumes with different initial and boundary conditions were generated to assist numerical simulations and further explore additional scenarios, such as flow rates on the rising limb of the hydrograph, different sediment sizes, and longer hydrographs. Both numerical and experimental results demonstrate the influence of flow hydrograph duration on transport rates, which typically resulted in a counterclockwise hysteresis pattern. Different rising slopes of the flow rate had limited effects on the hysteresis pattern. Coarser sediment yielded lower transport rates, while finer particles led to increased transport rates, though neither caused appreciable changes to the hysteresis pattern. Limited sediment supply resulted in a change in hysteresis pattern from counterclockwise to figure-eight. Longer hydrographs led to irregular hysteresis patterns due to the influence of bedforms that developed during peak flows.