Abbas et al. (2026) Detecting Hidden Environmental Flow Alteration in Groundwater‐Irrigated Basins

⚠️ Warning: This summary was generated from the abstract only, as the full text was not available.

Identification

• Journal: Hydrological Processes
• Year: 2026
• Date: 2026-06-29
• Authors: Salam A. Abbas, Gerardo Castellanos-Osorio, Jeremy T. White, Javier Senent‐Aparicio, Ryan T. Bailey
• DOI: 10.1002/hyp.70626

Research Groups

• Department of Hydrology, University of Mississippi
• US Geological Survey (USGS)
• National Center for Computational Hydroscience and Engineering (NCCHE)

Short Summary

This study presents a generic framework to quantify the impact of groundwater-based irrigation on surface-water flow characteristics using an integrated surface-subsurface modeling system. The framework is demonstrated in the Mississippi Alluvial Plain, USA, where substantial degradation of low-flow magnitude, duration, and seasonal structure was found.

Objective

• Investigate the effects of groundwater abstraction on environmental flow alteration in intensively irrigated basins

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: Watersheds at HUC-8 scale (approximately 10,000 to 100,000 km²)
• Temporal Scale: Monthly to annual time scales

Methodology and Data

• Models used: Coupled SWAT+ gwflow model
• Data sources:
  • Streamflow observations from USGS gauges
  • Groundwater head observations from USGS wells
  • Basin-scale evapotranspiration data from satellite-based products (e.g., MODIS)

Main Results

• Annual discharge volumes remain near stable, but substantial degradation occurs in low-flow magnitude, duration, and seasonal structure.
• Groundwater abstraction-induced baseflow reduction is the primary driver of low-flow collapse, particularly during the irrigation season.

Contributions

This study provides a transferable, process-oriented methodology for diagnosing groundwater-driven environmental flow alteration in intensively irrigated basins. The proposed framework offers a robust basis for evaluating sustainable groundwater-surface water management strategies under increasing water demand.

Funding

• National Science Foundation (NSF) grant number [insert]
• US Geological Survey (USGS) project number [insert]

Citation

@article{Abbas2026Detecting,
  author = {Abbas, Salam A. and Castellanos-Osorio, Gerardo and White, Jeremy T. and Senent‐Aparicio, Javier and Bailey, Ryan T.},
  title = {Detecting Hidden Environmental Flow Alteration in Groundwater‐Irrigated Basins},
  journal = {Hydrological Processes},
  year = {2026},
  doi = {10.1002/hyp.70626},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.70626}
}