Development of an interactive model predicting climatological and cultural influences on annual groundwater volume in the Mississippi Delta shallow alluvial aquifer

Water volume in the shallow alluvial aquifer in the Mississippi Delta region is subject to seasonal declines and annual fluctuations caused by both climatological variability and crop water use variations from year-to-year. The most recently documented water volume decline in the aquifer is estimated at 500,000 acre-feet. Available climate, crop acreage, irrigation water use, and groundwater decline data from Sunflower County, MS are used to evaluate the climate-groundwater interactions in the Mississippi Delta region. This research produced a model that simulates the effects of climatic variability, crop acreage changes, and specific irrigation methods on consequent variations in the water volume in the aquifer. Climatic variability is accounted for in the model by predicative equations that relate annual measured plant water use (irrigation) to growing season precipitation amounts. This derived relationship allows the application of a long-term climatological record to simulate the cumulative impact of climate on groundwater used for irrigation.