Water Resources Research Act Program

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Details for Project ID NE_2024_Katimbo

Physics-based crop, soil, and groundwater modeling of nitrate transport to understand and manage groundwater contamination in agricultural regions

Institute: Nebraska
USGS Grant Number:
Year Established: 2024 Start Date: 2025-01-01 End Date: 2027-12-31
Total Federal Funds: $310,000 Total Non-Federal Funds: $310,002

Principal Investigators: Abia Katimbo

Project Summary: Nitrate contamination is a critical issue in agricultural regions due to fertilizer applications. Managing nitrate contamination requires an understanding of crop N uptake and transport in soil and groundwater. Currently, no process-based models can simulate all these aspects. The proposed project aims to integrate existing models (USGS MODFLOW6 and 2DSOIL-based crop models) to develop a model that simulates N uptake, transport, and transformation through the root zone, vadose zone, and groundwater. The model will be applied in agricultural regions to simulate N movement in both shallow and deep vadose zones and to identify strategies that minimize N contamination in groundwater. By incorporating robust cropping system components into the USGS MODFLOW6, the project will offer a realistic representation of N dynamics, helping farmers and conservation agencies, such as NRDs, to minimize N contamination in groundwater while supporting agricultural profitability.