Will increasingly efficient irrigation accelerate regional warming?

The main objective of this project is to examine the potential impact of increasing irrigation efficiency on regional warming. The study proposes to enhance the representation of irrigation in the Community Land Model (CLM) and integrate it within the high-resolution Community Earth System Model (CESM). Unlike previous research, this approach accounts for atmospheric feedbacks, enabling a more accurate assessment. The project outlines four research goals: improving irrigation parameterization in CLM5, evaluating the added value of realistic irrigation in climate modeling, assessing the influence of irrigation on climate extremes, and projecting the impact of changing irrigation practices on future climate extremes in regions facing water scarcity. By conducting ensemble simulations and analyzing observational data, the study aims to identify regions vulnerable to climate extremes while exploring the potential acceleration of warming in response to efficient irrigation.