An ecohydrological approach to conserving urban water through optimized landscape irrigation schedules

Volo, T. J.; Vivoni, Enrique R.; Ruddell, Benjamin L.

doi:10.1016/j.landurbplan.2014.09.012

Cited by 23 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 13 publications

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“…Furthermore, while irrigation frequency/amount is likely to be significantly lower in mature water-efficient yards, landscapes are frequently irrigated during shrub establishment (Erickson et al 2001). Additionally, the high SM we measured in water-efficient yards (∼10%) likely exceeds plant requirements, which corroborates other studies that suggest landscape over-watering is common (Volo et al 2015). In order to prevent the accumulation of available -NO 3 -N in lawn-alternative landscapes and mitigate the potential for negative water quality, we recommend that future research should develop best management practices and explore the outcomes of residential land cover change.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 88%

Elevated soil nitrogen pools after conversion of turfgrass to water-efficient residential landscapes

Heavenrich

Hall

2016

Environ. Res. Lett.

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As a result of uncertain resource availability and growing populations, city managers are implementing conservation plans that aim to provide services for people while reducing household resource use. For example, in the US, municipalities are incentivizing homeowners to replace their water-intensive turfgrass lawns with water-efficient landscapes consisting of interspersed drought-tolerant shrubs and trees with rock or mulch groundcover (e.g. xeriscapes, rain gardens, water-wise landscapes). While these strategies are likely to reduce water demand, the consequences for other ecosystem services are unclear. Previous studies in controlled, experimental landscapes have shown that conversion from turfgrass to shrubs may lead to high rates of nutrient leaching from soils. However, little is known about the longterm biogeochemical consequences of this increasingly common land cover change across diverse homeowner management practices. We explored the fate of soil nitrogen (N) across a chronosequence of land cover change from turfgrass to water-efficient landscapes in privately owned yards in metropolitan Phoenix, Arizona, in the arid US Southwest. Soil nitrate ( -NO 3 -N) pools were four times larger in water-efficient landscapes (25±4 kg -NO 3 -N/ha; 0-45 cm depth) compared to turfgrass lawns (6±7 kg -NO 3 -N/ha). Soil -NO 3 -N also varied significantly with time since landscape conversion; the largest pools occurred at 9-13 years after turfgrass removal and declined to levels comparable to turfgrass thereafter. Variation in soil -NO 3 -N with landscape age was strongly influenced by management practices related to soil water availability, including shrub cover, sub-surface plastic sheeting, and irrigation frequency. Our findings show that transitioning from turfgrass to water-efficient residential landscaping can lead to an accumulation of -NO 3 -N that may be lost from the plant rooting zone over time following irrigation or rainfall. These results have implications for best management practices to optimize the benefits of water-conserving landscapes while protecting water quality.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 88%

Elevated soil nitrogen pools after conversion of turfgrass to water-efficient residential landscapes

Heavenrich

Hall

2016

Environ. Res. Lett.

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“…Urban land use typically exemplifies a shift to impervious land cover, including concrete, asphalt, gravel cover, and buildings, and landscaping that involves native and nonnative plants (e.g., Cook et al, 2012;Grimm et al, 2008;Wu et al, 2011). The outdoor water supporting urban vegetation in arid regions where precipitation is infrequent, for instance, promotes a higher degree of plant biodiversity (Buyantuyev & Wu, 2012;Hope et al, 2003), improves the local thermal comfort (Gober et al, 2010;Song & Wang, 2015), affects the soil water balance (Volo et al, , 2015, and induces higher evaporative losses (Liang et al, 2017;Litvak et al, 2017). Modeling studies have also shown that the material, thermal, and hydrologic properties of urban surfaces, such as roofs, green spaces, and buildings, impact energy and water exchanges with the atmosphere (e.g., Arnfield, 2003;Benson-Lira et al, 2016;Georgescu et al, 2009;Grimmond & Oke, 2002;Grimmond et al, 2010;Lee et al, 2012;Shaffer et al, 2015;Yang et al, 2016).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Quantifying Water and Energy Fluxes Over Different Urban Land Covers in Phoenix, Arizona

et al. 2018

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The impact of urbanization on water and energy fluxes varies according to the characteristics of the urban patch type. Nevertheless, urban flux observations are limited, particularly in arid climates, given the wide variety of land cover present in cities. To help address this need, a mobile eddy covariance tower was deployed at three locations in Phoenix, Arizona, to sample the surface energy balance at a parking lot, a xeric landscaping (irrigated trees with gravel) and a mesic landscaping (irrigated turf grass). These deployments were compared to a stationary eddy covariance tower in a suburban neighborhood. A comparison of the observations revealed key differences between the mobile and reference sites tied to the urban land cover within the measurement footprints. For instance, the net radiation varied substantially among the sites in manners consistent with albedo and shallow soil temperature differences. The partitioning of available energy between sensible and latent heat fluxes was modulated strongly by the presence of outdoor water use, with the irrigated turf grass exhibiting the highest evaporative fraction. At this site, we identified a lack of sensitivity of turbulent flux partitioning to precipitation events, which suggests that frequent outdoor water use removes water limitations in an arid climate, thus leading to mesic conditions. Other urban land covers with less irrigation, however, exhibited sensitivity to the occurrence of precipitation, as expected for an arid climate. As a result, quantifying the frequency and magnitude of outdoor water use is critical for understanding evapotranspiration losses in arid urban areas.

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“…, Volo et al. ). Turf scientists’ recommendations were developed for the best‐predicted establishment and performance of turf based on climate, as well as other factors (e.g., light).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…While MAT was a strong predictor of C 4 lawn cover across these cities (Fig. 2), C 4 lawn cover was not related to mean annual precipitation across these cities (P > 0.10) indicating that irrigation inputs in the warm arid cities provide ample water for plant growth (Collatz et al 1998, Romero and Dukes 2013, Wang et al 2014, Volo et al 2015. Turf scientists' recommendations were developed for the best-predicted establishment and performance of turf based on climate, as well as other factors (e.g., light).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Climate and lawn management interact to control C₄ plant distribution in residential lawns across seven U.S. cities

Trammell

Pataki

Still

et al. 2019

Ecological Applications

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In natural grasslands, C4 plant dominance increases with growing season temperatures and reflects distinct differences in plant growth rates and water use efficiencies of C3 vs. C4 photosynthetic pathways. However, in lawns, management decisions influence interactions between planted turfgrass and weed species, leading to some uncertainty about the degree of human vs. climatic controls on lawn species distributions. We measured herbaceous plant carbon isotope ratios (δ13C, index of C3/C4 relative abundance) and C4 cover in residential lawns across seven U.S. cities to determine how climate, lawn plant management, or interactions between climate and plant management influenced C4 lawn cover. We also calculated theoretical C4 carbon gain predicted by a plant physiological model as an index of expected C4 cover due to growing season climatic conditions in each city. Contrary to theoretical predictions, plant δ13C and C4 cover in urban lawns were more strongly related to mean annual temperature than to growing season temperature. Wintertime temperatures influenced the distribution of C4 lawn turf plants, contrary to natural ecosystems where growing season temperatures primarily drive C4 distributions. C4 cover in lawns was greatest in the three warmest cities, due to an interaction between climate and homeowner plant management (e.g., planting C4 turf species) in these cities. The proportion of C4 lawn species was similar to the proportion of C4 species in the regional grass flora. However, the majority of C4 species were nonnative turf grasses, and not of regional origin. While temperature was a strong control on lawn species composition across the United States, cities differed as to whether these patterns were driven by cultivated lawn grasses vs. weedy species. In some cities, biotic interactions with weedy plants appeared to dominate, while in other cities, C4 plants were predominantly imported and cultivated. Elevated CO2 and temperature in cities can influence C3/C4 competitive outcomes; however, this study provides evidence that climate and plant management dynamics influence biogeography and ecology of C3/C4 plants in lawns. Their differing water and nutrient use efficiency may have substantial impacts on carbon, water, energy, and nutrient budgets across cities.

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An ecohydrological approach to conserving urban water through optimized landscape irrigation schedules

Cited by 23 publications

References 13 publications

Elevated soil nitrogen pools after conversion of turfgrass to water-efficient residential landscapes

Elevated soil nitrogen pools after conversion of turfgrass to water-efficient residential landscapes

Quantifying Water and Energy Fluxes Over Different Urban Land Covers in Phoenix, Arizona

Climate and lawn management interact to control C₄ plant distribution in residential lawns across seven U.S. cities

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An ecohydrological approach to conserving urban water through optimized landscape irrigation schedules

Cited by 23 publications

References 13 publications

Elevated soil nitrogen pools after conversion of turfgrass to water-efficient residential landscapes

Elevated soil nitrogen pools after conversion of turfgrass to water-efficient residential landscapes

Quantifying Water and Energy Fluxes Over Different Urban Land Covers in Phoenix, Arizona

Climate and lawn management interact to control C4 plant distribution in residential lawns across seven U.S. cities

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Product

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Climate and lawn management interact to control C₄ plant distribution in residential lawns across seven U.S. cities