title: Bioenergy Development Policy and Practice Must Recognize Potential Hydrologic Impacts: Lessons from the Americas.
abstract: Large-scale bioenergy production will affect the hydrologic cycle in multiple ways, including changes in canopy interception, evapotranspiration, infiltration, and the quantity and quality of surface runoff and groundwater recharge. As such, the water footprints of bioenergy sources vary significantly by type of feedstock, soil characteristics, cultivation practices, and hydro-climatic regime. Furthermore, water management implications of bioenergy production depend on existing land use, relative water availability, and competing water uses at a watershed scale. This paper reviews previous research on the water resource impacts of bioenergy production-from plot-scale hydrologic and nutrient cycling impacts to watershed and regional scale hydro-economic systems relationships. Primary gaps in knowledge that hinder policy development for integrated management of water-bioenergy systems are highlighted. Four case studies in the Americas are analyzed to illustrate relevant spatial and temporal scales for impact assessment, along with unique aspects of biofuel production compared to other agroforestry systems, such as energy-related conflicts and tradeoffs. Based on the case studies, the potential benefits of integrated resource management are assessed, as is the need for further case-specific research.
authors: Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Michigan Technological University, Houghton, MI, USA. dwatkins@mtu.edu.
authors: David W
authors: DW
authors: Watkins
authors: Department of Economics, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Recife, Brazil.
authors: Márcia M G Alcoforado
authors: MM
authors: de Moraes
authors: Department of Natural Resources and Environment, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH, USA.
authors: Heidi
authors: H
authors: Asbjornsen
authors: Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Michigan Technological University, Houghton, MI, USA.
authors: Alex S
authors: AS
authors: Mayer
authors: Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuraria, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
authors: Julian
authors: J
authors: Licata
authors: Department of Natural Resources and Environment, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH, USA.
authors: Jose Gutierrez
authors: JG
authors: Lopez
authors: Department of Natural Resource Science, Thompson Rivers University, Kamloops, BC, Canada.
authors: Thomas G
authors: TG
authors: Pypker
authors: Department of Civil, Environmental, and Sustainable Engineering, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA.
authors: Vivianna Gamez
authors: VG
authors: Molina
authors: Department of Civil Engineering, Instituto de Pesquisas Hidráulicas (IPH), Universidade Federal Do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil.
authors: Guilherme Fernandes
authors: GF
authors: Marques
authors: Department of Economics, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Recife, Brazil.
authors: Ana Cristina Guimaraes
authors: AC
authors: Carneiro
authors: Department of Economics, Centro de Investigación y Docencia Económicas (CIDE), Aguascalientes, Mexico.
authors: Hector M
authors: HM
authors: Nuñez
authors: Department of Agricultural and Consumer Economics, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL, USA.
authors: Hayri
authors: H
authors: Önal
authors: Department of Economics, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Recife, Brazil.
authors: Bruna
authors: B
authors: da Nobrega Germano
mesh_terms: D000383:Agriculture / Q000379:methods / Q000639:trends; D000569:Americas; D056804:Biofuels; D003246:Conservation of Energy Resources / Q000639:trends*; D058735:Environmental Policy; D060587:Groundwater / Q000737:chemistry; D045483:Rivers / Q000737:chemistry; D012987:Soil; D014867:Water / Q000737:chemistry; D058438:Water Cycle; D014872:Water Movements; D060753:Water Quality
chemical_list: D056804:Biofuels; D012987:Soil; D014867:Water
keywords: Eco-hydrology; Hydro-economic modeling; Integrated assessment; Second-generation biofuels; Water quality