Irrigation Water Use, the USGS Water Science School Think of what your supper table might be like if water was not used to irrigate crops. Do you think you could survive very long without heaping servings of eggplant, beets, brussels sprouts, and rutabagas? Irrigation water is essential for keeping fruits, vegetables, and grains growing to feed the world's population, and this has been a constant for thousands of years. Throughout the world, irrigation (water for agriculture, or growing crops) is probably the most important use of water (except for drinking and washing a smelly dog, perhaps). Estimates vary, but about 70 percent of all the world's freshwater withdrawals go towards irrigation uses ( Large-scale farming could not provide food for the world's large populations without the irrigation of crop fields by water gotten from rivers, lakes, reservoirs, and wells. Center-pivot irrigation circles, Finney County, Kansas. View full size Irrigation water use, 2000
International Biochar Initiative | International Biochar Initiative Soil Data Mart - Home. agricultural irrigation pipe, View agricultural irrigation pipe, Product Details from Dalian CIM Co., Ltd. on Alibaba.com 1 pipelines feature 3 mm thick wallls 2Sprinkler outlets are formed as an integral part of thr pipeline 3 hot dip galvanized Standard IRRIGRAIN pipelines feature 3 mm thick walls, providing additional strength stability to each span. Available sizes include:5 9/16 inch,6 5/8 inch, 8 inch. Soil An important factor influencing the productivity of our planet's various ecosystems is the nature of their soils. Soils are vital for the existence of many forms of life that have evolved on our planet. For example, soils provide vascular plants with a medium for growth and supply these organisms with most of their nutritional requirements. Figure 1: Most soils contain four basic components: mineral particles, water, air, and organic matter. Soil itself is very complex. Organic Activity A mass of mineral particles alone do not constitute a true soil. Humus is the biochemical substance that makes the upper layers of the soil become dark. It enhances a soil's ability to hold and store moisture. Organic activity is usually profuse in the near surface layers of a soil. Translocation When water moves downward into the soil, it causes both mechanical and chemical translocations of material. Soil Texture Clay is probably the most important type of mineral particle found in a soil. Soil pH
GIS Data All data is in the ArcView shape file formats. Files are compressed using gzip or WinZip utilities (both can be uncompressed using WinZip). Shape files may be viewed using ESRI's free viewing software, ArcExplorer. For a sample image of each dataset, click on the thumbnail image next to the description of the dataset. Energy Resource Data State Submerged Lands State-owned tracts in offshore waters and coastal bays. Oil & Gas Leases Oil and Gas Leases managed by the Texas General Land Office. Oil & Gas Lease Sale Nominations Nominations for the upcoming oil/gas sealed bid lease sale (tracts located in bays and the Gulf of Mexico). Oil & Gas Pooling Agreements/Units Oil and Gas pooling agreements managed by the Texas General Land Office. Professional Services Data Coastal Leases (Point Locations) Locations of structures and activities permitted by the GLO within state-owned land and waters. Coastal Leases (Polygonal Locations) Pipelines and Miscellaneous Easements Oil Spill/Coastal Response Data
Method and means for reducing stress in a pivot irrigation pipeline - Valmont Industries, Inc. 1. Field of the Invention This invention relates to a method and means for reducing stress in a pivot irrigation pipeline and more particularly to a method and means for reducing stress in a pivot irrigation pipeline by allowing the pipeline to separate while maintaining the same in proper alignment to facilitate reconnection. 2. Center pivot irrigation systems comprise a center pivot structure having an elongated water pipeline extending outwardly therefrom which is supported upon a plurality of spaced-apart drive towers. A method and means is described for reducing stress in a pivot irrigation system by allowing the pipeline to separate from the center pivot structure during periods of cooler temperatures. It is therefore a principal object of the invention to provide a method and means for reducing stress in a pivot irrigation pipeline when cooler temperatures are experienced. These and other objects will be apparent to those skilled in the art. FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 2; and
BBC News | SCI/TECH | Soil loss threatens food prospects By environment correspondent Alex Kirby Scientists say impoverishment of the soil is a major threat to the Earth's ability to feed itself. They have found that nearly 40% of the world's agricultural land is seriously degraded. The damage has already had "a significant impact" on the productivity of about 16% of the planet's farmland. And its economic and social effects have been much more significant in developing countries than in rich ones. The scientists, from the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), analysed the world's agro-ecosystem using data from satellites, maps and tabular data sets. Multiple causes Working with colleagues from the World Resources Institute (WRI), they formed part of a larger international initiative, the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment. They say the seriously degraded areas include 75% of central America's cropland, 20% of Africa's, and 11% of Asia's. erosion, two-thirds of it caused by water and the rest by wind. Remedies possible
ARL Technology | U.S. Army Research Laboratory The Soldiers of today and tomorrow depend on the Army's corporate laboratory to deliver the scientific discoveries, technological advances, and the analyses that provide warfighters with the capabilities with which to execute full-spectrum operations. The U.S. Army Research Laboratory's (ARL) investment portfolio is focused on maturing technologies for transition principally to the Research, Development, and Engineering Centers (RDECs), but also to our other partners in the Army Transformation Program Executive Office/Program Managers (PEOs/PMs), the Army Test and Evaluation Center (ATEC), the Training & Doctrine Command (TRADOC) Battle Labs, the other services, and the private sector. Extramural Basic Research <more> Computing Science Chemistry Electronics Environmental Sciences Life Sciences Network Science Materials Sciences Mathematics Mechanical Sciences Physics Human Dimension <more> Lethality <more> Mobility and Logistics <more> Networks <more> Power and Energy <more> Protection <more>
Valley Center Pivot choices | Valley Irrigation Center pivots in Phoenix, AZ From the pivot point to the last span, Valley center pivots are engineered, constructed, and field-tested to handle the operating stresses they may experience. Our standard hot-dip galvanized pipe provides corrosion protection for long life. Since 1954, Valley Irrigation has provided you with a center pivot that fits your needs. Land degradation causes $10 billion loss to South Asia annually Land degradation causes $10 billion loss to South Asia annually The environmental impact on the countries of the South by soil erosion and other forms of land degradation is all too familiar. A recent United Nations study shows the high economic cost of such land degradations to the South Asian countries. By Maritin Khor SOIL is one of the most vital of our natural resources. Together with water and air, it forms the very basis of life. Indeed, there is a thesis, quite difficult to refute, that the rise and fall of civilisations in history can be linked to the quality and management of their soil and land. For from the soil comes food and other crops and plants that provide medicine, clothing and so many other things we need for daily life. And the retention of soil in its natural state and habitat prevents erosion, river silting and flooding. When land is disturbed or degraded, the ecology is damaged. Environmentalists are familiar with the above cause-and-effect scenario. Widespread