The video, part of a series "Tackling Global Challenges with GIS," presents research on the spatial and temporal relationship between groundwater pumping for frost-freeze protection of winter strawberry crops and the subsequent occurrence of sinkholes and dry-well complaints in West Central Florida. Researchers utilized Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to analyze data over a 25-year period, comparing two cold years with a warm year to establish a strong correlation between water extraction, minimum temperatures, and subsidence incidents. The study concludes that sinkholes increase significantly when temperatures drop below 41°F and water levels decrease by more than 20 feet, and it also assesses the economic feasibility of using alternative crop protection methods versus the costs associated with repairing dry wells. Overall, the findings suggest the need for comprehensive water management plans in agricultural areas relying on large-scale groundwater abstraction.
In this podcast the spatial and temporal relationship between groundwater pumping for frost-freeze protection of winter strawberry crops and the subsequent occurrence of sinkholes and dry-well complaints in West Central Florida are discussed. Researchers utilized Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to analyze data over a 25-year period, comparing two cold years with a warm year to establish a strong correlation between water extraction, minimum temperatures, and subsidence incidents. The study concludes that sinkholes increase significantly when temperatures drop below 41°F and water levels decrease by more than 20 feet, and it also assesses the economic feasibility of using alternative crop protection methods versus the costs associated with repairing dry wells. Overall, the findings suggest the need for comprehensive water management plans in agricultural areas relying on large-scale groundwater abstraction.
Source:
Aurit, M., Peterson, R.O., Blanford J.I. (2013) A GIS analysis of the relationship between sinkholes, dry-well complaints and groundwater pumping for frost-freeze protection of winter strawberry production in Florida. PLoS One. 8(1). https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0053832