Assessing Water Retention Potential in Agricultural Drainage Systems in Lower Austria

作者：Katharina Fischer, Thomas Weninger, Abobakr Hussin, Thomas Brunner, Peter Strauß · 年份：2025 · DOI：10.5194/egusphere-egu25-16434 · 被引用次数：1 · 研究领域：Soil and Water Nutrient Dynamics、Irrigation Practices and Water Management、Soil erosion and sediment transport

Agricultural drainage systems have been widely implemented to enhance crop productivity by managing excess water. However, with increasing weather extremes, including prolonged droughts and heavy precipitation, drained areas face new challenges, including the need for irrigation and a critical reassessment of water retention capabilities. Despite the importance of these systems, the extent of drained agricultural land in Austria, particularly in Lower Austria, remains largely unknown. Therefore, quantitative knowledge about the agrohydrological potential of drainage water management in the complex landscapes of Austria are urgently demanded.This study aims to estimate the volume of water discharged through existing drainage infrastructure in agricultural regions of Lower Austria. By providing a foundational dataset, we seek to quantify the scale of drainage and evaluate its impact on soil water retention. The approach involves a two-step process. First, potentially drained agricultural areas are being identified by using existing resources such as the Austrian soil survey, cadastral soil assessments which provide spatial information on slope data, soil types, and land use.Secondly, a raster-based water balance model is employed, using meteorological data and literature-based assumptions that attribute certain fractions of total runoff to drainage discharge. The model produces monthly estimates of drainage, emphasizing water retention beyond the vegetation period. These result...