Water scarcity is a critical issue in Jordan and water demands currently exceed available water resources. The conflict between the need for agricultural irrigation water and non-agricultural water uses has led the Jordanian Ministry of Water & Irrigation (MWI) to implement a demand-based water management system. This approach has necessitated a more detailed understanding of the agricultural water use to ensure that the proper amount of water is provided for farming.
The objective is to develop a water balance model to assist in optimizing water resource utilization for irrigation in the Jordan Valley. This effort will integrate in situ and remote sensing observations and hydrological modeling in a GIS-based framework. The framework will integrate spatially distributed data as well as temporal variation to provide a platform for near real-time modeling.
This project will be a continuation of my work at the University of Florida Research Experience for Undergraduates program during summer 2012.