NUMERICAL MODELING OF THE HYDROLOGIC-AGRICULTURAL-ECONOMIC SYSTEM IN PUNJAB, INDIA: AN ANALYSIS AND REFLECTION ON INTERDISCIPLINARY MODELING FOR SUSTAINABILITY

open_access
Open Access
Author:
Nyblade, Madeline Louise
Area of Honors:
Geosciences
Degree:
Bachelor of Science
Document Type:
Thesis
Thesis Supervisors:
Tess Alethea Russo, Thesis Supervisor
Dr. Maureen Feineman, Thesis Honors Advisor
Keywords:
Hydrology
Sustainability
Numerical Modeling
Environmental Economics
Agricultural Modeling
Geology
Abstract:
Water is the lifeblood of our planet coursing through the water cycle veins, creating and destroying all things on the Earth’s surface. We do not know life without it; yet, we are depleting our freshwater reserves in glaciers, groundwater, and surface water through greenhouse gas emissions, irrigation overdraft, and pollution. As the human population grows, climate stability plummets, and ecosystems collapse, we face a water crisis for ourselves, for future generations, and for our interdependent natural community. This global, intractable problem requires an integration of thought across all knowledge. No complete solution of equitable sustainability exists, but I believe experts and local communities can make progress by working alongside one and other. This thesis is an exploration of this process. Tess Russo, Kate Zipp, Ludmil Zikatanov and I have explored the extreme groundwater overdraft in Punjab, India through interdisciplinary modeling encompassing the fields of hydrology, mathematics, and economics. This model will be used to assess and optimize crop choice scenarios based on farmer welfare, food production, and hydrologic system constraints. The results can be used to further understand the hydrologic system response to government policies and climate change, and to assess the effectiveness of possible water conservation solutions. This thesis is an analysis of the complex system and model, a reflection on all that I have learned, and the questions I have yet to answer.