Land-Use Change and Future Water Demand in California’s Central Coast
Tamara S. Wilson,
Nathan D. Van Schmidt and
Ruth Langridge
Additional contact information
Tamara S. Wilson: U.S. Geological Survey, Western Geographic Science Center, P.O. Box 158, Moffett Field, CA 94035, USA
Nathan D. Van Schmidt: Social Sciences Division, University of California, Santa Cruz, 1156 High Street, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
Ruth Langridge: Social Sciences Division, University of California, Santa Cruz, 1156 High Street, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
Land, 2020, vol. 9, issue 9, 1-21
Abstract:
Understanding future land-use related water demand is important for planners and resource managers in identifying potential shortages and crafting mitigation strategies. This is especially the case for regions dependent on limited local groundwater supplies. For the groundwater dependent Central Coast of California, we developed two scenarios of future land use and water demand based on sampling from a historical land change record: a business-as-usual scenario (BAU; 1992–2016) and a recent-modern scenario (RM; 2002–2016). We modeled the scenarios in the stochastic, empirically based, spatially explicit LUCAS state-and-transition simulation model at a high resolution (270-m) for the years 2001–2100 across 10 Monte Carlo simulations, applying current land zoning restrictions. Under the BAU scenario, regional water demand increased by an estimated ~222.7 Mm 3 by 2100, driven by the continuation of perennial cropland expansion as well as higher than modern urbanization rates. Since 2000, mandates have been in place restricting new development unless adequate water resources could be identified. Despite these restrictions, water demand dramatically increased in the RM scenario by 310.6 Mm 3 by century’s end, driven by the projected continuation of dramatic orchard and vineyard expansion trends. Overall, increased perennial cropland leads to a near doubling to tripling perennial water demand by 2100. Our scenario projections can provide water managers and policy makers with information on diverging land use and water use futures based on observed land change and water use trends, helping to better inform land and resource management decisions.
Keywords: land use; land cover; land change modeling; water demand; water use; California; Central Coast; state-and-transition simulation modeling; LUCAS model (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jlands:v:9:y:2020:i:9:p:322-:d:413122
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