How can SPARROW be applied to better understand future cropping patterns, such as increased corn production for biofuels?
A future use of the SPARROW model for the Mississippi and Atchafalaya River Basins is to predict the outcomes on water quality of production scenarios for biofuel crops. A recent (2007) colloquium held at the NAS-NRC identified possible future threats to water quality from biofuel crops if large expanses of land are converted from food crops with lower nutrient and water requirements to biofuel crops with higher nutrient and water requirements. Another risk to water quality identified in the NRC report is from the transfer of conservation reserve acres back into production for biofuel crops.
