Progress and Challenges in Quantifying Water Quality and Ecosystem Responses from Agricultural, Forestry, and Bioenergy Landscapes

Global development of the biofuel sector is proceeding rapidly. Biofuel feedstock continues to be produced from a variety of agricultural and forestry resources. Large-scale feedstock production for biofuels could change the landscape structure and affect water quantity, water quality, and ecosystem services in positive or negative ways. With rapid advancements in computation technologies and science, field- and watershed-scale models have become a vital tool for quantifying water quality and ecosystem responses to bioenergy landscape and management practices. This paper presents a brief review of the development and application of field- and watershed-scale models in quantifying water quality and management practices and then discusses a number of critical issues associated with applying these models. In conclusion, the paper identifies specific areas that need improvement and new capabilities for currently used models and addresses challenges in enhancing existing models or developing more sophisticated new models.