Lawns single largest irrigated
For tips on wise lawn watering tailored to local climate and environmental conditions, lawn expert Cristina Milesi suggests visiting the website of your local water department. For online information on how to maintain an environmentally friendly lawn, Milesi recommends a web site called Yard Care and the Environment.
DB: This is Earth and Sky, speaking to Cristina Milesi at Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, California.
JB: Since 2003, Milesi has used satellite data and high-resolution aerial photography to calculate how much of the U.S. is covered by lawns – from those in people’s yards to commercial lawns and golf courses.
DB: Demographic trends in the U.S. indicate that, along with growing population, Americans are increasingly moving into suburbia. According to the Census Bureau, in the year 2000, half of the U.S. population lived in suburbs. Milesi discovered that, in terms of surface area, U.S. lawns cover three times more land area than irrigated corn. From coast to coast, she said, lawns in the U.S. cover 40 million acres.
JB: Milesi wants to understand the impact of all that grass. She used computer models to calculate whether lawns are effective at taking carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, out of the atmosphere. That’s called “carbon sequestration.”
Cristina Milesi: I found out that if they are highly fertilized and irrigated, they are excellent systems for sequestering carbon.
DB: But, Milesi said, in many places, people’s lawns have a heavy impact on already pressured fresh water supplies. According to Milesi, lawns are today the single largest irrigated crop in the U.S.
JB: Our thanks today to NASA: explore, discover, understand. We’re Block and Byrd for Earth and Sky.
For online information on how to maintain an environmentally friendly lawn, Milesi recommends Yard Care and the Environment
For tips on wise lawn watering tailored to local climate and environmental conditions, Milesi suggests visiting the website of your local water department. A local water department is likely to provide seasonally adjusted irrigation schedules based on local turf water requirements and other important watering tips.
For more from Cristina Milesi, see an online feature from NASA: Looking for Lawns.
Our thanks to:
Cristina Milesi
Research Scientist
Foundation of California State University
Monterey Bay
Earth Science Division
NASA Ames Research Center
Moffett Field, CA
Additional Teacher Resources
Agricultural Research: Are Gold Courses Holding the Carbon? Turfgrass as a ‘Sink’ for C02
Next time you see Tiger Woods drive a golf ball 300-plus yards or Annika Sorenstam drain a 15-foot putt, take a look at what is under their feet. The beautifully manicured tees, fairways, and greens are not only helping the golfers enjoy their round, but are also helping the environment. That is because the turfgrass used for golf courses—and elsewhere—may help rid the atmosphere of carbon dioxide by capturing C02 through photosynthesis and sequestering some of it in the soil.
U.S. Department of Energy: Carbon Sequestration Overview
Fossil fuels will remain the mainstay of energy production well into the 21st century. Availability of these fuels to provide clean, affordable energy is essential for the prosperity and security of the United States. However, increased concentrations of carbon dioxide (CO2) due to carbon emissions are expected unless energy systems reduce the carbon emissions to the atmosphere.
