About

Laura Bowling is a Professor in the Department of Agricultural & Biological Engineering at Purdue University, with a courtesy appointment in Agronomy. Her areas of interest include Environmental and Natural Resources Engineering, Data Science, and Digital Agriculture. She is involved in research that focuses on environmental sustainability, natural resource management, and the application of data science techniques to agriculture. Her work contributes to advancing sustainable practices and improving the understanding of environmental impacts related to agricultural systems.

Research topics

• Ecology
• Geography
• Sociology
• Environmental science
• Biology
• Finance
• Geotechnical engineering
• Meteorology
• Economics
• Environmental planning
• Agroforestry
• Geology
• Environmental resource management
• Engineering
• Agronomy
• Business

Selected publications

• Impact of controlled drainage on subsurface drain flow and nitrate load: A synthesis of studies across the U.S. Midwest and Southeast

  Agricultural Water Management · 2021 · 49 citations

  • Environmental science
  • Ecology
  • Geology

  Controlled drainage (CD), sometimes called drainage water management, is a practice whereby the drainage system outflow is managed during specific periods to retain more water in the field. Although CD has been shown to reduce downstream nitrate-N (NO3--N) load, seasonal patterns have been less consistent which can potentially impact the effectiveness of conservation practices. The main objective of this study was to assess the regional and seasonal impact of conventional free drainage (FD) and CD on drainage flow and nitrate-N load. Using experimental data from ongoing and historical CD experiments across the Corn Belt and in North Carolina, we evaluated subsurface drain flow, nitrate-N load, and performance of CD systems. Across the data set and regions, there was little difference in annual flow from FD conditions. Seasonally, more northern and western sites experienced a greater percentage of the annual flow occurring in the spring. There was no nitrate-N concentration reduction with CD. Flow and nitrate-N load reductions with CD did not vary by plant hardiness zone across the region, but the season with the greatest reduction did shift from winter to spring moving north and west in the study area. Absolute flow reductions (in mm) were similar regardless of precipitation category. Consequently, the percent reduction was lower as the amount of precipitation (category) increased. Overall, this analysis found CD to be an effective practice for reducing drain flow and nitrate-N loading directly delivered by the drains to downstream water bodies across the region.

  PublisherDOI

• Outsourcing governance in Peru’s integrated water resources management

  Land Use Policy · 2020 · 29 citations

  • Sociology
  • Business
  • Environmental resource management

  Participatory water governance has become highly influential around the world as a means for managing water resources. Scholars and practitioners advocate for the inclusion of previously marginalized communities in water resources management through the devolution of power, responsibility, and participation. Where community institutions are weak or missing, experts recommend strengthening or re-building them to enable inclusive decision-making over water resources. Our study looks at devolution in a government-initiated integrated water resources management approach in the Caylloma Province, located in the department of Arequipa, Peru. We used process tracing to analyze 97 qualitative interview transcripts with crop farmers and pastoralists managing water for irrigation, interview transcripts with personnel in water management agencies, and field notes from participant observation in water-related meetings. We found that farmers had limited ability to participate in local institutions for water management due to market integration and labor migration, among other socioeconomic and political stressors. For this reason, transferring more water management responsibilities and decision-making power to community-level institutions without considering the factors that limit their sustainability over time is not necessarily feasible or even desirable by local communities. Instead, strengthening and streamlining intermediary and government institutions at regional scales may be more effective at addressing local needs in watershed management.

  DOI

• Agricultural impacts of climate change in Indiana and potential adaptations

  Climatic Change · 2020 · 45 citations

  1st authorCorresponding
  • Environmental science
  • Agronomy
  • Agroforestry
  PublisherDOI

Frequent coauthors

• Keith A. Cherkauer

  54 shared

• Jane Frankenberger

  43 shared

• Dennis P. Lettenmaier

  36 shared

• E. J. Kladivko

  Purdue University West Lafayette

  15 shared

• Bibi S. Naz

  Sphere Institute

  15 shared

• Srinivasulu Ale

  15 shared

• Fariborz Daneshvar

  15 shared

• Sadia Jame

  Purdue University West Lafayette

  14 shared

Education

• PhD, Civil and Environmental Engineering

  University of Washington

  2002

Similar researchers at Purdue University

• Masahiro Murakamih-100
• Zhixiang Chenh-87
• Anthony H Smithh-79
• Clint Chappleh-75
• Laurence B. Leonardh-74