Neonvaporeon t1_je2g4lv wrote
Reply to comment by Orffen in More Water Found on Moon, Locked in Tiny Glass Beads by LanceOhio
Acre-feet is an agricultural term so that's probably why you haven't heard of it. Feet of water is generally used to describe how much water a plant needs, acre-feet are how much water a crop needs (almonds need 4 acre-feet of water annually in California.)
Orffen t1_je2hoak wrote
But a foot is a measurement of length isn’t it? Why would you describe a volume of water using feet?
Neonvaporeon t1_je2ivgw wrote
Plants generally capture water through their roots which typically spread evenly in all directions, water travels down through the soil until it hits a ledge then travels along its path (called percolation.) That means a rough measure of the amount of water is plenty to guage requirements for shallow rooted plants, like most food crops. An acre is a measure of area and a foot is a measure of length, combined those give the 3 dimensions to make volume. Water is sold by volume, and for agricultural purposes that is the measure it is sold by to farms (typically.)
CaptainKink t1_je2j8ac wrote
One acre of land covered with water one foot deep. One step short of just calculating total volume. Much simpler to work with for the farmers.
warthog0869 t1_je2u2px wrote
Plus, if you don't build it within the acreage confines of the well-watered cornfields, Ray Liotta and them won't come.
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