If we go back in time twelve thousand years from the present, to a period marking the formation of the Puget Sound within the Pacific Northwest (PNW) region of North America, we see geo-climatic conditions drastically different from those predominating on Earth today. With one half of Earth's surface covered in ice, extensive glaciation  drove massive landscape alteration and mass extinction of biota. This glaciation progressed via a feedback loop of changing abiotic forces,including drastic reductions of mean global temperature.

Agriculture has been relied upon as a food source for humans for thousands of years. For much of that time, wheat has been one of the most important crops that people have grown. Wheat, like most crops, is reliant upon certain quantities of water to grow properly.

In a previous post, I explained that available evidence currently indicates nitrous oxide emissions may be fairly low in the inland Pacific Northwest, compared to other cropland agricultural systems in the U.S. and world. If ongoing research confirms these early results, then I suggested that efforts to reduce nitrous oxide emissions need to focus on strategies that offered strong co-benefits.