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The state of water resources in major Mediterranean islands

  • Water Resources and the Regime of Water Bodies
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Abstract

This work analyses the state of water resources in six Mediterranean islands: Corsica, Crete, Cyprus, Mallorca, Malta and Sicily. The analysis is focused on the prevailing social, economic and hydroclimatological characteristics of these islands in order to identify the main common features affecting water availability, demand and use. A detailed analysis of the state of water resources in all the considered islands has been carried out. A background of current conditions relating to freshwater availability, quality and use has been established. Different strategies to face water scarcity and enhance water quality in theislands have been assessed in a context of climate change which is a common threat. The identification of similar problems for all the islands highlights the importance of strengthening inter-islands co-operation in the field of sustainable water resources management.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dipartimento di Ingegneria Civile, Ambientale, Aerospaziale e dei Materiali, Università degli Studi di Palermo, Viale delle Scienze, Ed. 8, Palermo, 90128, Italy

    Francesco Viola

  2. Sustainable Energy and Water Conservation Unit, Ministry for Energy and Health, Valletta, Malta

    Manuel Sapiano, Michael Schembri & Clive Brincat

  3. National Research Council, Water Research Institute, Via F. De Blasio 5, Bari, 70132, Italy

    Antonio Lopez

  4. Department of Agri-Food and Environmental Systems Management, University of Catania, Via s. Sofia 100, Catania, 95123, Italy

    Attilio Toscano

  5. Department of Environmental Engineering, Technical University of Crete, Chania, Greece

    Evan Diamadopoulos

  6. Strategic Advisors, Lemesos (Cyprus), J2C Water Ltd., Geneva, Switzerland

    Bambos Charalambous

  7. Irtsea, UMR-GEAU, 3275 route Cezanne, CS 40061, 13182, AIX EN PROVENCE Cedex 5, France

    Bruno Molle

  8. Municipal Enterprise for Water and Sewage of Chania, 15 Megistis Lavras str., Mournies, Chania, 73300, Crete, Greece

    Michael Zoumadakis

  9. Soil Science Laboratory, Faculty of Pharmacy, Av. Joan XXIII s/n, Barcelona, 08028, Spain

    Antonina Torrens Armengol

  10. AQUALOGY Medio Ambiente S.A.U. Mallorca, Avda. Diagonal 211, Torre Agbar, Barcelona, 08018, Spain

    Margarita Gallinas Vich

  11. Regione Siciliana, Dipartimento Acqua e Rifiuti, Osservatorio delle Acque, via G., Bonsignore 1, Palermo, 90135, Italy

    Maria Teresa Noto

Authors
  1. Francesco Viola
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  2. Manuel Sapiano
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  3. Michael Schembri
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  4. Clive Brincat
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  5. Antonio Lopez
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  6. Attilio Toscano
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  7. Evan Diamadopoulos
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  8. Bambos Charalambous
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  9. Bruno Molle
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  10. Michael Zoumadakis
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  11. Antonina Torrens Armengol
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  12. Margarita Gallinas Vich
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  13. Maria Teresa Noto
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Francesco Viola.

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Viola, F., Sapiano, M., Schembri, M. et al. The state of water resources in major Mediterranean islands. Water Resour 41, 639–648 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1134/S0097807814060207

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1134/S0097807814060207

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