Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Climate change and the water cycle in newly irrigated areas

  • Published:
Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Climate change is affecting agriculture doubly: evapotranspiration is increasing due to increments in temperature while the availability of water resources is decreasing. Furthermore, irrigated areas are expanding worldwide. In this study, the dynamics of climate change impacts on the water cycle of a newly irrigated watershed are studied through the calculation of soil water balances. The study area was a 752-ha watershed located on the left side of the Ebro river valley, in Northeast Spain. The soil water balance procedures were carried out throughout 1827 consecutive days (5 years) of hydrological and agronomical monitoring in the study area. Daily data from two agroclimatic stations were used as well. Evaluation of the impact of climate change on the water cycle considered the creation of two future climate scenarios for comparison: 2070 decade with climate change and 2070 decade without climate change. The main indicators studied were precipitation, irrigation, reference evapotranspiration, actual evapotranspiration, drainage from the watershed, and irrigation losses. The aridity index was also applied. The results represent a baseline scenario in which adaptation measures may be included and tested to reduce the impacts of climate change in the studied area and other similar areas.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Abrahao, R., Causapé, J., García-Garizábal, I., & Merchán, D. (2011a). Implementing irrigation: water balances and irrigation quality in the Lerma basin (Spain). Agricultural Water Management, 102(1), 97–104.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Abrahao, R., Causapé, J., García-Garizábal, I., & Merchán, D. (2011b). Implementing irrigation: Salt and nitrate exported from the Lerma basin (Spain). Agricultural Water Management, 102(1), 105–112.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Allen, R., Pereira, L., Raes, D., Smith, M. (1998). Crop evapotranspiration. Guidelines for computing crop water requirements. FAO.

  • Causapé, J., Quílez, D., & Aragués, R. (2004). Assessment of irrigation and environmental quality at the hydrological basin level I. Irrigation quality. Agricultural Water Management, 70(3), 195–209.

    Google Scholar 

  • Causapé, J., Quílez, D., & Aragués, R. (2006). Irrigation efficiency and quality of irrigation return flows in the Ebro River Basin: an overview. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, 117(1–3), 451–461.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Causapé, J. (2009). A computer-based program for the assessment of water-induced contamination in irrigated lands. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, 158(1–4), 307–314.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Charbonneau, R., & Kondolf, G. M. (1993). Land use change in California, USA: nonpoint source water quality impacts. Environmental Management, 17(4), 453–460.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • García-Garizábal, I., Causapé, J., & Abrahao, R. (2011). Application of the irrigation land environmental evaluation tool for flood irrigation management and evaluation of water use. Catena, 87(2), 260–267.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • García-Ruiz, J. M., López-Moreno, J. I., Vicente-Serrano, S. M., Lasanta-Martínez, T., & Beguería, S. (2011). Mediterranean water resources in a global change scenario. Earth-Science Reviews, 105(3–4), 121–139.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • IPCC (1998). The regional impacts of climate change. An assessment of vulnerability. Cambridge University Press.

  • IPCC (2007). Climate Change 2007: The physical science basis. Contribution of Working Group I to the Fourth Assessment Report of the IPCC. Cambridge University Press.

  • IPCC (2012). Managing the risks of extreme events and disasters to advance climate change adaptation. Special report of working groups I and II of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Cambridge University Press.

  • Martínez-Cob, A. (2004). Revisión de las necesidades hídricas netas de los cultivos de la cuenca del Ebro. CHE internal document.

  • Merchán, D., Causapé, J., & Abrahao, R. (2013). Impact of irrigation implementation on hydrology and water quality in a small agricultural basin in Spain. Hydrological Sciences Journal, 58(7), 1400–1413.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Playán, E., Salvador, R., Faci, J. M., Zapata, N., Martínez-Cob, A., & Sánchez, I. (2005). Day and night wind drift and evaporation losses in sprinkler solid-sets and moving laterals. Agricultural Water Management, 76(3), 139–159.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • UN (2011). United Nations. Global drylands: a UN system-wide response. United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). United Nations.

  • UNEP (1992). United Nations Environment Programme. World atlas of desertification. John Wiley & Sons.

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Universidade Federal da Paraíba (DEER/CEAR), Cidade Universitária, Campus I, 58.051-970, João Pessoa, Paraíba, Brazil

    Raphael Abrahão

  2. PROMETEO, Secretaría Nacional de Educación Superior, Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación - SENESCYT, Escuela Superior Politécnica del Litoral (ESPOL), Km. 30.5 Vía Perimetral, Campus Gustavo Galindo, Guayaquil, Ecuador

    Iker García-Garizábal

  3. Universidad de Zaragoza and IGME, C/ Manuel Lasala 44, 9 B, 50006, Zaragoza, Aragón, Spain

    Daniel Merchán

  4. Geological Survey of Spain (IGME), C/ Manuel Lasala 44, 9 B, 50006, Zaragoza, Aragón, Spain

    Jesús Causapé

Authors
  1. Raphael Abrahão
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Iker García-Garizábal
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Daniel Merchán
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Jesús Causapé
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Raphael Abrahão.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Abrahão, R., García-Garizábal, I., Merchán, D. et al. Climate change and the water cycle in newly irrigated areas. Environ Monit Assess 187, 22 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-014-4260-1

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-014-4260-1

Keywords

Search

Navigation