Abstract
The subject of this paper is the detailed hydrological simulation of two playa lakes located in southern Spain from January 2011 to March 2012 on a daily basis. These playas are placed over a 400-km 2 shallow aquifer, which is exposed to an increasing stress caused by agricultural activities, mainly olive grove plantations. The objective of the paper is to elaborate a detailed numeric model that simulates the water regime of each playa lake on a daily scale. The simulation is compared to measured water level (WL) data of the playas in order to characterize the groundwater–surface interactions. The ultimate objective of this paper is to assess the environmental impact of the increasing anthropogenic water consumption within the area of research. The results of the GW–surface interaction were very consistent with previous works. One of the playa lakes is groundwater-dependent and the other one is presumably a perched playa lake. The GW discharge of the former playa (214 mm) during the research period stands in sharp contrast to no regional GW discharge in the latter. Water level data prove that the hydrological year (2011–2012) had a very negative water budget. The evapotranspiration estimation was almost as high as double the sum of the precipitation, the run-off, and the groundwater discharge. The simulation of an anthropologically altered water regime proves that water retrieval has a harmful impact on the WL of the playa lakes as well as on the aquifer.
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Acknowledegments
This work has been carried out in the framework of an academic exchange between the Carl von Ossietzky University Oldenburg and Pablo de Olavide University Seville. The collaboration was established, thanks to the close contact of G Massmann (Carl von Ossietzky University Oldenburg) andC Kohlfahl (Spanish Geological Survey). Authors would like to thank them for having made this collaboration possible. Furthermore, they would like to thank J M Bruque Carmona, who is staff member of the Pablo de Olavide University for his helpful advices and everlasting patience. They are also grateful to the reviewers whose comments and suggestions have improved both the quality and the explicitness of this research.
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Miguel, RR., Malte, S. A hydrological simulation of the water regime in two playa lakes located in southern Spain. J Earth Syst Sci 123, 1295–1305 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12040-014-0464-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12040-014-0464-6