Alleviating drought and water scarcity in the Mediterranean region through managed aquifer recharge

Abstract

Drought and water scarcity can significantly impair the sustainable development of groundwater resources, a scenario commonly found in aquifers in the Mediterranean region. Water management measures to address these drivers of groundwater depletion are highly relevant, especially considering the increasing severity of droughts under climate change. This study evaluates the potential of managed aquifer recharge (MAR) to offset the adverse effects of drought and water scarcity on groundwater storage. Los Arenales aquifer (central Spain), which was unsustainably exploited for irrigation in the second half of the twentieth century, is employed as a case study. Two neighbouring zones within this aquifer are contrasted, namely, Los Arenales (LA) and Medina del Campo (MC). The primary difference between them in terms of water resources management is the wide-scale implementation of MAR systems in LA since the early 2000s. Several groundwater statistical methods are used. Groundwater-level trend analysis and average piezometric levels show in LA a faster recovery of aquifer storage and less susceptibility to drought compared to MC. On the other hand, standardised precipitation indexes and standardised groundwater level indexes of detrended groundwater-level time series, which do not include the effects of MAR, show that LA can be more negatively affected by drought and groundwater abstraction. The sharper recovery of piezometric levels in LA when considering MAR, and bigger drought impacts observed when the effects of this measure are removed, demonstrate that MAR can effectively alleviate the impacts of water scarcity and drought, providing an adaptation solution to climate change worldwide.

Evolution of freshwater availability in a climate‐changing Mediterranean context: The case of Umbria region, central Italy

“…The few stations showing an increasing trend of groundwater depth (i.e., lower storage) are mainly located over the Southern agricultural area (shown in the focus provided in Figure 10d), thus suggesting that human‐induced interventions may be the reason for opposite trends with respect to the overall behaviour. A similar result has been recently obtained in a study carried out in central Spain (Henao Casas et al, 2022); Peña‐Arancibia et al (2020) highlighted the combined effects of reduced rainfall and agricultural water use on groundwater depletion in Bangladesh, suggesting an approach based on complementary strategies for facing the issue.…”

“…Ouassanouan et al (2022) observed decreasing trends of groundwater availability in the Tensift watershed (Morocco) during the period 1973–2021, exacerbated by the combined effects of climatic alterations and of increasing agricultural water demand. Finally, Henao Casas et al (2022) analysed levels referring to two groundwater bodies located within the Douro river basin, in Spain, during the time span 2001–2020. The authors found increasing storage trends at monitoring sites falling within areas where specific recharge strategies are adopted and opposite results elsewhere.…”

Increasing groundwater storage and maintaining irrigation through managed aquifer recharge

“…There is a spatial and temporal correlation between MAR and increasing groundwater level trends in LA. Our results align with the analysis by Henao Casas et al, 2022), showing the adequacy of this technology to cope with drought, which is especially visible in the groundwater level analyses of the last period (2012)(2013)(2014)(2015)(2016)(2017)(2018)(2019)(2020). Water management measures implemented on a national and regional scale, including plans for the modernisation of irrigation, and programs to quantify groundwater abstractions (e.g., ALBERCA), have had a limited impact on the study area, at least to the depth of our analysis.…”

“…Several studies have explored the effect of the MAR sites on Los Arenales Aquifer. These studies have focused on hydrogeological (CONAMA, 2019), socioeconomic (Fernández-Escalante et al, 2016, governance (Fernández-Escalante and López-Gunn, 2021), climate change (Fernández-Escalante et al, 2019b;Henao Casas et al, 2022), andtechnical (Fernández-Escalante andPrieto Leache, 2013;Fernández-Escalante and San Sebastian Sauto, 2019a;MARSOL, 2015) aspects. However, none of them has analysed the evolution of groundwater levels and water use dynamics on a regional scale.…”

Modelling regional effects of artificial groundwater recharge in a multilayer aquifer characterized by perched water tables

“…In particular, intensive groundwater use led to the degradation of numerous springs and wetlands (Llorente & Bejarano, 2018). To counter these effects, the Douro basin authority has implemented various corrective measures, including artificial recharge (Henao Casas, Fernández Escalante, & Ayuga, 2022; Henao Casas, Fernández‐Escalante, & Ayuga, 2022; Henao Casas, Fernández‐Escalante, Calero Gil, & Ayuga, 2022; Mayor, de la Hera‐Portillo, et al, 2021; Mayor, López Gunn, et al, 2021).…”