Irrigation return flows in a mediterranean aquifer inferred from combined chloride and stable isotopes mass balances

Vallet‐Coulomb, Christine; Séraphin, Pierre; Gonçalvès, Julio; Radakovitch, Olivier; Cognard-Plancq, Anne-Laure; Crespy, A.; Babic, Milanka; Charron, François

doi:10.1016/j.apgeochem.2017.10.001

Cited by 18 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 47 publications

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“…(2006) and Vallet‐Coulomb et al. (2017). Therefore, the planned increase in drip‐irrigated area in the Plana de Valencia Sur could further increase the region's vulnerability in terms of groundwater recharge.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…The Mediterranean climate is characterized by few intense rainfall events concentrated in fall and winter. The occurrence or non‐occurrence of these events in a given year is of high importance for aquifer recharge as much of it can be generated by a few single rainfall events (Cheng et al., 2017; Poch‐Massegú et al., 2014; Vallet‐Coulomb et al., 2017). Our results confirmed this observation and additionally provided evidence that the sensitivity of annual recharge to single events was stronger in drip irrigation than in flood irrigation.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In contrast, excess irrigation in flood irrigation could lead to slightly more constant recharge in flood-irrigated areas. The important role of flood irrigation for maintaining groundwater levels, especially in regions characterized by large precipitation variability, was also highlighted in Scanlon et al (2006) and Vallet-Coulomb et al (2017). Therefore, the planned increase in drip-irrigated area in the Plana de Valencia Sur could further increase the region's vulnerability in terms of groundwater recharge.…”

Section: Relevance Of Our Findings In the Context Of Water Management In Mediterranean Regionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Hydrological Modeling of the Effect of the Transition From Flood to Drip Irrigation on Groundwater Recharge Using Multi‐Objective Calibration

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García-Prats

et al. 2021

Water Resources Research

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Relevance Of Our Findings In the Context Of Water Management In Mediterranean Regionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Hydrological Modeling of the Effect of the Transition From Flood to Drip Irrigation on Groundwater Recharge Using Multi‐Objective Calibration

Pool

Francés

García-Prats

et al. 2021

Water Resources Research

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“…Uncertainties in R predictions in semi‐arid regions are further intensified by the fact that much of the annual R can be generated by a few heavy precipitation events (Cheng et al., 2017; Poch‐Massegú et al., 2014; Vallet‐Coulomb et al., 2017). Uncertainties in the frequency and intensity of these (heavy) precipitation events can translate into considerable variability in R predictions (Smerdon, 2017).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

From Flood to Drip Irrigation Under Climate Change: Impacts on Evapotranspiration and Groundwater Recharge in the Mediterranean Region of Valencia (Spain)

et al. 2021

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Agricultural irrigation is the major water consumer in the Mediterranean region. In response to the growing pressure on freshwater resources, more efficient irrigation technologies have been widely promoted. In this study, we assess the impact of the ongoing transition from flood to drip irrigation on future hydroclimatic regimes under various climate change scenarios, with a particular focus on actual evapotranspiration and groundwater recharge in the Mediterranean region of Valencia, Spain. Hydroclimatic predictions for the near-term future (2020-2049) and the mid-term future were made under two emission scenarios (RCP 4.5 and RCP 8.5) using a hydrological model that was forced with data from five GCM-RCM combinations and field-based irrigation volume and frequency observations. Our findings suggest that climate change could lead to statistically significant changes in the regional hydroclimatic regime despite projection uncertainties. Major changes include a statistically significant decrease in mean groundwater recharge of up to −6.6% under flood irrigation and −9.3% under drip irrigation and contrasting changes in mean actual evapotranspiration for flood and drip irrigation in the order of +1% and −2.1%, respectively. Since sustainably available water resources in the Valencia region are entirely allocated, the expected changes and associated uncertainties create a challenging context for future water management. Our simulations further indicate that, rather than climate change, the choice of irrigation technique may have a greater impact on actual evapotranspiration and groundwater recharge. Our findings therefore highlight the importance of considering both climate change and irrigation technique when assessing future water resources in irrigated Mediterranean agriculture.Plain Language Summary Agricultural irrigation is the major water consumer in the Mediterranean region. Climate change is expected to add additional pressure on water resources as precipitation might decrease and the occurrence of droughts might increase. To improve the resilience to water scarcity, governments in many regions are promoting a transformation from flood to drip irrigation. In this study, we assess the relative role of irrigation techniques and climate change for the availability of future water resources in Valencia (Spain). We thereby combine multiple future climate projections with a hydrological model, and with field-based irrigation volume and frequency observations. Our findings suggest that climate change could lead to significant changes in actual evapotranspiration and groundwater recharge. However, the choice of an irrigation technique may have a greater impact on actual evapotranspiration and groundwater recharge than climate change itself. We therefore highly recommend to consider both climate change and irrigation technique when assessing future water resources in irrigated Mediterranean agriculture.

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“…Early studies in the Mediterranean area were developed in Israel [92,93], while since the year 2005, there has been a growing legacy of studies employing these techniques. Most of the studies used stable isotopes to distinguish between different GW origins [94][95][96][97][98][99][100][101][102][103][104][105][106][107][108][109][110][111][112][113], while some of them used radioactive isotopes to determine the residence time of GW [114][115][116], that is, one of the very few pieces of information allowing researchers to distinguish between actual and paleo SWI. These last elements have also been used to study surface water/groundwater interaction; for example, in a recent paper from Mayer et al [117], short-lived radioactive isotopes, such as radon-222, allowed not only for the determination of the amount of exchange between different water bodies, but also for the ability to precisely derive GW flow velocities and saturated hydraulic conductivities, which are vital parameters to constrain numerical simulations.…”

Section: Analytical Techniquesmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Issue of Groundwater Salinization in Coastal Areas of the Mediterranean Region: A Review

Mastrocicco

Colombani

2021

Water

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The Mediterranean area is undergoing intensive demographic, social, cultural, economic, and environmental changes. This generates multiple environmental pressures such as increased demand for water resources, generation of pollution related to wastewater discharge, and land consumption. In the Mediterranean area, recent climate change studies forecast large impacts on the hydrologic cycle. Thus, in the next years, surface and ground-water resources will be gradually more stressed, especially in coastal areas. In this review paper, the historical and geographical distribution of peer-review studies and the main mechanisms that promote aquifer salinization in the Mediterranean area are critically discussed, providing the state of the art on topics such as actual saltwater wedge characterization, paleo-salinities in coastal areas, water-rock interactions, geophysical techniques aimed at delineating the areal and vertical extent of saltwater intrusion, management of groundwater overexploitation using numerical models and GIS mapping techniques for aquifer vulnerability to salinization. Each of the above-mentioned approaches has potential advantages and drawbacks; thus, the best tactic to tackle coastal aquifer management is to employ a combination of approaches. Finally, the number of studies focusing on predictions of climate change effects on coastal aquifers are growing but are still very limited and surely need further research.

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Irrigation return flows in a mediterranean aquifer inferred from combined chloride and stable isotopes mass balances

Cited by 18 publications

References 47 publications

Hydrological Modeling of the Effect of the Transition From Flood to Drip Irrigation on Groundwater Recharge Using Multi‐Objective Calibration

Hydrological Modeling of the Effect of the Transition From Flood to Drip Irrigation on Groundwater Recharge Using Multi‐Objective Calibration

From Flood to Drip Irrigation Under Climate Change: Impacts on Evapotranspiration and Groundwater Recharge in the Mediterranean Region of Valencia (Spain)

The Issue of Groundwater Salinization in Coastal Areas of the Mediterranean Region: A Review

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