Land-cover changes and recent hydrological evolution in the Duero Basin (Spain) |
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Authors: | Enrique Morán-Tejeda Antonio Ceballos-Barbancho José Manuel Llorente-Pinto Juan Ignacio López-Moreno |
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Institution: | (1) Pyrenean Institute of Ecology (CSIC), Campus Aula Dei, Avenida de Monta?ana 1005, 50059 Zaragoza, Spain;(2) Department of Geography of Universidad de Salamanca, Facultad de Geograf?a e Historia, C/Cervantes s/n, 37002 Salamanca, Spain |
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Abstract: | Land-use and land-cover changes have attracted substantial scientific interest in recent years because of their marked influence
on hydrological cycles. In developed countries of the Mediterranean basin, the generalized revegetation and forest growth
in mountainous areas that occurred during the last five decades are negatively affecting the evolution of water resources
in headwaters. In this study, changes in land cover in the Duero River Basin (northern Spain) during the last 50 years were
analyzed and their role in hydrological evolution was estimated. For this purpose, step-wise linear regressions were developed
to estimate the evolution of runoff as a function of climate (precipitation and temperatures). The results show a significant
expansion of forest cover in the headwaters, although it has been more extensive in the mountains to the north of the basin
than to the south. River discharges in the headwaters underwent a generalized decline during the study period (1961–2006),
but precipitation over the same period did not show an appreciable trend. In the absence of noticeable trends in removal of
water for human consumption, our results indicate that revegetation is contributing to the observed hydrological decline.
Our hypothesis is confirmed because of the greater divergence in the evolution of precipitation and runoff in the northern
headwaters (more forest growth) than in the south headwaters (less forest growth). Results suggest that further increases
in forest area will enhance hydrological decline and highlight the importance of integrating land-cover information in water
availability assessments in a region where water is a strategic resource. |
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