Quantifying irrigation returns into a highly human managed wetland using remote sensing: The Primera de Palos freshwater lagoon (Spain)

Abstract

In this paper, the Global Surface Water Explorer (GSWE) was combined with bathymetric and historical meteorological data to quantify water balance during the period 1984–2020 in the Primera de Palos freshwater lagoon (Southwest Spain). This allowed us, through a water balance approach, to estimate all water inputs and outputs to analyse the hydrological changes in the lagoon. The results showed high fluctuations with seasonal changes marked by the climatic regime during the first two decades of the study period. After this initial period, water extension remained stable above 70 % of the maximum lagoon extent. Thus, the natural hydrological regime of the lagoon was modified by water inputs from irrigation return, which are difficult to quantify. Thanks to a water balance approach, these irrigation returns were quantified as the closure term of the water balance. Three scenarios of irrigation return inputs can be defined, 4500, 1700, and 500 m3 d−1, depending on the cropping season. The use of remote sensing combined with bathymetric and meteorological data can provide the knowledge to support better informed water-management decision-making, although it may have some limitations in dry periods related to image processing in border data.