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Project properties |
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| Title | Climate change adaptation options for Mediterranean irrigated croplands |
| Group | Soil Physics and Land Management group |
| Project type | thesis |
| Credits | 24-39 |
| Supervisor(s) | Joao Pedro Nunes |
| Examiner(s) | Coen Ritsema |
| Contact info | joao.carvalhonunes@wur.nl |
| Begin date | 2021/05/25 |
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| Description | Introduction
In the Mediterranean region, intensive agriculture is usually associated with irrigation due to the mismatch between the rain season and the growing season, and the strong inter-annual variability of rainfall. Climate change is expected to bring pressure on existing irrigation networks by decreasing both available water supplies and their regularity, thus increasing the risk of hydrological and socioeconomic drought. Moreover, the prospect of low water volume in reservoirs increases the chance for water supply contamination from upstream croplands. The University of Lisbon is designing a climate change adaptation roadmap for Portugal, and water resources is a primary concern, especially for well-developed irrigation networks such as that of the Sorraia valley in southern Portugal. Objective A complete analysis of the hydrological and irrigation system of the Sorraia valley using the Soil and Water Assessment Tool eco-hydrological model, to assess the vulnerability of the system to water quantity and quality droughts, and test potential climate change adaptation measures. |
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