Environmental Earth Sciences - Call for Papers

Global Change on Groundwater in Western Mediterranean Countries

Guest Editors: María Luisa Calvache, Carlos Duque, David Pulido-Velazquez

The Mediterranean areas are characterized by a climate with frequent droughts and irregular precipitations combined with high demographic pressures and water demands from society. Major drivers of global change include population growth and migration, climate change, urbanization and expansion of infrastructures, and changes in land use and pollution that will lead to impacts on the sustainability, quantity, quality, and management of water resources in the Western Mediterranean countries of both Southern Europe and North Africa.

Future scenarios in this region forecast the decline in streamflow and more irregular precipitation regimes reducing reservoir storage for population supply. In this context, groundwater becomes an increasingly strategic resource to meet water demand from irrigated and urban areas. Groundwater will play an important role in the freshwater cycle and have a buffering value enhancing impacts of extreme events (droughts or floods).

This special issue will integrate studies in this critical geographical environment linking water resources and global change assessment including impacts and adaptation strategies. It compiles research works analysing water resources issues at different spatial scale, specific environment of the location (e.g., coastal areas, alpine regions), climatic (eg. semi-arid, Mediterranean) and hydrological processes (e.g., inversion of precipitation gradient, groundwater recharge, flow and discharge, seawater intrusion, snow processes) and management particularities.