Potential changes in irrigation requirements and phenology of maize, apple trees and alfalfa under global change conditions in Fluvià watershed during XXIst century: Results from a modeling approximation to watershed-level water balance

To evaluate the vulnerability of agriculture under Mediterranean conditions, the real water needs of agriculture in the Fluvià watershed (Catalonia, NE Spain) were estimated for the XXIst century using a combination of downscaled climate projections (ECHAM5 plus MM5) in two IPCC scenarios (B1 and A2), watershed hydrological model (SWAT) and FAO procedure to calculate crop potential evapotranspiration. In comparison with baseline conditions (1984–2008), climate projections predicted a 12% (B1) to 28% (A2) reduction in precipitation, and a 2.2 °C (B1) to 3.6 °C (A2) increment of mean annual temperature at the end of the XXI Century (2076–2100). The changes of the environmental conditions would affect the real water availability in different crops: water required for irrigation would increase significantly along the century, ranging from 40 to 250% depending on the crop, because of a direct decrease in the amount of water available along the growing season and because of the effects of the projected climatic conditions on potential evapotranspiration (ET0) and on the phenology of these crops. Results are showing the high sensitivity of agriculture, despite its expanding technology, to changes in climate, and even more to site, plot, orchard or terroir conditions.

► We downscale model climate projections and water balance at subwatershed level.
► Pluridisciplinary approach includes FAO procedure to estimate real crop water needs.
► Water availability would decrease and irrigation needs increase for all crops.
► Changes in phenology and physiology would be partly responsible of the results.
► We consider different adaptive measures for crops in front of global change.