| Title: | Assessment of alternative land management practices using hydrological simulation and a decision support tool: Arborea agricultural region, Sardinia. |
| Authors: | Cau, P. and C. Paniconi |
| Year: | 2007 |
| Journal: | Hydrology and Earth System Sciences |
| Volume (Issue): | 11(6) |
| Pages: | 1811-1823 |
| Article ID: | |
| DOI: | 10.5194/hess-11-1811-2007 |
| URL (non-DOI journals): | |
| Model: | SWAT |
| Broad Application Category: | hydrologic and pollutant |
| Primary Application Category: | land use change |
| Secondary Application Category: | irrigation impacts or irrigation BMP scenarios |
| Watershed Description: | 613 km^2 Flumini Mannu river basin and 369 km^2 Mogoro Diversi River, located in the Arborea Plain in the southwest part of the Island of Sardinia in western Italy. |
| Calibration Summary: | |
| Validation Summary: | |
| General Comments: | |
| Abstract: | Quantifying the impact of land use on water supply
and quality is a primary focus of environmental management.
In this work we apply a semidistributed hydrological
model (SWAT) to predict the impact of different land management
practices on water and agricultural chemical yield
over a long period of time for a study site situated in the
Arborea region of central Sardinia, Italy. The physical processes
associated with water movement, crop growth, and
nutrient cycling are directly modeled by SWAT. The model
simulations are used to identify indicators that reflect critical
processes related to the integrity and sustainability of
the ecosystem. Specifically we focus on stream quality and
quantity indicators associated with anthropogenic and natural
sources of pollution. A multicriteria decision support
system is then used to develop the analysis matrix where water
quality and quantity indicators for the rivers, lagoons, and
soil are combined with socio-economic variables. The DSS
is used to assess four options involving alternative watersheds
designated for intensive agriculture and dairy farming
and the use or not of treated wastewater for irrigation. Our
analysis suggests that of the four options, the most widely
acceptable consists in the transfer of intensive agricultural
practices to the larger watershed, which is less vulnerable,
in tandem with wastewater reuse, which rates highly due to
water scarcity in this region of the Mediterranean. More generally,
the work demonstrates how both qualitative and quantitative
methods and information can assist decision making
in complex settings. |
| Language: | English |
| Keywords: | |