River Flows in the Ebro Basin: A Century of Evolution, 1913–2013

摘要

The water forecast is a major uncertainty in the design of strategies to cope with potential restrictions and ensure the availability of water, even during extreme events such as drought. In this context, our study aimed to present and analyze an updated broad temporal and geographical overview of the evolution of river flows for the most important river in Spain, the Ebro river, from 1913 to 2013. Our main findings indicate a decreasing trend in water resources from 1913 to the present, and a significant level of volatility that reveals a striking irregularity, with asymmetric cycles and dry years. These findings question the current irrigation policies and together with a need to rethink their implementation should drive further research.