Effects of irrigation on water salinization in semi-arid environments. : A case study in Las Bardenas, Spain

In this work, we analyse the salt and sediment load from an irrigation area located in a semi-arid environment in the Ebro Valley (Bardenas, Zaragoza). The results show higher solute and sediment load in the waters exiting the irrigation area compared to the inputs waters. Changes in the suspended load are very small, and most of the increase corresponds to soluble salts. During the period of irrigation, solute concentration is lower than during the non-irrigation periods because of higher dilution. However, the total load output during the irrigation periods is greater because the irrigation flows and returns are also higher.