Tabernas-Sorbas Basin Land Degradation and Water Use Data

The Tabernas-Sorbas Basin in Almeria, Spain, provides a case study on desertification misconceptions. The dataset likely contains information on olive agriculture expansion, irrigation changes, and aquifer water balance impacts from 1970 to the present. It was authored by Jaime Martínez‐Valderrama of the University of Alicante.

Use Cases

• Modeling aquifer depletion based on irrigation expansion data mentioned in the description
• Analyzing the relationship between crop profitability and land use change
• Evaluating the impact of super-intensive irrigation on spring flow rates
• Identifying drivers of land degradation in Mediterranean dryland ecosystems

Strengths

• Includes specific, quantified metrics such as the expansion of irrigated olive agriculture from 200 ha to 4,400 ha
• Provides concrete hydrological data, including the decline of Los Molinos spring flow from over 40 L/s to 7.28 L/s

Limitations

• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download

Provenance

Source

University of Alicante

Collection Method

Likely compiled from field studies, hydrological monitoring, and agricultural records.

Time Range

Periods referenced include 1970-2000 and the last two decades.

Geography

Tabernas-Sorbas Basin, Almeria, Southeast Spain