Water quantity

Water quantity estimates concern groundwater and surface water resources. Groundwater resources include deep and shallow aquifers that are connected to rivers, streams or seas. For a quantitative analysis it is important to have estimates of the water ratio recharge/withdraw  of the aquifer over a given period including repeated observations of groundwater levels at a relatively large number of observation wells. Surface waters include both rivers and lakes and can quantitatively be assessed by long term averages of the available water generated by endogenous precipitation. Such estimation can be obtained using models such as the hydrological model MIKE SHE. This model was sponsored and developed by three European organizations: the Danish Hydraulic Institute (DHI), the British Institute of Hydrology, and the French consulting company SOGREAH. MIKE SHE is a deterministic, integrated, fully distributed, physically based hydrological modeling system that allows simulating of all processes in the land phase of the hydrologic cycle. The method proposed for the LEDDRA project is to use existing data on water resources available obtained from the local or regional water resources authorities.

Aim of the method/technique	The aim of the proposed method is to have estimates of water resources available at the level of social-environmental system (SES) used as basic unit of studies in the LEDDRA project.
Scale – spatial and temporal	Water quantity data are required at scale of watershed in which a SES is usually located for the LEDDRA project. Water quantity data shows high temporal variability depending on the annual climatic conditions.
Brief description	The assessment of groundwater resources requires continuous observations of groundwater levels at a relatively large number of observation wells. Surface waters, including both rivers and lakes,  can quantitatively be assessed by measuring water flow rate in the channel or the volume of water stored into the lake or water reservoir.
Data requirements	Water quantity data are usually available from the regional water resources administration.
Main applications in cropland and forests and shrubland regions	Knowledge of water resources available in a cropland region is of great importance for the local economy. Water resources in Mediterranean European are under severe physical, social, economical and environmental stresses due to expansion of irrigated land, tourism development, and climatic changes. Forest cover is a key factor in regulating water quality and quantity and the knowledge of water resources available in a forest/shrubland region is of great importance for local economy development, in general, and for the application of sustainable forest management practices. Water resources in Mediterranean European are under severe physical, social, economical and environmental stresses due to expansion of irrigated land, tourism development, and climatic changes.
Strengths and weaknesses	Water quantity data for an area usually are not easily available mainly because of the great number of organizations involved in water resources management. Furthermore, long term series of hydrological data for a specific watershed are usually limited.

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