Author(s): Eduardo Navarrete-Mazariegos; Fernando Rodriguez-Maldonado; Juan Carlos Gomez-Vargas; Fernando Delgado-Ramos

Linked Author(s): Fernando Delgado Ramos

Keywords: Gauging; River; Balance; Recharge; Infiltration

Abstract: The main objective of hydrological planning is to regulate and administrate, in a sustainable way, the management of water resources, simplifying in systems the territory and its elements related to water management, to satisfy the demands (outputs of the system) and adjusting to the water availability (inputs to the system). Hydrographic systems are composed, among their natural elements, of surface water bodies and groundwater bodies, which are sometimes directly related and connected. The geology of riverbeds, gives the rivers the characteristics of gaining or losing streams, according to their segments, depending on whether their relationship with the sub-stream and the water tables implies infiltration and recharge of the aquifer (losing stream) or on the contrary the river receives contributions from the water table (gaining stream). This behavior may vary along its path. Monitoring techniques using differential discharge gaugings, together with other studies, allow obtaining the necessary information to characterize the segments of a river, in terms of their behavior. This type of study also allows to verify that the measures embodied in the hydrological planning are met, and after its analysis, improve the review in the next planning cycle, thereby optimizing the management of water resources and improving numerical models. A region like Andalusia, in its Mediterranean basins, has a high vulnerabillty to climate change, especially with regard to the rainfall regime and the increase in temperature. Therefore it is necessary to improve the knowledge of the behavior of its rivers and their relations with aquifers, to optimize their management, both upstream in dam regulation operations and downstream in monitoring ecological flows. This paper shows the results of the differential discharge gauging methodology carried out for more than one hydrological year, making the balances by different sections of the channel, together with the previous works with drone images. The study is located on the lower course of Guadalfeo river, downstream the Rules regulation dam.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3850/IAHR-39WC2521711920221767

Year: 2022