Joris Eekhout

I’m currently working on the implementation of a conservation module, which bundles several conservation measures that we applied in previous studies. The conservation measures include land use change, soil improvements (changes in organic matter and bulk density), vegetation cover (cover crops and buffer strips) and retention structures (ponds and check dams). Land use change and vegetation cover allow to change the NDVI dynamically in the area where the measure is applied (only available when the Vegetation Module is used). Vegetation cover and retention structures are an integral part of the Soil erosion and Sediment transport modules.

An irrigation module was developed to determine irrigation water requirements within the SPHY model. The irrigation module is based on the Plant Water Stress curve and uses only one parameter (Management Allowable Depletion). For each crop the user can indicate between which dates irrigation is applied. The new irrigation module was tested in the Campo de Cartagena catchment (SE Spain), which is characterized by intensive irrigated agriculture. In a climate change impact assessment we showed how irrigation water requirements change in the future and how the changes in irrigation demand affect the land use distribution in the study area.