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Remote Sensing for the Study of Climate Change and Intensive Agriculture and Its Effects on an Overexploited Fossil Aquifer System, Arid Region, Atacama Desert

Author(s): Edwin Pino-Vargas; Estanislao Maquera-Callo; Gloria Choque-Machaca; German Huayna; Carolina Cruz-Rodriguez; Eduardo Chavarri-Velarde; Bertha Vera-Barrios; Lia Ramos-Fernandez; Eusebio Ingol-Blanco

Linked Author(s): Edwin Pino-Vargas

Keywords: Intensive agriculture Olive climate change overexploited fossil aquifer

Abstract: Intensive agriculture and climate change have been generating uncertainty in water availability and, in turn, problems in food security at a regional, national and global level; In the study region, the olive tree and other crops of economic importance have been generating overexploitation of groundwater, so it is essential to determine its spatial and temporal evolution, to adequately manage the irrigation that comes from the water of the Caplina aquifer, this system aquifer has current conditions of overexploitation, in turn it has been defined as a fossil aquifer, the age of the water has been dated between one thousand and fifteen thousand years old according to C14 results, which confirms the premise that this aquifer has a very high recharge. low or null. Likewise, using freely available satellite images and Machine learning techniques, it was determined that the agricultural area grew by 373.2% in the period from 1985 to 2021, being the period of greatest increase between the years 2015 to 2021. Likewise, the VCI values where They increase continuously in the period 1985 to 2021 (from 0.1 to 0.98), meaning that there are no drought conditions, since the overexploitation of the aquifer system allows the production areas to be irrigated. Likewise, the TCI index presents values that do not show a defined pattern during the years of study, with drought observed in the years 2000,2005 and 2010, and without drought in the years 1985,1990,1995,2015 and 2021. The VHI index indicates that the The years 1990,2000,2005 and 2010 presented drought (mild to moderate), while the years 1985,1995,2015 and 2021 exhibit conditions without drought. These anomalies are associated with the identified climate variability and change, especially in an overexploited aquifer with fossil characteristics, formed between one thousand and fifteen thousand years old, with very low or almost zero recharge.

DOI:

Year: 2025

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