Irrigation and its influence on the local regulation of surface temperatures in mediterranean citriculture

Abstract

The irrigation cooling effect, given its influence on the land surface temperature (TS), is one of the regulating ecosystem services of agrarian ecosystems. In irrigated agriculture of warm areas, this service plays an important role in cushioning extremes of tempe-rature. The objective of this work is to quantify and determine the factors that explain the behavior of TS in irrigated areas, using as a case study the agroecosystem of citrus cultivation in irrigation of Campo de Cartagena (Murcia, Spain). First, it demonstrates the influence of irrigation on the TS of the area. Subsequently, the value of the TS in the irrigation is explained by a model that relates the same to the vegetation index, the water content of the crop and the distance to the coast. These results show the generation of ecosystem service of climate regulation by citrus in irrigation.