Assessing the Impact of Date Production on Groundwater Resources Using Remote Sensing: A Case Study from Saudi Arabia

The scarcity of surface water and limited availability of renewable groundwater, coupled with its significant use for irrigation, raises critical concerns for the future management of water resources in Saudi Arabia. Groundwater serves as the primary freshwater resource in the country, with its utilization expanding to meet growing demands, particularly in the agricultural sector. However, due to the lack of in-situ observations, accurately assessing the status of groundwater resources remains a significant challenge. Remote sensing platforms offer a valuable solution by providing global estimates of various water components, including groundwater storage (GWS), evapotranspiration (ET), and precipitation.

This study leverages the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) satellite to estimate variations in GWS. The Surface Energy Balance Algorithm for Land (SEBAL) is applied to calculate agricultural water consumption via ET, while the Integrated Multi-Satellite Retrievals for Global Precipitation Measurement (IMERG) algorithm is used to derive monthly precipitation values. The case study focuses on three regions known for their date crop cultivation: Madinah, Al Qassim, and Hofuf.

The results reveal an average annual decline in GWS of -6.7, -10.9, and -3.8 mm/year for the respective regions. The annual precipitation rates are 82.1, 99.8, and 101.2 mm/year, while the estimated ET for date crops is approximately 1940, 1489, and 2126 mm/year, respectively. These findings highlight a noticeable downward trend in GWS, underscoring the impact of intensive irrigation practices, as indicated by the high ET values, and the role of climate change, as evidenced by the low precipitation rates.