Chapters authored
Evapotranspiration and Drought in Different Agricultural Zones of Bulgaria
Bulgaria is located in an area with insufficient humidification and is characterized by periods of the drought of varying duration and intensity. From the last 15 to 20 years, the limiting factor in agro-meteorological conditions was the drought. Agro-meteorological drought consists of the depletion of available soil water reserves in the root zone. Ultimately, the results of droughts affect the size of yields and the quality of production. The consequences of this extreme condition from a meteorological and agro-meteorological point-of-view phenomenon can be mitigated only by expanding the irrigated areas. The aim of this work was to present the tendencies in the change of the potential evapotranspiration during the studied period 1986–2015 as a result of the climate changes and also the tendencies of the conditions for occurrence of agricultural drought in the future, and also to propose an approach where using certain indicators controls the process of accumulation and consumption of water in the soil. Such approach could find application in adapting agriculture to climate change and the updation of agro-environmental zoning relevant to climatic changes.
Part of the book: Challenges in Agro-Climate and Ecosystem