It is aimed to develop a multitemporal cartographic collection on the evolution of land use in the Segura basin, using remote sensing tools and uniform procedures for classification, which allow the analysis of its evolution over time.

Geographic information systems have become essential tools for the analysis of natural processes with spatial components. In a specific way, hydrological and water resources analysis is being assisted by these tools, which deal with problems that were infeasible until recently.

Complementing these techniques with remote sensing is a substantial improvement of its possibilities and opens a field of great interest in the research of hydrological processes.

The objective of this project is moving forward this direction, developing a GIS and remote sensing lab to support studies and research in hydrology and water resources carried out by the Foundation IEA and INUAMA.

The reuse of reclaimed waste water for use in irrigation is a technique of growing international concern, and widespread in the Region of Murcia as a means to increase the scarce water resources.

In this project is proposed, from a microbiological perspective, an applied research on reuse using different reclaimed waste water treatment systems intended for irrigation, landscaping, sports facilities or other uses potentially risky for exposed people.

In order to do this, there will be several field and laboratory studies for the understanding of the state of the art from different actual case studies of water reuse in the southeast of Spain.

Seawater desalination is experiencing an important development in Spain in recent years, with important technical, economic and environmental implications. This research project presents a revision, updating, evaluation and of the existing knowledge on desalination, especially from seawater through reverse osmosis technique, and counting on recognized specialists in these different areas.

One of the main sources of eutrophication of rivers and water systems in general, is diffuse pollution generated by washing and leaching of agricultural soils and/or livestock rich in nitrogen and mainly in nitrates. Nitrate pollution in surface waters is an increasing phenomenon in recent years at an alarming level with significant socioeconomic impact and risk for humans. This phenomenon is accentuated in arid and semiarid regions, where the scarce plant biomass and water flows, can lead to situations of nitrogen saturation (higher N availability than the natural system can absorb). In light of the forecasts of global climate change, this situation will not only get worse but will affect larger areas.

The overall objective of this research project is to analyze the nitrogen retention capacity of the temporary streams via denitrification and its spatial and temporal variation, analyzing in detail those factors that seem to influence this process. As several authors suggest, the study of spatial and temporal variability of denitrification is basic, still not tackled, in order to extrapolate the empirical field results to management scales (sub-basin, watershed).

The study planned to be carried out in different temporary streams in the Region at a stretch scale (head, middle and lower waters) would address the following questions: what rate of denitrification is observed in the temporary streams? How does this varies along the longitudinal axis of the stream? And between streams? And in time? What amount of nitrogen can eliminate the temporary streams? In short, are temporary streams (Ramblas/wadis) a useful element in the control of diffuse pollution?

The completion of the proposed study aims to get the following objectives:

• Establish a series of physical soil parameters, based on scientific criteria and objectives that characterize the environmental quality of soils in terms of their water and hydrodynamic properties.

• Evaluation of the selected parametric indicators and determination of critical limits.

• Mapping, at a sufficiently detailed scale, from data obtained from previous soil surveys.

• Measure "in situ" and in laboratory, soil properties and physical parameters related to the water content and movement in soil of experimental plots established in pilot areas, which soil types are representative of the Segura basin.

• Get correlations between the obtained results in experimental plots and data from the physical parameters set forth above.

• Establish transfer functions to infer soil hydraulic properties from a statistical base of existing soil data.

• Modeling the work methodology in order to extend it to other regions within the Mediterranean area.

The objective of this project is to perform technical and legal research on the Water Framework Directive, perfecting and developing methodologies and providing as a result a practical guide of obligations and rights for all public authorities with responsibilities in the geographic scope of the Mar Menor Area of Influence.

This initial collection aims to identify and gather documentary references on this area from a basic environmental management perspective, and is a first step towards the creation of the future Mar Menor library.

The work phases will be:

1. Data collection and organization of available information about the geographical scope of Mar Menor.

2. Design a database of Mar Menor documents.

3. Adaptation of information to the format of the database and entering information.

4. Edition.

The proposed project responds to the need for better knowledge of two key natural resources such as water and soil, their interrelationships and performance in an important agricultural region named Bajo Segura. This knowledge will maintain the quality of these resources due to protection and appropriate management measures in some cases, or to the recovery to enough quality levels when minimum requirements are not reached.

In this work we will analyze natural and human factors that cause the processes of soil salinization and will characterize morphologically, analytically and typologically the affected soils. We will also determine qualitatively and quantitatively the salinization rates of the territory, also mapping the salinization levels. Likewise, correlations will be established to detect the causes of salinity and its natur, and the dynamics of salts in the soil will be modeled.

Finally, we will recommend appropriate actions to combat land degradation by these processes of salinization, allowing a right planning of land use to control and reverse desertification caused by this reason.

This project aims to provide legal and technical guidelines to facilitate the interconnection of online Water Registry and Property Registry, so that the granting of use rights over the public assets can be based on updated information of the ownership of the property where it is; and vice versa, the inscriptions in the Property Registry are based on data provided by administrative bodies specialized on water. It is, in short, a basic requirement for efficiency to the extent that without the use of computer and communication means, such interconnection is certainly difficult to implement and, therefore, the essential function of advertising corresponding to both Registries, and hence the effective protection of various rights and interests involved, is certainly difficult.