Unraveling agricultural water use in three Central Asian irrigation oases using remote sensing

Study Region: Three major irrigation oases in Uzbekistan (Bukhara, Samarkand and Kashkadarya) Study focus: The study employs remote sensing to develop enhanced methodologies for quantifying water use in Central Asian irrigation oases from 2017 to 2022. By integrating earth observation data into a w...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Ragettli, S., Kreiner, A., Yakovlev, A., Anarbekov, O., Al-Zu’bi, Maha, Urazkeldiyev, A., Siegfried, T.
Format: Journal Article
Language:Inglés
Published: Elsevier 2025
Subjects:
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/174386
_version_ 1855527811330080768
author Ragettli, S.
Kreiner, A.
Yakovlev, A.
Anarbekov, O.
Al-Zu’bi, Maha
Urazkeldiyev, A.
Siegfried, T.
author_browse Al-Zu’bi, Maha
Anarbekov, O.
Kreiner, A.
Ragettli, S.
Siegfried, T.
Urazkeldiyev, A.
Yakovlev, A.
author_facet Ragettli, S.
Kreiner, A.
Yakovlev, A.
Anarbekov, O.
Al-Zu’bi, Maha
Urazkeldiyev, A.
Siegfried, T.
author_sort Ragettli, S.
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description Study Region: Three major irrigation oases in Uzbekistan (Bukhara, Samarkand and Kashkadarya) Study focus: The study employs remote sensing to develop enhanced methodologies for quantifying water use in Central Asian irrigation oases from 2017 to 2022. By integrating earth observation data into a water balance approach, we quantify variables that are typically challenging to measure, such as groundwater overdraft and non-growing season water use for soil preparation. A key aspect of agricultural water management in the region is utilizing water from reservoirs. Here we introduce a novel approach that combines optical remote sensing with satellite laser altimetry to monitor the availability and use of active water storage in reservoirs. New hydrological insights for the region: Results indicate that water from reservoir storage satisfies up to 14.9 % ± 2.2 % of the annual demand, but another 11.5 % ± 5.2 % are groundwater withdrawals. Our analysis indicates a necessary average annual reduction in groundwater extractions by at least 8.0 % ± 1.6 % for sustainability. Additionally, highly energy-intensive water pumping from Amu Darya River provides more than half of the water resources used in Bukhara and Kashkadarya, resulting in a significant carbon footprint of the region’s agricultural production. The detailed breakdown of water uses and irrigation water consumption by crop type informs efficient, sustainable water management, offering new opportunities for agricultural water accounting in Central Asian irrigation oases.
format Journal Article
id CGSpace174386
institution CGIAR Consortium
language Inglés
publishDate 2025
publishDateRange 2025
publishDateSort 2025
publisher Elsevier
publisherStr Elsevier
record_format dspace
spelling CGSpace1743862025-10-26T12:55:15Z Unraveling agricultural water use in three Central Asian irrigation oases using remote sensing Ragettli, S. Kreiner, A. Yakovlev, A. Anarbekov, O. Al-Zu’bi, Maha Urazkeldiyev, A. Siegfried, T. agricultural water use irrigation water integrated water resources management water demand water storage oases water balance groundwater remote sensing Study Region: Three major irrigation oases in Uzbekistan (Bukhara, Samarkand and Kashkadarya) Study focus: The study employs remote sensing to develop enhanced methodologies for quantifying water use in Central Asian irrigation oases from 2017 to 2022. By integrating earth observation data into a water balance approach, we quantify variables that are typically challenging to measure, such as groundwater overdraft and non-growing season water use for soil preparation. A key aspect of agricultural water management in the region is utilizing water from reservoirs. Here we introduce a novel approach that combines optical remote sensing with satellite laser altimetry to monitor the availability and use of active water storage in reservoirs. New hydrological insights for the region: Results indicate that water from reservoir storage satisfies up to 14.9 % ± 2.2 % of the annual demand, but another 11.5 % ± 5.2 % are groundwater withdrawals. Our analysis indicates a necessary average annual reduction in groundwater extractions by at least 8.0 % ± 1.6 % for sustainability. Additionally, highly energy-intensive water pumping from Amu Darya River provides more than half of the water resources used in Bukhara and Kashkadarya, resulting in a significant carbon footprint of the region’s agricultural production. The detailed breakdown of water uses and irrigation water consumption by crop type informs efficient, sustainable water management, offering new opportunities for agricultural water accounting in Central Asian irrigation oases. 2025-06 2025-04-30T06:13:29Z 2025-04-30T06:13:29Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/174386 en Open Access Elsevier Ragettli, S.; Kreiner, A.; Yakovlev, A.; Anarbekov, O.; Al-Zu’bi, Maha; Urazkeldiyev, A.; Siegfried, T. 2025. Unraveling agricultural water use in three Central Asian irrigation oases using remote sensing. Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies, 59:102414. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejrh.2025.102414]
spellingShingle agricultural water use
irrigation water
integrated water resources management
water demand
water storage
oases
water balance
groundwater
remote sensing
Ragettli, S.
Kreiner, A.
Yakovlev, A.
Anarbekov, O.
Al-Zu’bi, Maha
Urazkeldiyev, A.
Siegfried, T.
Unraveling agricultural water use in three Central Asian irrigation oases using remote sensing
title Unraveling agricultural water use in three Central Asian irrigation oases using remote sensing
title_full Unraveling agricultural water use in three Central Asian irrigation oases using remote sensing
title_fullStr Unraveling agricultural water use in three Central Asian irrigation oases using remote sensing
title_full_unstemmed Unraveling agricultural water use in three Central Asian irrigation oases using remote sensing
title_short Unraveling agricultural water use in three Central Asian irrigation oases using remote sensing
title_sort unraveling agricultural water use in three central asian irrigation oases using remote sensing
topic agricultural water use
irrigation water
integrated water resources management
water demand
water storage
oases
water balance
groundwater
remote sensing
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/174386
work_keys_str_mv AT ragettlis unravelingagriculturalwateruseinthreecentralasianirrigationoasesusingremotesensing
AT kreinera unravelingagriculturalwateruseinthreecentralasianirrigationoasesusingremotesensing
AT yakovleva unravelingagriculturalwateruseinthreecentralasianirrigationoasesusingremotesensing
AT anarbekovo unravelingagriculturalwateruseinthreecentralasianirrigationoasesusingremotesensing
AT alzubimaha unravelingagriculturalwateruseinthreecentralasianirrigationoasesusingremotesensing
AT urazkeldiyeva unravelingagriculturalwateruseinthreecentralasianirrigationoasesusingremotesensing
AT siegfriedt unravelingagriculturalwateruseinthreecentralasianirrigationoasesusingremotesensing