Irrigation in Algerri-Balaguer, Spain

Irrigation in Algerri-Balaguer, Spain. The grey in the graph shows observed irrigation while the blue line shows what was estimated.

Irrigation practices are scarcely monitored worldwide, which is somewhat paradoxical since this is how we predominantly interfere directly with the water cycle. However, satellites measuring our planet from space offer unique opportunities to answer the question of how much water is used for irrigation?

A paper published recently in the journal Earth System Science Data reports on the results of ESA’s Science for Society Irrigation+ project, which aims to show how irrigation can be measured from space.

Read full story: How much water do we use for irrigation?