Ferreiro-Crespo et al. (2026) AWARE historic and 2024 characterization factors for Spain

Identification

• Journal: The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment
• Year: 2026
• Date: 2026-03-01
• Authors: Iago Ferreiro-Crespo, Pedro Villanueva-Rey, Alberto Couce-Rodriguez, Carla Carreira-Garcia, Elena Robles, Yago Lorenzo-Toja, G. Feijoo
• DOI: 10.1007/s11367-026-02603-6

Research Groups

• Galician Water Research Center Foundation (Cetaqua Galicia), AquaHub - A Vila da Auga, Rúa José Villar Granjel 33, Santiago de Compostela 15890, Spain
• Department of Chemical Engineering, Institute of Technology, CRETUS, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela 15782, Spain
• Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, CIBUS- Facultade of Biology, CRETUS, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela 15782, Spain
• Aquatec-Proyectos para el Sector del Agua, Madrid, Spain

Short Summary

This study developed an improved AWARE-based methodology for water scarcity assessment in Spain, integrating current reservoir data and refined demand estimates to provide temporally responsive and spatially resolved characterization factors. The application to 2024 data revealed an average 8.3% increase in water scarcity factors nationally, with significant regional variations highlighting entrenched hydrological polarization.

Objective

• To develop an improved methodology for water scarcity assessment in Spain by enhancing the AWARE approach through the integration of current reservoir data and refined demand estimates, thereby increasing spatial and temporal precision.

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: Spain, at the granularity of Demand Units (DUs), which are the most resolved administrative partition in Spanish basin management. Also includes river basins and coastal areas (0.5° x 0.5° grid for availability).
• Temporal Scale: Annual time steps for characterization factors, monthly variations, application to 2024 data, and comparison with historical baselines (WaterGAP2.2 data from 1960–2010, historical reservoir levels from 1988 to 2010). Projected sectoral demands for 2027.

Methodology and Data

• Models used:
  • AWARE methodology (v1.0) as the baseline.
  • WaterGAP2.2 (for original water availability and runoff modeling).
  • Pastor et al. (2014) model (for Environmental Water Requirements - EWR).
  • Geographical Information Systems (GIS) for spatial adjustments and redistribution.
• Data sources:
  • Up-to-date reservoir storage data (Ministerio para la Transición Ecológica y el Reto Demográfico, 2024).
  • Demand values from official hydrological plans of the third cycle (2022–2027) (Ministerio para la Transición Ecológica y el Reto Demográfico, 2021).
  • Water availability from the latest available version of AWARE (originally WaterGAP2.2).
  • Human Water Consumption (HWC) based on basin hydrological plans.
  • Environmental Water Requirements (EWR) from the Pastor model (Wulca, 2020).

Main Results

• Application of the advanced methodology to 2024 data reveals an average increase of 8.3% in water scarcity characterization factors (CFs) for Spain relative to historical baselines.
• This national average masks significant regional contrasts: northern and western regions experienced a 13% decrease in CFs, central regions a 19% decrease, Andalusia a 1% increase, eastern and southeastern regions a 2% reduction, while Catalonia (northeast) saw a 72% increase, with the Embassaments Ter-Llobregat reaching a CF of 100 for all months.
• The refined default CFs for Spain average 36.85, significantly surpassing the global reference value of 20.96.
• Mediterranean regions, particularly arid and semi-arid areas in the south (e.g., Murcia, Almería), face extreme scarcity, with CF values reaching the maximum threshold of 100, especially during summer months.
• Agricultural CFs (Agri CFs) are significantly higher than Default or Non-Agri CFs, primarily due to agricultural demands peaking during drier seasons when water availability is lower.

Contributions

• Developed a novel, regionally adapted AWARE methodology for Spain, integrating current reservoir data and official hydrological plans for refined demand and supply estimates.
• Achieved increased spatial resolution (Demand Units) and temporal responsiveness (annual and monthly updates based on reservoir status) for water scarcity characterization factors (CFs).
• Provided a more accurate and dynamic portrayal of water stress across Spain, overcoming limitations of static, historical-data-based global indicators.
• Offered a robust tool for informed environmental assessments (e.g., ISO 14,046 water footprinting) and sustainable regional water management, facilitating the identification of at-risk areas and supporting water offsetting projects.
• Demonstrated a modular and data-driven framework with strong potential for replication and adaptation in other regions facing similar hydrological challenges.

Funding

• GAIN and the Galician Government (13IN606D2022_2702175)
• Cross-disciplinary Research in Environmental Technologies (CRETUS Research Center, ED431E 2018/01)
• Open Access funding provided thanks to the CRUE-CSIC agreement with Springer Nature

Citation

@article{FerreiroCrespo2026AWARE,
  author = {Ferreiro-Crespo, Iago and Villanueva-Rey, Pedro and Couce-Rodriguez, Alberto and Carreira-Garcia, Carla and Robles, Elena and Lorenzo-Toja, Yago and Feijoo, G.},
  title = {AWARE historic and 2024 characterization factors for Spain},
  journal = {The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment},
  year = {2026},
  doi = {10.1007/s11367-026-02603-6},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1007/s11367-026-02603-6}
}