Effects of water infrastructure development on water balance in a temperate agricultural landscape

Agricultural water management is essential yet contested in landscapes facing non-stationary hydrology under changing climate. This study explored hydrological responses to 120 years of agricultural landscape alterations, focusing on waterbodies, wetlands and water infrastructure. Utilizing the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT+) we simulated water balance changes combining historical land cover, climate data and water infrastructure shifts across four periods (1900–1910, 1955–1965, 2000–2010, 2010–2020) in Tidan catchment, southwestern Sweden, a temperate-boreal agricultural landscape influenced by natural and anthropogenic changes. Wetland and water network restoration had limited impact on the simulated water balance in Tidan catchment, whereas climate-driven changes significantly altered annual water yield and percolation (1900–1910) and actual evapotranspiration (1955–1965) compared to 2010–2020. Temperatures were significantly higher in 2010–2020 than historically. Precipitation remained stable. These findings suggest potential for adaptive water infrastructure for agriculture with limited water balance alteration, in response to climate and land-use challenges in mesoscale temperate catchments.