Ten years surface-atmosphere water budget from the ISAC micrometeorological base in Salento peninsula and comments on the aquifer balance

Data from a ten years (2003-2013) period of activity of the ISAC-Lecce micrometeorological station have been discussed focusing on the atmosphere-surface exchange. Some suitable indices have been calculated such as the precipitation intensity, the aridity index and the ground water infiltration fraction (ratio of the difference between precipitation and real evapotranspiration and the precipitation). Possible trends of annual averages in the decadal period are considered, trying to take also into account the statistical uncertainty associated to measurement errors and missing data. The results indicate a significant increasing in the precipitation intensity together with an experimental evidence of increasing of the ground water infiltration in the measurement area that is in agreement with recent estimations for the whole Salento peninsula. Nevertheless, during the same period the marine water intrusion together with salinization of the deep aquifer keep increasing, thus requiring attention in the hydrological modelling of the Salento deep aquifer and/or in its management for freshwater supply.