La climatología es la rama que desarrolla en mayor grado el principio rector de la geografía: el estudio de las relaciones entre el medio y el ser humano, así como de sus diferentes manifestaciones ...sobre la superficie terrestre. La climatología española compite en la actualidad en igualdad de condiciones con el análisis climático internacional. Ha incluido nuevos planteamientos teóricos y métodos de trabajo que proporcionan resultados publicados en revistas y en monografías de impacto. Uno de los temas principales de la investigación española en dicho ámbito es el cambio climático actual y los efectos que ejerce en los elementos atmosféricos. El litoral mediterráneo es un buen laboratorio para profundizar en esta cuestión, puesto que ya manifiesta consecuencias que, si mantienen su tendencia actual, pueden comportar efectos en las actividades económicas y en la propia ocupación del territorio. En el presente artículo se propone una agenda de trabajo para que, en este contexto, la climatología española se convierta en la rama protagonista de la investigación y la docencia geográfica española en los próximos años.
Emergency mapping makes it possible to manage an emergency situation and even to analyze the catastrophic event, a posteriori, in order to improve action protocols for Civil Protection. The emergency ...maps are produced from the analysis of calls to the Emergency Coordination Centre (911 or 112). Thus, the concept of integral risk mapping arises, in which risk mapping and aspects that allow for more realistic analysis and mapping through the analysis of emergency calls in the event of a natural event converge. In this case, the analysis is focused on the floods that occurred from 12 to 15 September 2019 in the Vega Baja del Segura district (Alicante, Spain). The results obtained show that this is the flooding episode with the highest number of emergency calls in Valencian region and Vega Baja del Segura district (2010–2022). Likewise, the spatial-temporal analysis of the geolocation of the calls and their reasons, have allowed us to draw up a much more detailed map of flooding or affected areas in 2019 than the official maps. In conclusion, the analysis of emergency calls makes it possible to identify problems and vulnerable areas where proposals can be made to reduce the impact of floods and increase the resilience of a territory. At the same time, it is presented as a novel field of research for the analysis of natural and anthropic risks.
Historical cartography is one of the principal tools used in correct flood adaptation and management based on territorial planning. In fact, Directive 2007/60/EC on the assessment and management of ...flood risks includes the analysis and inventory of historical floods in a river basin for assessing the flood hazard and risk existing in a geographical space. This study seeks to analyse the largest flood registered in the Segura basin, occurring on 14–15 October 1879, which attracted enormous interest on a national and international level. The methodology applied is based on the consultation of historical sources and historical cartography, and the elaboration of maps using GIS, enabling comparisons to be made with current flood zones. The results show that the Santa Teresa flood was very similar to the Spanish National Cartographic Systems for Flood Areas (SNCZI) map for a 500-year return period. Furthermore, it allows the identification of the sensitive points along the course of the river or those prone to burst banks or overflowing, which practically coincide with the current maps and modelling conducted by the official bodies. Furthermore, the buildings in the floodable area in the historical cartography have been counted and reconstructed on a GIS map and the SNCZI. Massive anthropic occupation through the construction of settlements and infrastructures (hospitals, schools, centers for the elderly, roads and railways) in the Guadalentín valley and the Segura River increases the risk of flooding in the study area, despite the numerous control and regulation works carried out in the Segura River basin.
Climate change is the most important environmental problem facing humanity in this century. And it has become the great axis of public policies and private actions in developed societies. The effects ...of altering the planetary energy balance due to anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions are already becoming evident in some regions of the planet. Among them, the evidence is already significant in the areas with a Mediterranean climate. This paper collects, as a review paper, the evidence and trends that are being recorded in two areas with a Mediterranean climate (the Spanish Mediterranean coast and the central sector of Chile) to assess the effect of the global warming process. The impact that the current climate change is having on the main elements of the climate and on specific environmental processes in both of these geographical spaces has been analysed. The study seeks to update, through an evaluative summary, the state of the issue of climate change in Mediterranean areas, indicating its future impact on elements of the natural environment and on the functioning of the societies that exist in these regions.
Drought is a climatic risk with notable repercussions on water supply systems. The aim of this study is to analyze the principal measures for management and planning implemented during recent decades ...in south-eastern Spain (Segura River Basin) to respond to drought situations, focusing on the role played by non-conventional water resources (desalination and treated water). The results demonstrate that the study area (despite being one of the driest places of Spain) is less vulnerable to drought than regions with an Atlantic climate and greater availability of water. This has been possible thanks to the integration of non-conventional water resources as a means of adaptation to confront this natural risk, which is estimated to become more intense and frequent in the future owing to climate change.
In the current context of climate change–induced warming, interest in analysing the impact of volcanic eruptions on the climate has renewed. The main conclusions from related papers indicate that ...volcanic eruptions alter the terrestrial radiative balance and cause cooling in the years after an eruption: known as “years without summer.” These episodes of cyclical cooling have been related to negative socio‐economic impacts (such as crop reduction, famine, and social unrest). However, the effect on precipitation has been studied less. Detailed studies on the economic impact of large eruptions are scarce, especially for historical eruptions. This study analysed the effects of the 1883 Krakatoa eruption on temperature and precipitation in the south‐east of the Iberian Peninsula and related economic and social effects. It was concluded that this eruption incited a significant decrease in maximum temperatures and stability, an increase in minimum temperatures, a decrease in average temperatures, and a significant increase in rainfall. This climatic context produced a decrease in cereal prices and a reduction in climatic risks (droughts and frosts). Therefore, the effects of the eruption of Krakatoa improved socioeconomic conditions in the south‐eastern Iberian Peninsula.
A novel methodology is used to analyse high resolution climatic data together with cereal price data and series of climatic extremes. Krakatoa eruption produced a significant decrease in maximum temperatures; stability or an increase in minimum temperatures; a decrease in average temperatures; and a very large increase in rainfall in the study area. The eruption of Krakatoa produced an improvement in the socioeconomic conditions of the southeast of the Iberian Peninsula.
Precipitation on the Spanish mainland and in the Balearic archipelago exhibits a high degree of spatial and temporal variability, regardless of the temporal resolution of the data considered. The ...fractal dimension indicates the property of self-similarity, and in the case of this study, wherein it is applied to the temporal behaviour of rainfall at a fine (10-min) resolution from a total of 48 observatories, it provides insights into its more or less convective nature. The methodology of Jenkinson & Collison which automatically classifies synoptic situations at the surface, as well as an adaptation of this methodology at 500 hPa, was applied in order to gain insights into the synoptic implications of extreme values of the fractal dimension. The highest fractal dimension values in the study area were observed in places with precipitation that has a more random behaviour over time with generally high totals. Four different regions in which the atmospheric mechanisms giving rise to precipitation at the surface differ from the corresponding above-ground mechanisms have been identified in the study area based on the fractal dimension. In the north of the Iberian Peninsula, high fractal dimension values are linked to a lower frequency of anticyclonic situations, whereas the opposite occurs in the central region. In the Mediterranean, higher fractal dimension values are associated with a higher frequency of the anticyclonic type and a lower frequency of the advective type from the east. In the south, lower fractal dimension values indicate higher frequency with respect to the anticyclonic type from the east and lower frequency with respect to the cyclonic type.
The scientific understanding of climate change is firmly established; it is occurring, it is primarily due to human activities, and it poses potentially serious risks to human and natural systems. ...Nevertheless, public understanding of this phenomenon varies widely among farmers and the public, the two-target audience of this paper. This paper introduces two research questions: (1) How climate change is perceived by public-farmers’ nexus; and (2) How perception and populism (as a thin-ideology moved by social forces) interact? In order to address both questions, we review insights from different sources (literature, research projects, and public opinion services) over the last 10 years. The results proved how public experience of climate change is interdependent with the belief that climate change is happening. What is also notable is that the greater the years of farmers’ farming experiences, the greater the percentage rate of their climate change awareness. Differences among farmers and public perceptions were also noted. Uncertainty, coupled with skepticism, the media, and political will, are common findings when asking to farmers and the public for the main weaknesses in adaptation to climate change. However, scientific consensus, meteorological data, barriers to adaptation, and the role of technology are subjects in which both differ.
Esta investigación tiene como objetivo analizar cómo se recoge la educación sobre el cambio climático en los principales documentos oficiales internacionales y españoles sobre este fenómeno. Los ...resultados más remarcables muestran que, a nivel internacional, dicha cuestión es reconocida con medidas interesantes, pero sin concreción. Respecto a España, la enseñanza de este fenómeno incorpora aspectos más concretos y teniendo en cuenta el entorno regional y local, no solo de la población escolar, sino también de la sociedad en general. Como conclusión, cabe destacar que, tras la revisión de esta documentación, se ha podido comprobar que, con el paso de los años, la enseñanza de este fenómeno ha ido cobrando protagonismo, con un mayor detalle de medidas concretas en el ámbito español y en las actuaciones de las administraciones regionales.
The aims of this research, based on a case study (trainee teachers of Primary degree and Secondary Education–MAES of the University of Valencia, Spain), are to analyse the students’ memories and ...perceptions of their training about floods; to examine the interest in teaching these contents in Social Science and/or Geography classes; and to analyse their proposals to improve teacher training. Methodologically, a questionnaire was distributed among 204 future teachers. The results indicate that the majority, in both groups, (degree and MAES) consider themselves to have a medium level of preparedness to teach these contents to schoolchildren (value of 3): 47.0% of the degree students and 47.4% of the MAES students. In both groups, the majority (89.2% degree; 57.9% MAES) indicate that they had not received training in the university or if they had, it had been insufficient. The study reveals that both those who have received training and those who have not believe themselves to have a similar level of preparedness. As the results of this study show, there is still a lot of ground to be covered in the field of education so that it may become an essential tool to generate a society that is more resilient to climate change.
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