Press Release / Government / Spanish Protected Natural Areas will Detect Climate Change

Spanish Protected Natural Areas will Detect Climate Change

Madrid, Spain, April 03, 2013 - Eight Spanish natural areas will act as sensors in a pioneering network in the study of climate change.

The altitude at which the clouds condense on El Hierro, the duration of the morning rain in the Delta del Ebro and the growth of the vegetation on both sides of the Sierra de Gredos are some of the local phenomena whose relationship to climate change will be studied in the ClimaDat Project. This is an initiative developed by the Catalan Institute of Climate Sciences (IC3) which will analyze the way in which climate change as a global phenomenon influences the Spanish climate and is manifested through changes on a local scale.

The scientific coordinator of the Project, Josep Anton Morguí, explains that “we want to see how climate variability or what happens in the Arctic impacts us here in areas which are extremely sensitive to climate change”.

To do this they will analyze climatic information from eight protected areas in Spain, in stations that will be operative in July of this year. Among the eight sites are the Sierra de Gredos Natural Park, the Delta del Ebro and the Sierras de Cazorla, Segura y las Villas Park (in Jaén).

The project will continually measure the variations in greenhouse gas concentrations – carbon dioxide and methane – and the meteorological conditions, which will allow it to cast light onto the effects of climate change on a local scale. “We are trying to capture with high frequency and precision any phenomenon whose variability might give us information about the climate”, says Morguí. This will be done with cutting edge technology specifically designed for the project.

Morguí stated that this scientific initiative, with a funding of 6 million euros for 5 years, is “a unique network in the world” due to its focus on understanding how climate change impacts on a regional and local scale, and at the same time how regional climate produces certain, specific meteorological situations.

Spanish Protected Natural Areas will Detect Climate Change

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