Rain in Spain is on the decline
Madrid, Spain (SPX) Feb 03, 2011 – A study led by the University of Zaragoza (UNIZAR) has studied precipitation trends in Spain’s 10 hydrological basins over the 1946 to 2005 period. The results show that precipitation has declined overall between the months of March and June, reducing the length of the rainy season. The rains are heavier in October in the north west of the country. Since 1946, the average precipitation falling on Spanish hydrological basins has undergone “notable” changes. The researchers observed a widespread decline in March and June, above all in March (except in the basin of the Segura), with less intense rains in June. “The basin of the Guadiana (in the south west of Spain) has experienced the strongest downward trend, with a reduction of 18%, while the positive trends recorded in the north west of the peninsula were less intense (the Norte, Douro and Tagus basins)”, Jose Carlos Gonzalez-Hidalgo, lead author of the study and a researcher at the UNIZAR, tells SINC. The study, which has been published in the journal Climate Research, shows that the decline in rainfall in March leads to a reduction in the duration of the wet season. Even with the trend recorded in October (increased precipitation), the total precipitation for the hydrological year is increasingly dependent on the onset of the wet season. “In other words, it seems that the wet season has become shorter”, explains Gonzalez-Hidalgo. …
