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The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which is the United Nations body for assessing the science related to climate change, has recently recognized the natural carbonation process as a way of carbon offsetting with mortar and concrete. Accordingly, this activity could be recognized as a carbon removal process for which certification should be granted. The aim of the certification of carbon removal is to promote the development of adequate and efficient new carbon removal processes. Therefore, the main objective of this study is to provide reliable results on carbon dioxide uptake by cement-based materials in Spain. Yearly, greenhouse gas emissions are reported to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) by each country, and the natural carbonation should be added up to the carbon accounting. Therefore, natural carbonation should be included in the IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories, and such accounting information should be made available promptly to the national regulatory authorities. This paper provides the results of carbon dioxide uptake by Spanish cement-based materials from 1990 to 2020 by using an easy method of estimating the net carbon dioxide emissions (simplified method) considering the carbon dioxide released by the calcination during clinker production (process emissions). The outcome of this study reveals that there was 93,556,000 tons of carbon dioxide uptake by the mortar and concrete manufactured in Spain from 1990 to 2020. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Historical climatology has remarkable potentialities to produce climatic reconstructions with high temporal resolution. However, some methodological limitations hinder the spatial development of this discipline. This study presents a new approach to historical climatology that overcomes some of the limitations of classical approaches, such as the rogation method or content analysis: the Cost Opportunity for Small Towns (COST). It analyses historic documents and takes advantage of all sorts of meteorological information available in written documents, and not only the severest events, to therefore overcome the most prominent bottlenecks of former approaches. COST relies on the fact that using paper is very costly, so its use to describe meteorological conditions is hypothesised as being proportional to the impact they had on society. To prove the validity of this approach to reconstruct climate conditions, this article exemplarily uses the Municipal Chapter Acts of a small town in southern Spain (Caravaca de la Cruz), which span the 1600–1900 period, and allows reconstructions to be obtained on a monthly basis. Using the same documentary source, the three approaches were used to derive respective climate reconstructions, which were then compared to assess climate signal consistency and to identify possible caveats in the methods. The three approaches led to a generally coherent series of secular variability in the hydrological conditions, which agrees well with previous study results. The COST approach is arguably more objective and less affected by changes in societal behaviour, which allows it to perform comparative studies in regions with different languages and traditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper aims to process underlying the relationship between supervisor servant leadership and employee organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) in hotels. Specifically, it analyzes the mediating role of empathy – individual level – and service climate – group level – in the relationship between supervisor servant leadership and employee OCB. Design/methodology/approach: The empirical analysis uses original data on hotels located in historic cities in Spain. A survey provided a sample of 343 work-group-level (supervisors) and 835 individual-level (employee) from a sample of 171 hotels. Findings: The most interesting finding is the indirect effect of supervisor servant leadership on employee OCB through the mediating role of both employee empathy – individual level – and group service climate – group level. Practical implications: The findings suggest that hotel supervisors should adopt servant leadership to enhance OCB in their workgroups. This paper also provides insights into other ways to increase employee OCB, namely, through human resources initiatives that enhance employee empathy and shape a service climate within groups. Originality/value: This paper is one of the few that analyzes the relationships between supervisor servant leadership, employee empathy, group service climate and employee OCB in a unifying cross-level model. It is also the first to analyze employee empathy as a positive outcome of supervisor servant leadership, as well as a mechanism to explain the relationship between servant leadership and employee OCB. Finally, it is one of the few studies that analyzes all these relationships in conjunction within the hospitality industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a methodology that allows for calculating the thermal and electric energy consumption together with CO2 emissions of cities by inhabitant and household based on climate, only making use of publicly available data. With this aim, climate was analysed and cities were classified based on it. The analysis of those cities' energy consumption and CO2 emissions allowed for drawing conclusions. Once aware of the climate zones in which energy consumption and emissions are higher, these mentioned conclusions could help to take further actions. An index has been defined to facilitate this analysis. This paper shows the case of Spain for illustrative purposes. This type of study has been carried out in some detail in many countries, but not in Spain yet. This paper tries as well to fill the existing gaps in studies that relate climate to thermal and electric energy consumption. For this purpose, it analyses the 145 cities in Spain that have more than 50,000 inhabitants. Knowing all this is essential in all regions and countries. It will allow for taking proper actions for promoting the energy saving and the use of alternative energy sources that reduce CO2 emissions. According to the study carried out in this paper, the extremer the climate of a city is, the higher the thermal energy consumption is. This consumption decreases in softer climates. However, electric energy consumption is similar in all cities independent of the climate they have. With regard to CO2 emissions, it was calculated that the higher the energy consumption of a city is, the higher these emissions are. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this research was to identify major drought events on the Spanish mainland between 1961 and 2014 by means of two drought indices, and analyze the spatial propagation of drought conditions. The indices applied were the standardized precipitation index (SPI) and the standardized evaporation precipitation index (SPEI). The first was calculated as standardized anomalies of precipitation at various temporal intervals, while the second examined the climatic balance normalized at monthly scale, incorporating the relationship between precipitation and the atmospheric water demand. The daily meteorological data from Spanish Meteorological Archives (AEMet) were used in performing the analyses. Within the framework of the DESEMON project, original data were converted into a high spatial resolution grid (1.1 km2) following exhaustive quality control. Values of both indices were calculated on a weekly scale and different timescales (12, 24 and 36 months). The results show that during the first half of the study period, the SPI usually returned a higher identification of drought areas, while the reverse was true from the 1990s, suggesting that the effect from atmospheric evaporative demand could have increased. The temporal propagation from 12- to 24-month and 36-month timescales analyzed in the paper seems to be a far from straightforward phenomenon that does not follow a simple rule of time lag, because events at different temporal scales can overlap in time and space. Spatially, the propagation of drought events affecting more than 25% of the total land indicates the existence of various spatial gradients of drought propagation, mostly east-west or west-east, but also north-south have been found. No generalized episodes were found with a radial pattern, i.e., from inland to the coast. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Presupuesto y Gasto Publico is the property of Instituto de Estudios Fiscales, Ministerio de Hacienda y Funcion Publica and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Climate conditions affect buildings' performance and durability. The purpose of this paper is to examine the influence of climate conditions on roof deficiencies. 763 cases of such deficiencies were analyzed in this regard. Once the construction deficiencies were quantified, they were characterized from a climatological point of view and their 'climate location segments' were studied to obtain 'ranges of concentration of anomalies' according to the obtained percentage. A direct relation is shown to exist between the location of the building (latitude, situation, type of climate, precipitation, thermal demands, and average wind speed) and a greater or smaller concentration of deficiencies found in both flat and pitched buildings. It was also found that an annual average wind speed greater than 3 m/s increases the appearance of deficiencies in roofs. A higher prevalence of deficiencies was also found in those geographical zones with a thermal demand of 1800–2800 heating degree days or 450–700 cooling degree days. It was found that a higher percentage of construction deficiencies are concentrated in buildings located in the northern coastal climate segments of Spain. With these results, technicians will be able to take more appropriate precautions during both the building process and the use and maintenance phase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quality assurance of meteorological data is crucial for ensuring the reliability of applications and models that use such data as input variables, especially in the field of environmental sciences. Spatial validation of meteorological data is based on the application of quality control procedures using data from neighbouring stations to assess the validity of data from a candidate station (the station of interest). These kinds of tests, which are referred to in the literature as spatial consistency tests, take data from neighbouring stations in order to estimate the corresponding measurement at the candidate station. These estimations can be made by weighting values according to the distance between the stations or to the coefficient of correlation, among other methods. The test applied in this study relies on statistical decision-making and uses a weighting based on the standard error of the estimate. This paper summarizes the results of the application of this test to maximum, minimum and mean temperature data from the Agroclimatic Information Network of Andalusia (southern Spain). This quality control procedure includes a decision based on a factor f, the fraction of potential outliers for each station across the region. Using GIS techniques, the geographic distribution of the errors detected has been also analysed. Finally, the performance of the test was assessed by evaluating its effectiveness in detecting known errors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT This paper focuses on the application of a simple analytical parameterization to the filling of the Ultraviolet Index (UVI) data gaps, and the reconstruction of past UVI values at Badajoz and Caceres (Southwestern Spain). The empirical model involves three independent variables: the solar zenith angle, the total ozone column and the clearness index. Regarding the first application, daily UVI was estimated for more than 30 days when UV measurements were not available in 2007. For these cases, the missing UVI data were replaced by estimated values, thus affecting the UVI annual mean and median. Regarding the second application, the reconstruction of past UVI time-series (1950-2000) is performed only for clear-sky cases (cloud and aerosol free conditions) using the COST 726 total ozone climatology. The linear UVI trends for two periods (1957-1978 and 1979-2000) are calculated for summer months using linear least squares fits. Both locations show statistically significant UVI trends for the most recent period 1979-2000, with values of +4.4 ± 1.6% per decade for Badajoz, and +4.9 ± 1.8% per decade for Caceres. This result is mainly driven by the ozone decline at northern mid-latitudes during this period. No significant trend is found for the other analysed period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the reconstruction of a climatological series of winter coastal storms on the northern coasts of the Gulf of Cadiz. This series has been put together using information extracted from regional and local Spanish newspapers. It includes all the storms coming from the Atlantic sector that have been detected during the winter season, from October to March, between 1929 and 2005. In order to validate this historical storm series, it has been compared with storms series identified from quasi-observational data and using different wave heights as thresholds to decide what is to be considered as a coastal storm. Nearly 2.6 reports per year about coastal storms are published in the press which correspond to waves of 3.6 m high or more and to prevailing winds from a direction ranging between SSW and WNW. A long- term positive trend has been detected for the complete storm series. If only the instrumental period is analysed, no significant trend is detected. It is suggested that this difference might be associated with the impact of the North Atlantic Oscillation over the occurrence of storms in this area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we propose to answer the following questions: What does the adoption of water saving measures by Spanish households depend on? Which factors have the most influence on water saving behaviour? To this end we have conducted an empirical study in which a binary model (probit/logit) with interaction effects between city size, educational level and climatic area, along with other quantitative and qualitative variables, is estimated using household level data. The results of this estimation, together with the evaluation of probability changes that occur when any of the qualitative factors change, suggest that the level of income, the size of the city where the dwelling is, the educational level of the reference person and the climatic location of the city are factors that influence the attitude towards saving water. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Volunteering is a ubiquitous and distinct feature of the British retired community in Spain, and for many older migrants volunteering constitutes a significant part of their post-retirement life abroad. Especially in the management and organisation of health and age-related problems voluntary organisations have come to play a crucial role not only for the British community but also for the Spanish host society and public health-care system. Furthermore, volunteering represents a valuable sphere of activity offering personal benefits for those who are actively engaged. Based on ethnographic fieldwork conducted in a charity organisation in the province of Alicante on the northern Costa Blanca, this paper examines the extensive functions that volunteering and charitable activities can offer British older migrants. The implementation of voluntary work within the specific context of retirement migration is identified as a multi-functional individual and societal resource. Volunteering for the retirees is described as a true means of adaptation to a new life context, and as a highly reflexive strategy of risk minimisation and self-realisation. This implies individual benefits and opens up possibilities of active ageing. Finally, volunteering will be analysed as a performative expression of transmigrants' cultural bifocality, reflecting both a high level of commitment to Spain as well as a specific feature of British community spirit and traditionalism. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The concept of fire regime refers to a variety of fire characteristics occurring at a given place and period of time. Understanding fire regimes is relevant to fire ecology and fire management because it provides a better understanding of effects of fire as well as the potential effects of different future scenarios. Recent changes in the traditional fire regimes linked to climate and socioeconomic transformations in European Mediterranean areas have influenced fire regimes and their effects on both ecosystems and people. This paper presents a methodology for characterising fire regimes based on historical fire statistics. The analysis includes three dimensions: density, seasonality and interannual variability. The raw records were pre-processed to eliminate errors, and a principal component analysis was performed to identify the primary factors involved in the variation. A cluster analysis was then used to define the fire regimes. Approximately 38% of the spatial cells examined were found to have significant fire activity, but in spite that fires are important in these areas, fire activity showed a high interannual variability. Four fire regimes in the Spanish peninsular territory were described in terms of the density and seasonality of fire activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to quantitatively characterize the climatology of daily precipitation indices in Catalonia (northeastern Iberian Peninsula) from 1951 to 2003. This work has been performed analyzing a subset of the ETCCDI (Expert Team on Climate Change Detection and Indices) precipitation indices calculated from a new interpolated dataset of daily precipitation, namely SPAIN02, regular at 0.2° horizontal resolution (around 20 km) and from two high-quality stations: the Ebro and Fabra observatories. Using a jack-knife technique, we have found that the sampling error of the SPAIN02 regional averaged is relatively low. The trend analysis has been implemented using a Circular Block Bootstrap procedure applicable to non-normal distributions and autocorrelated series. A running trend analysis has been applied to analyze the trend persistence. No general trends at a regional scale are observed, considering the annual or the seasonal regional averaged series of all the indices for all the time windows considered. Only the consecutive dry days index (CDD) at annual scale shows a locally coherent spatial trend pattern; around 30 % of the Catalonia area has experienced an increase of around 2-3 days decade-1. The Ebro and Fabra observatories show a similar CDD trend, mainly due to the summer contribution. Besides this, a significant decrease in total precipitation (around -10mm decade-1) and in the index "highest precipitation amount in five-day period" (RX5DAY, around -5 mm decade-1), have been found in summer for the Ebro observatory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Due to the increasing energy consumption of air conditioning in buildings and the need to decrease the fossil CO2 emissions to the environment, the interest of using renewable energy sources shows up stronger than ever. We present a general study whose aim is to propose a method to evaluate an upper bound in the potential of solar cooling by using some simplified models. As an example it has been applied to the very diverse climates of Spain. In the paper it has been assumed a direct solar coupling between the solar collector field and a single effect absorption cooling machine, without any intermediate solar storage tank. An equation is obtained that shows the dependence of the generator/solar-collectors equilibrium temperature on basic design parameters of the system (absorption machine-solar collectors). The paper analyzes the effect of these on the total amount of cooling produced along a typical mean year and the peak cooling power. The paper also includes a discussion on how to estimate the values and what is their physical meaning of the parameters which define the behavior of real absorption machines. Finally tables are included for the 12climates of Spain that can be used as an example of how to make a quick pre-sizing of such direct coupled system. The classification of the Spanish climates is based on general data (average monthly total horizontal solar radiation, average monthly dry temperature, etc.) and the results could be generalized for climates with the same severity. Moreover if hourly weather data is available for any place (like tmy2, bin, epw, etc. files), the procedure can be applied without further changes. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This paper presents a preliminary climatology of tornadoes and waterspouts in Catalonia (NE Iberian Peninsula). A database spanning 60 yr (1950--2009) has been developed on the basis of information collected from various sources such as weather reports, insurance companies, newspapers and damage surveys. This database has been subjected to a rigorous validation process, and the climatology describes its main features: timing, spatial pattern, and trends in the tornado and waterspout distribution. Results show the highest concentration of tornadoes from August to October, the highest density in the heavily populated coastal areas and a growing positive trend that is likely more closely linked to an increase in observation and perception rather than a real climatic trend. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main objective of this study is to compare the erythemal UV irradiance (UVER) and spectral UV irradiances (at 305, 310 and 324 nm) from the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) onboard NASA EOS/Aura polar sun-synchronous satellite (launched in July 2004, local equator crossing time 01:45 p.m.) with ground-based measurements from the Brewer spectrophotometer #150 located at El Arenosillo (South of Spain). The analyzed period comprises more than four years, from October 2004 to December 2008. The effects of several factors (clouds, aerosols and the solar elevation) on OMI-Brewer comparisons were analyzed. The proxies used for each factor were: OMI Lambertian Equivalent Reflectivity (LER) at 360 nm (clouds), the aerosol optical depth (AOD) at 440 nm measured from the ground-based Cimel sun-photometer (http://aeronet.gsfc.nasa.gov), and solar zenith angle (SZA) at OMI overpass time. The comparison for all sky conditions reveals positive biases (OMI higher than Brewer) 12.3% for UVER, 14.2% for UV irradiance at 305 nm, 10.6% for 310 nm and 8.7% for 324 nm. The OMI-Brewer root mean square error (RMSE) is reduced when cloudy cases are removed from the analysis, (e.g., RMSE~20% for all sky conditions and RMSE smaller than 10% for cloud-free conditions). However, the biases remain and even become more significant for the cloud-free cases with respect to all sky conditions. The mentioned overestimation is partially due to aerosol extinction influence. In addition, the differences OMI-Brewer typically decrease with SZA except days with high aerosol loading, when the bias is near constant. The seasonal dependence of the OMI-Brewer difference for cloud-free conditions is driven by aerosol climatology. To account for the aerosol effect, a first evaluation in order to compare with previous TOMS results (Antón et al., 2007) was performed. This comparison shows that the OMI bias is between +14% and +19% for UVER and spectral UV irradiances for moderately-high aerosol load (AOD>0.25). The OMI bias is decreased by a factor of 2 (the typical bias varies from +8% to +12%) under cloud-free and low aerosol load conditions (AOD<0.1). More detailed analysis of absorbing aerosols influence on OMI bias at our station is presented in a companion paper (Cachorro et al., 2010). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This is the first paper to report a detailed comparison between ground based measurements of cloud enhanced ultraviolet (UV) radiation at sites located in both hemispheres. The measurements were undertaken at a Northern Hemisphere site (at the campus of the University of Girona in Spain) and a Southern Hemisphere site (campus of the University of Southern Queensland, Toowoomba, Australia). These sites were chosen as they have both simultaneous sky camera and solar radiation (including UV) measurement campaigns operating for at least 5 years over the same time period. Although hemispheric comparisons of UV radiation are not new, this paper focuses on a study of enhancements, including a comparison of the frequency of occurrence and associated cloud types, at the locations with differing climatology. It is found that although there are commonalities between the sites, such as the correlation of the frequency of enhancements with larger solar zenith angle (SZA) both at Girona and Toowoomba, there are differences too, e.g. the frequency of occurrence of the enhancements, and the type of clouds that produce most enhancements (cirrus at Girona, cumulus at Toowoomba). It is suggested that this is due to the differences in latitude coupled with a large amount of Cirriform cloud, especially corresponding to large SZA, at Girona. Possible explanations for this major difference were examined, with the most likely hypothesis relating to multiple scattering due to Cirriform cloud and the subsequent effect on UV radiation on a horizontal surface at large SZA. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This paper documents a rare spell of severe weather in Spain that took place during the mid-nineteenth century when a tropical storm struck the southwest of the country on 29 October 1842. The use of a variety of independent documentary sources has provided unprecedented scope for the analysis of this event, allowing it to be set within its wider context, and for a judgement to be made on its tropical origin. The evidence suggests that this was similar, though stronger, to the more recent Hurricane Vince, which made landfall in Spain on 10 October 2005. This case study not only places Hurricane Vince, suggested at the time to have been unique, in its more proper long-term context, but it also demonstrates how documentary sources can improve our wider understanding of climate dynamics during historical times in the Atlantic basin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract  Northwest Iberia (Spain and Portugal) is a large and complex territory which is currently considered a contact border between two different biogeographical regions, the Eurosiberian and the Mediterranean. Such complexity is clearly influenced by several main factors, namely the winding mountain ranges of this region and their position on the peninsula, which result in several markedly different environments coexisting within distances of only a few kilometres apart, such as extremely oceanic or continental climates and high mountain areas or inland basins. This intricacy might also be reflected in the postglacial palaeoecological reconstructions which have been made for different mountain areas of northwest Iberia. Several isolated pollen diagrams from key sites in the area which have been published during the last decades have been questioned, because they show tendencies or chronologies apparently incompatible with global dynamics affecting the North Atlantic. In this paper we explore the possible integration of the biostratigraphies and chronologies of several selected pollen sites in this region. Northwest Iberia as a whole has been firstly divided into several more homogeneous biogeographical units, and high quality pollen sequences from each unit were selected to obtain reconstructions of local dynamics at each site and also approximations of the regional tendencies in each unit. Subsequently, the correlation between the different regional tendencies and their coherence in relation to the global climatic models performed for the North Atlantic is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim Rainfall reliability has been neglected as a determinant of plant trait convergence and divergence in mediterranean-climate ecosystems. This paper reports on patterns of rainfall reliability — quantified as interannual variation in monthly and seasonal rainfall, and as the frequency of individual events in terms of their size, duration and intensity — for four fire-prone mediterranean-climate ecosystems. Location The four mediterranean-climate regions of the world with fire-prone ecosystems, namely SW Cape (South Africa), SW Australia, California and the Mediterranean Basin (Andalusia, Spain). Methods Using long-term monthly rainfall data from stations dispersed across the four regions, we computed monthly means and interannual variation for each month of the year — the latter quantified as the coefficient of variation (CV) — and divided these into winter and summer seasons. We also computed the mean number of rainfall events, the mean frequency in various categories of event duration (days), the amount of rainfall per event (mm) and the rainfall intensity per event (mm/day) per year for winter and summer seasons for a subset of the rainfall stations. Results The fraction of rain falling in summer was lowest in California (5%) and similarly low ( c. 25%) in the other three regions. The hierarchy of values of coefficient of variation (CV) of monthly rainfall during the winter period was as follows: California > Andalusia >> SW Cape > SW Australia; results for summer were: California > > Andalusia >> SW Australia ∼ SW Cape. SW Australian sites experienced the greatest frequency of short, small and low-intensity rainfall events in both seasons; patterns in the SW Cape were intermediate between Australia and the two northern hemisphere sites which both received fewer, larger and more intense events. Overall, the two southern hemisphere regions (SW Australia and the SW Cape) had significantly more reliable regimes than the two northern hemisphere ones (Mediterranean Basin and California). Main conclusions These differences in rainfall reliability regimes may provide a novel perspective on the distribution of certain plant life-history traits in mediterranean-climate ecosystems. Less reliable regimes would select for germination and seedling survival traits that enable persistence of genets in the face of uncertain moisture conditions during the winter and spring establishment phase. Study systems that accommodate for phylogenetic constraints, namely invasive species derived from mediterranean-climate ecosystems, as well as shared lineages, provide good opportunities to develop and test hypotheses on the implication of different rainfall reliability regimes. One of the novel implications of this study is that the distinctive trait of assemblages in the southern hemisphere regions may be a consequence not so much of their shared nutrient-poor soils as of their similarly reliable rainfall regimes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spanish historical archives contain a vast store of information about Spain and its former colonies in America and Asia. Some searches for climate-related information within these archives have been undertaken recently, but they have been by no means exhaustive. This paper discusses the principal archives and shows, by means of several examples, that they exhibit a high potential for inferring past climate over a wide range of timescales and geographical areas. Extraction of such information is often time consuming, and requires a combination of archival, historical, and climatological expertise, and the development of individualized methodologies to fit each situation and type of data. In spite of these difficulties, the archives can be particularly useful in many cases where there are no alternative sources of climate data. Thus, the complexities of the multidisciplinary effort required should not discourage other researchers from undertaking similar studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Catalonia (in the north east of the Iberian Peninsula) is among the most prospected territories in Europe, from the ethnobotanical point of view. The aim of the present paper is to undertake a global analysis in the area considered, including plants, plant life forms, and ethnobotanical data within a physiographic and geographic framework. Methods: Data from 21 ethnobotanical prospection areas in Catalonia were collected, analyzed, and compared, with the focus on plant life forms and geographic divisions. Results: A total of 824 taxa constitute the Catalan ethnoflora, and 316 of them are shared by the six physiographic zones recognized in Catalonia. When three major geographic areas are considered (Pyrenean, inland, and littoral), 394 taxa have been reported in only one out of the three areas. Concerning life forms, phanerophytes and chamaephytes together, i.e., those taxa present all through the year, are the most cited (37.12%). Conclusions: This first study constitutes a new approach to ethnobotanical data analysis. The results show the particular importance of plants with a large distribution area and plants with available biomass throughout the year. Apart from this, other kind of plants, e.g., those present in only one territory, are of interest for its originality and sometimes for the local significance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of International Journal of Climatology is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This paper presents a novel methodology for Climate Network (CN) construction based on the Kullback-Leibler divergence (KLD) among Membership Probability (MP) distributions, obtained from the Second Order Data-Coupled Clustering (SODCC) algorithm. The proposed method is able to obtain CNs with emergent behaviour adapted to the variables being analyzed, and with a low number of spurious or missing links. We evaluate the proposed method in a problem of CN construction to assess differences in wind speed prediction at different wind farms in Spain. The considered problem presents strong local and mesoscale relationships, but low synoptic scale relationships, which have a direct influence in the CN obtained. We carry out a comparison of the proposed approach with a classical correlation-based CN construction method. We show that the proposed approach based on the SODCC algorithm and the KLD constructs CNs with an emergent behaviour according to underlying wind speed prediction data physics, unlike the correlation-based method that produces spurious and missing links. Furthermore, it is shown that the climate network construction method facilitates the evaluation of symmetry properties in the resulting complex networks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years climate change has become a multidisciplinary research topic that addresses the challenges facing transport infrastructure planning, construction and operation. The study of the adaptation of transport systems to new environmental conditions is often based on the interrelated concepts of resilience, vulnerability and criticality. In this paper we assess the criticality of sections of Spain's inland transport network under the effects of changing climate scenarios obtained from a specific climate projection (using the time periods 2010–2020 and 2045–2055). The functionality of the transport system is characterised here in terms of territorial accessibility. The results identify and locate the most critical stretches of the Spanish transport network. In general terms, the most relevant sections in regard to accessibility will not be exposed to the greatest changes in climate variables. Up to 2.8% of the roads and 5.9% of the railways that contribute most significantly to the territorial accessibility of the transport system will undergo the greatest variations between climate scenarios. This paper contributes to this field of research by developing a screening tool that represents a valuable instrument for the infrastructure decision-making process at the strategic level. Action areas for proactive adaptation measures can be identified in order to reduce impacts and costs, while prioritising the maintenance or reconstruction of the most critical stretches in the case of a future climate event. • We assess criticality of sections of transport network under changing climate scenarios. • We combine accessibility of the transport network with exposure to changes in climate. • Most valuable accessibility sections not be exposed to the greatest climate changes. • We locate the most critical transport infrastructure sections in Spain. • We provide a useful screening tool to identify priority action areas for mitigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Physical activity is an increasingly frequent part of our leisure time. Within this context, hiking is a popular form of tourism which has a positive impact on the quality of life. In spite of the importance of climate conditions for this recreational activity, relatively little research has been done on hiking from the perspective of climate and tourism. With this in mind in this paper we make the first detailed extensive assessment of climate preferences for the practice of hiking tourism in Spain. To this end a review of the theoretical/methodological body of literature on tourism climatology was conducted together with a survey aimed at evaluating the stated climate preferences of hiking tourists. The results are offered within the framework of international research on climate preferences for a range of tourism activities. The comparative analysis of these results with regard to those obtained in previous research highlights various similarities but also certain factors specific to hiking in Spain. Overall, the climate preferences of hiking tourists are similar to those of other segments of the tourism market in terms of the aesthetic and physical aspects of the climate, although they also have certain specific preferences as regards thermal aspects, especially regarding the optimal daily thermal conditions for hiking. The results obtained are useful for assessing the suitability of the climate for the practice of hiking tourism in Spain and for promoting proper management and planning of this leisure activity in tourist destinations, including the development of climate calendars detailing the most suitable times of the year for hiking at these destinations. These issues will be addressed in future research studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, science has hardened the discourse on the emergency of global warming, pointing out that the next decades will be decisive to maintaining the stability of the climate system and, thus, avoiding a cascade effect of events that increase the average temperature above safe limits. The scientific community warns that there are different tipping points that could produce a chain reaction in the global climate. One of them is related to the jet stream. However, despite the importance of this air current in atmospheric dynamics in the Northern Hemisphere and the changes it is experiencing in the context of global warming, the public is still not familiar with this kind of physical concept nor with other much simpler concepts. As concerns about the climate crisis rise, climate literacy remains stagnant. To advance the learning of the science of climate change, in general, and of concepts such as the jet stream, in particular, specific scientific communication formats are required that can successfully tackle the difficult task of explaining such complex problems to the general public. These formats should be included in the media, as the characteristics of the formats (daily section, scientific dissemination, historic perspective, teleconnections and specialization) make them well suited to taking on the challenge of explaining the complexity of climate science. In this article, we present a communication proposal existent in a newspaper published in Spain. We argue that this communication format represents a good model to disseminate climate science, educate readers and even to make physical concepts such as the jet stream accessible. We believe that this format conforms to and complies with the enunciation of Article 12 of the Paris Agreement, which calls on the signatory countries to promote education and training on climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary An increase in water demands, exacerbated by climate change and the tightening of environmental requirements, leads to a reduction in available water resources for economic uses. This situation poses challenges for water resource planning and management. Water accounting has emerged as an appropriate tool to improve transparency and control in water management. There are multiple water accounting approaches, but they generally involve a very exhaustive list of accounted concepts. According to our findings in this research, one of the best water accounting methodologies is the Australian Water Accounting Standard. However, its implementation for integrated water resource planning and management purposes calls into questioning the amount of information and level of detail necessary for the users of water accounts. In this paper, we present a different method of applying the Australian Water Accounting Standard in relation to water resource management, which improves its utility. In order to compare the original approach and that proposed here, we present and discuss an application to the Júcar Water Resource System, in eastern Spain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Precipitation irregularity constitutes a constraint for natural systems and socio-economic activities, particularly in water-scarce environments. Standard variability statistics such as the standard deviation, variance, and coefficient of variation do not consider the chronological order of these values. In Climatology, however, the temporal order of meteorological events is a relevant factor that can affect natural and socio-economic systems. In order to evaluate the disparity between consecutive values in precipitation series, we applied the Consecutive Disparity Index (D) to the monthly grid with the highest spatial resolution (10×10 km) existing in Peninsular Spain for the period December 1915–November 2015. Monthly, seasonal, and annual D values show an increase from north to southwest, especially in July and August. The D values for the month-to-month correlative series and for monthly mean precipitation reveal a relatively similar pattern. In the latter case, however, the low values are recorded towards southern Spain, following some mountain ranges in the Centre-East of the territory. Monthly, seasonal, and annual precipitation values are also negatively correlated with the corresponding D values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: We present in this paper the Generic RAdiative traNsfer AnD non-LTE population Algorithm (GRANADA). This model is able to compute non-LTE populations for vibrational, rotational, spin (i.e., NO and OH), and electronic (i.e., O2) states in a given planetary atmosphere. The model is very flexible and can be used for computing very accurate non-LTE populations or for calculating reasonably accurate but at high speed non-LTE populations in order to implement it into non-LTE remote sensing retrievals. We describe the model in detail and present an update of the non-LTE collisional processes and their rate coefficients for the most important molecules in Earth''s atmosphere. In addition, we have applied the model to the most important atmospheric infrared emitters including 13 species (H2O, CO2, O3, N2O, CO, CH4, O2, NO, NO2, HNO3, OH, N2, and HCN) and 460 excited vibrational or electronic energy levels. Non-LTE populations for all these energy levels have been calculated for 48 reference atmospheres expanding from the surface up to 200km, including seasonal (January, April, July and October), latitudinal (75°S, 45°S, 10°S, 10°N, 45°N, 75°N) and diurnal (day and night) coverages. The effects of the most recent updates of the non-LTE collisional parameters on the non-LTE populations are briefly described. This climatology is available online to the community and it can be used for estimating non-LTE effects at specific conditions and for testing and validation studies. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: According to pollen analysis and the 18O-isotope curve, the first part of the Late Pleistocene (ca 128–30 ka) is mainly characterized by a dynamic that alternates cold phases (Heinrich Events) and temperate phases (interstadials). These rapid fluctuations provide the context for the Neanderthal occupations in the northeastern part of the Iberian Peninsula. In this paper we present the chronological, environmental and climatic data obtained by analyzing the pollen, the charcoal, the small vertebrates (amphibians, squamates and small mammals) and the large-mammal dental wear at the Neanderthal site of Teixoneres cave, Northeastern Iberia. Levels II and III from this cavity have provided Mousterian industries and other evidence of Neanderthal occupations, such as cut-marks in large-mammal bones. A multiproxy study such as this constitutes a new approach to the chronological, environmental and climatic context in which Neanderthal populations lived in southwestern Europe (Iberian Peninsula). The results allow us to establish a relative chronology for these two levels of between ca 30–90 ka and show that they are associated with different environmental and climatic conditions: temperate and humid for Level III and cold and dry for Level II. This demonstrates that the Neanderthals were well adapted to the territory that they occupied, irrespective of the climatic conditions. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The CEAM Foundation (Valencia, Spain) has developed an operational ultraviolet index (UVI) forecasting system based on the Santa Barbara DISORT Atmospheric Radiative Transfer (SBDART) model. The main objective of this system is to provide the general public with a tool to minimize the impact of ultraviolet (UV) radiation, which can cause important human health problems. The system presented in this paper has been developed in collaboration with the Environment Department of the Regional Government of Valencia, and it replaces the one running until 2007. The new system substitutes the previously used Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) observed data with the total ozone column data forecasted from the Global Forecasting System (GFS) model. This has allowed the forecasting period to be increased from only 1 day in the original system to 3 days, with daily updates. The UVI forecast presented herein uses maps to show the hourly daytime evolution of the UV index on selected locations as well as the maximum UVI expected in the area of interest for the following 3 days (D, D+1, and D+2). The locations selected correspond to measurement stations equipped with erythemal radiation instruments. The UVI forecast information, the erythemal radiation experimental data, and other outreach information are supplied to the public through both the CEAM Meteorology and Climatology Program Web page and the Environment Department of the Regional Government of Valencia Web page. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Climate, lithology, soil and especially, intense land use/cover changes, make SE Spain very vulnerable to runoff generation and water erosion leading to loss of nutrients and organic matter and to infrequent but devastating floods, reservoir siltation and mass failures. This susceptibility has led to heavy economic investment and research efforts since the 1980s, making this region a worldwide reference for understanding the hydrology and geomorphology of semiarid ecosystems. Runoff and soil erosion have been intensively studied throughout the last decades in various natural ecosystems as well as in abandoned farmlands. Research has considered a wide range of methods and spatial and temporal scales. This paper reviews the methods and data describing runoff generation and water erosion, synthesising the key processes involved, rates, thresholds and controlling factors from a scale-dependent perspective. It also identifies the major gaps in current knowledge to provide recommendations for further research towards solutions that reduce the negative impacts of erosion. Research in SE Spain has contributed significantly to a better understanding of the effect of spatial and temporal scale on runoff and sediment yield measurements, and highlighted the important role of distinct erosion and sediment transport processes, hydrologic connectivity, spatial and temporal patterns of rainfall, the occurrence of extreme events and the impacts of land use changes. The most effective ways and challenges to predict runoff, soil erosion and sediment yield at the catchment scale are also discussed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The southwestern area of Spain, by its geographical and climatological conditions, is a key location for the characterization of atmospheric aerosol properties. The present study is aimed at evaluating the reliability of satellite-based aerosol climatologies, as inferred from level 2 standard aerosol products such as the Terra-MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Radiometer) MOD04 aerosol product, with an application over this region during the period 2000–2008. This evaluation is carried out by means of comparison with ground-based data from the AERONET station of El Arenosillo (Spain, 37.1N, 6.7W), which has been providing continuous data since 2000. The focus of this paper is the climatology of two aerosol optical parameters: the aerosol optical depth (AOD) and the Ångström exponent. AERONET ground-based measurements give an annual mean value of 0.16±0.12 and a median of 0.12 for the AOD, and a mean value of 1.20±0.47 for the Ångström exponent. The seasonal pattern is characterized by two maxima, the most important maximum occurs in summer months, and the other one in late-winter/early-spring. Lowest values appear in fall and winter, however, a local minimum is observed in July which is only detected with the long-term data series. The mean climatological AOD based on AERONET exhibits complex seasonal patterns (i.e. with multiple local extrema), which are not always captured by MODIS-based climatology. MODIS only reproduces low values of the AOD in winter and high values in summer, as well as the local minimum of July which is sharper when using over-land retrievals. The time series of the AOD retrieved from MODIS both over land and ocean are in relatively good agreement with the ground-based measurements, with a monthly overestimation of about 30% on average, and higher differences in spring. Seasonal patterns from MODIS are better reproduced over land than over ocean. The agreement between daily AERONET and MODIS, as assessed by linear regression, gives correlation coefficients above 80% and an intercept bias below 0.03. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This paper presents an analysis of precipitation changes in the main Hydrological Divisions (HDs; 'Cuencas Hidrográficas', Water Planning Divisions) in Spain from 1946-2005. Trend analysis revealed several monthly long-term variations and important spatial differences that should be taken into account for any national water-planning scheme. The most spatially coherent signals were a negative trend observed in March and June, affecting all catchments (HDs), and a positive trend in October, which was particularly evident in the northwestern catchments. These caused a redistribution of precipitation throughout the year, with a reduction in the length of the wet season (due to the negative trend in March) and a concentration of precipitation at the beginning of the wet season in October. A running trend analysis revealed variability in the long-term tendency which, although quite persistent, changed in strength between sub-periods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The Sima del Elefante cave, in the Sierra de Atapuerca (Burgos, Spain), is famous for the fact that level TE9 of its Lower Red Unit recently delivered the oldest hominin remains of Western Europe, identified as Homo antecessor and dated by biostratigraphy and radiometric methods to ca 1.2Ma. Given the importance of this discovery, every effort is being made to reconstruct the landscapes where these hominins once thrived. The amphibian and squamate reptile assemblage of the Sima del Elefante Lower Red Unit is here studied for the first time. The faunal list comprises at least 17 species (roughly 12,000 bone fossil remains): Salamandra salamandra, Triturus cf. marmoratus, Alytes obstetricans, Pelobates cultripes, Pelodytes punctatus, Bufo bufo, Bufo calamita, Hyla arborea, Rana sp., cf. Pelophylax sp., Lacerta s.l., small-sized indeterminate lacertids, Anguis fragilis, Natrix cf. natrix, Natrix cf. maura, Coronella cf. girondica and Vipera sp. As the amphibians and squamate reptiles do not differ at species level from the extant herpetofauna of the Iberian Peninsula, they can contribute to the reconstruction of the landscape and climate. In this paper, the mutual climatic range and habitat weighting methods are applied to the amphibian and squamate reptile assemblages in order to estimate quantitative data. The results from the squamate and amphibian study indicate that during the hominin presence the mean annual temperature (MAT=10–13°C) was always slightly warmer than at present and the mean annual precipitation (MAP=800–1000mm) was greater than today in the Burgos area. The landscape had open habitats in the vicinity of the Atapuerca caves throughout the sequence, with wet points in the surrounding area, and a predominance of humid meadows and open woodlands. These results mainly agree with those for large mammals, small mammals and the pollen analysis. The climate and landscape of TE-LRU are very similar to those reconstructed for the TD6 “Aurora Stratum” level of the Gran Dolina cave (Atapuerca) that has yielded H. antecessor remains at ca 960ky. When compared with Orce localities of similar age (i.e. Barranco León D and Fuente Nueva 3) that have yielded strong evidence of hominin presence (mainly lithic industries), it appears that they have a fairly similar environmental pattern, having in common a good representation of woodland and water-edge areas, even though dry environments are more developed in Barranco León D and Fuente Nueva 3 than in Sima del Elefante and Gran Dolina. H. antecessor may have thus lived under a warm-humid climate in a patchy landscape mainly composed of humid meadows and riparian woodlands. Such a landscape may have provided favourable conditions for a high diversity of large mammals, as well as for hiding and escaping from large carnivores. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The article focuses on the first WGRP Seasonal Prediction Workshop by the international WCRP Tropical Ocean Global Atmosphere (TOGA) program which was held in Spain in 2007. The factors that limit the ability and application to improve seasonal predictions for social benefit were discussed. Some requirements for using, and assessing seasonal forecasts include addressing forecast error by appropriately quantifying dynamical model uncertainty and issuing probabilistic forecast information.

Abstract: The main requirements of European Directive 2002/91/EC on the energy performance of buildings (EPBD) are the application of minimum energy performance requirements for new buildings and certification of the energy performance of buildings. Its transposition into the national law of member states of the European Union has signified the appearance of new and more onerous requirements in terms of construction quality from the point of view of energy performance, and in terms of the procedure for certification of the energy performance of buildings. In both cases, the levels required tend to be based on climatic conditions, fundamentally in countries such as Spain, where the climatic variability is very pronounced. This paper presents a methodology developed for the climatic zoning of the localities not included in the above-mentioned regulations in order to facilitate their application. By way of example, the method is shown which was used to generate the climatic files and carry out the subsequent climatic zoning of all the municipalities of the region of Andalusia in southern Spain. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Daylight downward longwave irradiance data recorded over a flat place for the period between April 2001 and December 2004 in Valladolid, Spain, have been compared with estimates generated using four different schemes. The parameterization schemes of Brutsaert, Swinbank, Idso, and Brunt have been considered and calibrated for the comparison. Root-mean-square errors (rmse), mean bias errors, and linear regression correlations have been used to compare measured and estimated values. The results of this comparison show that, for clear-sky conditions, rmse values range between 19.57 and 8.85 W m-2 for calibrated schemes and between 39.78 and 11.13 W m-2 for original ones. The Idso and Brunt schemes give the best results with calibrated coefficients, and the Brunt scheme performs the best with original coefficients. A new scheme for estimating daylight downward longwave irradiance under “all-sky” conditions has been developed based on clear-sky schemes and solar global shortwave irradiance, and, after comparing measured and estimated values by calibrated schemes, it has been found that the Idso and Brunt schemes give the best results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Large areas in the Spanish Pyrenees are covered by snow between December and April, especially above 1650 m a.s.l., the location of the cold season 0°C isotherm. However, a significant negative trend in Pyrenean snow pack was detected during the second half of the 20th century. This paper analyses the interannual evolution of snow accumulation in these mountains in relation to the variability of atmospheric circulation. The study considers two spatial scales, from weather types over the Iberian Peninsula to hemispheric atmospheric patterns. The results show strong relationships between the annual occurrence of several weather types and spring snow accumulation. Changes in the frequency of several weather types are explained by the evolution of large scale hemispheric circulation patterns, especially the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO). Thus, the positive trend observed in the NAO index leads to a decrease in the occurrence of types that favour snow accumulation and an increase in unfavourable conditions for snow pack during the second half of the 20th century. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study presents a climatology and trend analysis of reference crop evapotranspiration (ETo) over continental Spain and the Balearic Islands. Geographic features of the study region play a substantial role in the climatology of ETo. The highest values (in excess of 1,200 mm y−1) are found at lower elevations in the south, while the lowest values (less than 900 mm y−1) are found in the highest elevations in the north. A deep analysis reveals: (a) a low interannual variability; (b) summer accumulates more than 50% of annual values; and (c) the radiative component contribution is higher than 50%. A positive long‐term trend (1961–2014) has been detected for most of the study area, but showing contrasting situations when shorter periods (20–30 years) are analysed. A short initial period of negative trend was followed by a longer period of a positive trend. We argue that global dimming/brightening played a role in this process, as these two contrasting periods are clearly guided by the radiative component. A seasonal analysis of the trends reveals that spring and summer are the seasons showing the long‐term positive trends. Interestingly, a monthly analysis shows that spring trends are guided by March and April and summer trends are mostly guided by June, which is the month showing the highest relative changes. This could have important consequences for agriculture and natural ecosystems since this month represents the start of the summer (dry) period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we use molecular paleothermometry, based on the TEX 86 proxy derived from fossilized archaeal lipids, to reconstruct absolute sea surface temperatures (SSTs) for the northwest Tethys Shelf during the late Pliensbachian to early Toarcian (Early Jurassic, ~183 Ma) stages. Our composite record from outcrops in Spain and Italy reveals that tropical SSTs varied between 22 and 32 °C over a ~ 3 Myr time period, including transient temperature excursions of 5–10 °C magnitude with lapse rates of ~0.1 °C/kyr. Changes in reconstructed SSTs covaried with sea level fluctuations and δ18O isotope signatures of marine biocalcifiers, recording recurrent shifts between icehouse and greenhouse states. Parallel trends of reconstructed SST and δ13C isotopes of atmospheric CO 2 may reflect storage of isotopically light carbon in cryosphere reservoirs during icehouse phases and release during greenhouse phases. The existence of a labile cryosphere is considered a prerequisite to explain the inferred rapid climate fluctuations and as a reservoir to facilitate pronounced carbon isotope excursions. • First Toarcian SST record based on molecular paleothermometry. • Highly variable SSTs attest to contrasting climate modes. • Direct coupling between SST, oxygen isotopes and sea level evolution. • Perception of an overall warm early Jurassic Greenhouse world should be discarded. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This study has focused on the Garrigues district, one of the most arid regions in Catalonia (NE Iberian Peninsula), which, in general terms, has remained unexplored from the ethnobotanical point of view. This area, of 22,243 inhabitants, comprises 33 municipalities distributed across 1123.12 km2. The natural vegetation is dominated by holm oak forests and maquis called 'garriga', the latter giving its name to the district. During the last few decades, this landscape has been transformed by agricultural activities, nowadays in recession. The main aim of this work was to collect and analyse the ethnoflora of this area in order to fill a gap in the ethnobotanical knowledge in Catalonia. Methods: The followed methodology was based on semi-structured interviews. The obtained data have been qualitatively and quantitatively analysed and compared with other available ones. Results: Data were gathered from 68 interviews involving 101 informants, whose ages range from 24 to 94, the mean being 73.07. The number of taxa reported in this study was 420, belonging to 99 botanical families. The interviewed informants referred 4715 use reports (UR) of 346 useful taxa, 1741 (36.93) of them corresponding to medicinal uses, 1705 (36.16%) to food uses, and 1269 (26.91%) to other uses. This study has inventoried, apart from individual plant uses, 260 plant mixtures, of which 98 are medicinal and 162 food. In the present study, 849 vernacular names with 116 phonetic variants have been collected, as well, for 410 taxa. The informant consensus factor (FIC) obtained for our interviewees is 0.93, and the ethnobotanicity index is 23.47% for the studied area. Apart from plants belonging to the typical Catalan, Iberian or European ethnofloras, the present work contributes information on some plants from semiarid or arid regions, such as Artemisia herba-alba and Plantago albicans, much rarer in the ethnobotany of the quoted areas. Conclusions: The results of this study reveal the persistence of ethnobotanical knowledge in the prospected area and the importance of filling the existing gaps in the ethnofloristic sampling of the Catalan territories. The almost complete dataset, now including some arid territories, will allow us to carry out a global analysis and to provide an accurate overview. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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As the global climate warms, increased aridity is expected to become a major determinant of forest productivity and tree growth. In gymnosperms, wood density quantified at seasonal to annual scales can be related to changes in tracheid lumen size due to alterations in soil water availability. In this way, minimum wood density (MND) has been shown to respond negatively to early growing-season precipitation in several conifers because dry conditions reduce tracheid lumen size and consequently increase MND. We investigated if this relationship between spring precipitation and MND applies to four conifer species (Abies alba , Pinus sylvestris , Pinus nigra , Juniperus thurifera) in NE Spain from mesic (A. alba , P. sylvestris) to xeric (P. nigra , J. thurifera) conditions. We further assessed how climate, precipitation, and drought-affected tree-ring width (TRW) and MND at several time scales to test if water shortage in spring increases MND and decreases TRW over time and seasonally. Lastly, we quantified the post-drought MND recovery. We found the strongest negative correlations between MND and spring precipitation in P. nigra followed by J. thurifera. In these two species, the associations between MND and 9-month long droughts peaked in early spring (P. nigra , r = − 0.73 ; J. thurifera , r = − 0.50). Juniperus thurifera presented a better post-drought recovery (decrease in MND), followed by P. nigra and P. sylvestris. We conclude that MND is a reliable and accurate proxy of drought severity during spring in conifers subjected to seasonal water shortage. MND can be used as an early-warning indicator of short- and long-term changes in the responses of trees to water shortage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

1. Climate change is expected to produce shifts in species distributions as well as behavioural, life‐history, and/or morphological adaptations to find suitable conditions or cope with the altered environment. Most of our knowledge on this issue comes from studies on vertebrates, mainly endotherm species. However, it remains uncertain how small ectotherms, such as insects, respond to increased temperature. 2. This study tested whether climate change over the last 100 years (1904–2013) has affected morphological and functional traits in workers of the social wasp Dolichovespula sylvestris in the Iberian Peninsula. 3. Head width and forewing length, as well as body mass and wing area (assuming no change in shape), decreased over time and with increased mean annual temperature, even when controlling for geographical location and altitude. Interestingly, wing size decreased with a steeper slope compared with body size. If there is no change in wing shape, this would lead to an invariable wing loading (body mass:wing area ratio) over time, with potential consequences on flying ability of more recent (and thus smaller) wasp individuals. 4. These results suggest that recent climate change is leaving morphological signatures in social wasps, increasing the evidence for this phenomenon in insects. The data furthermore suggest that the known efficient thermoregulatory ability of social insect colonies may not successfully buffer the effect of global warming. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study characterizes the climatology of drought events over the mainland Spain and the Balearic Islands using high‐resolution (1.21 km2) meteorological data from 1961 to 2014. The climatology of drought was assessed based on two widely‐recognized drought indices: the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) and the Standardized Precipitation‐Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI), considering four different timescales (1‐, 3‐, 6‐ and 12‐months). Drought events were simply defined as sequences of months with negative values of the indices. We analysed the spatial and temporal variability of the frequency, duration and magnitude of the drought events. In general, the frequency of drought events is higher in the northern than in the southern regions. Conversely, the average duration and magnitude of the drought events in central and southwestern regions duplicate those recorded in northern areas. Although drought characteristics exhibit a general north–south gradient irrespective of the drought timescale and the drought index analysed, we found important spatial differences in terms of both drought duration and severity. As opposed to the SPI, the SPEI shows, on average, higher drought durations and magnitudes at 1‐, 3‐ and 6‐months timescales. Albeit of the absence of significant temporal changes in drought duration or magnitude at the regional scale, a nonsignificant tendency toward higher drought duration and magnitude is observed over the majority of Spain. Our result provide valuable guidance to stakeholders and decision‐makers on detecting, monitoring and adapting to drought impacts at local, regional and national scale in Spain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human populations in Western Europe during the Last Glacial Maximum were geographically constrained to glacial refugia by the severity of the climate and ecological risk factors. In this research we use an agent-based model of human mobility and interaction, based on ethnographic and archaeological data, to explore the impact of ecological risk on human population structure via a reconstructed landscape of habitat suitability. The agent-based model allows us to evaluate the size and location of glacial refugia, the size of the populations occupying them and the degree of genetic relatedness between people occupying these areas. To do this, we model the probability of an agent foraging groups’ survival as a function of habitat suitability. The model’s simulated “genomes” (composed of regionally specific genetic markers) allow us to track long-term trends of inter-regional interaction and mobility. The results agree with previous archaeological studies situating a large glacial refugium spanning southern France and northeastern Spain, but we expand on those studies by demonstrating that higher rates of population growth in this central refugium led to continuous out-migration and therefore genetic homogeneity across Western Europe, with the possible exception of the Italian peninsula. These results concur with material culture data from known archaeological sites dating to the Last Glacial Maximum and make predictions for future ancient DNA studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The climatic information recorded by the physician Francisco Fernández Navarrete in Granada (southern Spain) during the first third of the 18th century is analyzed in this work. His observations are included in the book Cielo y suelo granadino ('Sky and soil in Granada'), and consist of qualitative comments relating climatic conditions to illness and diseases from 1706 to 1730, as well as instrumental observations (using an "English barometer" and a "Florentine thermometer") from December 1728 to February 1730. To the best of our knowledge, these are the earliest instrumental observations recorded in Spain. An alternative methodology to Pfister indices, based on the frequency of extreme events, was applied to study this new set of documentary data. The analysis shows that seasonal mean values of temperature and precipitation during the period 1706–1730 were very similar to those of periods of similar length at the beginning of the 20th century, such as 1906–1930. However, some years were especially extreme, such as the dry first half of the 1720s or the winter of 1728–1729 when a strong cold wave affected the city. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]