It poses a risk to mountaineers and hikers in the highest massifs and highlights the need for specific guidelines to mitigate these dangers
Glaciers in Spain have experienced rapid retreat in the last decade, with a significant loss of extension and thickness. This process has reduced their number and has led to the emergence of dynamics typical of the final phases before their disappearance.
This is revealed in the CLIVAR-Spain 2024 report, in which the Institute of Natural Resources and Agrobiology of Salamanca (IRNASA) participates, recently presented by the Ministry for Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge.
In relation to the decline of the cryosphere in Spain, the areas formed by snow or perennial ice, permafrost, permanently frozen soil, are disappearing in Sierra Nevada and show clear signs of warming in the Pyrenees, which accelerates instability phenomena such as rockfalls and avalanches. This situation poses a risk to mountaineers and hikers in the highest massifs and highlights the need to develop specific guidelines to mitigate these dangers.
Long-term records also show a decrease in the duration of the snow cover and its maximum accumulation in the Iberian Peninsula, jeopardizing water resources dependent on mountain snow melt, as highlighted by Irnasa in a statement reported by Europa Press.
The report also warns of the disappearance of paleoenvironmental archives stored in the ice caves of the Pyrenees and Picos de Europa, containing valuable climatic information from the last millennia. The reduction of ice in these cavities is directly related to the increase in winter temperatures and the decrease in precipitation.
Furthermore, the study reveals that the oceanic waters surrounding Spain are warming at a rate 67 percent higher than the global average, with a rate of 0.25 degrees Celsius per decade, compared to 0.15 degrees per decade in the rest of the world’s oceans.
THE MEDITERRANEAN, HIGHLY AFFECTED
The Mediterranean stands out as one of the most affected regions, as its rate of warming is two to three times higher than the global average since the 1980s, according to the study. The Mediterranean is one of the regions most affected by climate change, with its rate of warming two to three times higher than the global average since the 1980s. This phenomenon is causing an increase in the frequency and intensity of marine heatwaves, as well as greater salinization of its surface waters.
The CLIVAR-Spain 2024 report emphasizes the urgency of taking immediate measures to mitigate the effects of climate change, calling for strengthening scientific research, improving international cooperation, and developing adaptation strategies to effectively and sustainably address these challenges over time.
Researcher Blanca Ausín, from the Institute of Natural Resources and Agrobiology of Salamanca (IRNASA-CSIC), has participated as a lead co-author in the chapter Atmospheric and Oceanic Changes since the Last Glacial Maximum: a review of climate reconstructions in the Iberian Peninsula based on indicators and simulations of this Report.
This work, coordinated by Isabel Cacho and Ana Moreno, also involves the collaboration of Antonio García-Alix, Armand Hernández, Fidel González Rouco, and Marisa Montoya.
The Report gathers the most recent scientific advances and complements the conclusions of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) at a global level, providing a detailed view of climate impacts and risks in the Spanish territory. In particular, Ausín’s co-authored chapter addresses atmospheric and oceanic changes since the Last Glacial Maximum, offering a comprehensive review of climate reconstructions in the Iberian Peninsula based on indicators and simulations.