The rain puts an end to the drought in Spain, but it will return sooner rather than later
25/03/2025
Javier Martín Vide and María Del Carmen Moreno Garcia
|
Professor of Physical Geography and honorary lecturer of Physical Geography
Javier Martín Vide and María Del Carmen Moreno Garcia
Professor of Physical Geography and honorary lecturer of Physical Geography
Some Spanish regions have suffered very severe droughts recently, in particular eastern Catalonia, whose territory is drained by the rivers of the so-called internal basins, those that do not flow into the River Ebro. These are the provinces of Barcelona, Girona and part of Tarragona.
The rainfall drought in this territory, which began in 2021, has lasted three years and can be described as exceptional, without precedent in 200 years.
The situation has also been critical in the Segura basin, in the south of Alicante and in several Andalusian regions, with reservoirs below a quarter of their capacity.
The situation became so severe and persistent that it was thought that we were suffering a mega-drought, although neither the surface area nor even the duration of the drought reached those suffered in central Chile, California or part of Australia in the preceding years.
Fortunately, the atmospheric circulation anomaly that caused the drought is over. Tentatively in 2024 and decisively in March 2025, generous rainfall has radically changed the picture.
This article was originally published in The Conversation.
The situation has also been critical in the Segura basin, in the south of Alicante and in several Andalusian regions, with reservoirs below a quarter of their capacity.
The situation became so severe and persistent that it was thought that we were suffering a mega-drought, although neither the surface area nor even the duration of the drought reached those suffered in central Chile, California or part of Australia in the preceding years.
Fortunately, the atmospheric circulation anomaly that caused the drought is over. Tentatively in 2024 and decisively in March 2025, generous rainfall has radically changed the picture.
This article was originally published in The Conversation.