Trends in rainfall erosivity in NE Spain at annual, seasonal and daily scales, 1955-2006

• Published in: Hydrology and Earth System Sciences
• Main Authors: Angulo-Martínez, Marta, Beguería, Santiago
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: European Geosciences Union 2012
• Subjects: North Atlantic; North Atlantic oscillation
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10261/58047; https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-16-3551-2012

9 Pags., 4 Tabls., 4 Figs. Rainfall erosivity refers to the ability of precipitation to erode soil, and depends on characteristics such as its total volume, duration, and intensity and amount of energy released by raindrops. Despite the relevance of rainfall erosivity for soil degradation prevention, very few studies have addressed its spatial and temporal variability. In this study the time variation of rainfall erosivity in the Ebro Valley (NE Spain) is assessed for the period 1955–2006. The results show a general decrease in annual and seasonal rainfall erosivity, which is explained by a decrease of very intense rainfall events whilst the frequency of moderate and low events increased. This trend is related to prevailing positive conditions of the main atmospheric teleconnection indices affecting the West Mediterranean, i.e. the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), the Mediterranean Oscillation (MO) and the Western Mediterranean Oscillation (WeMO). This work has been supported by research projects CGL2011- 24185 financed by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (CICYT) and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDFFEDER), 2010CZ0021 financed by the Spanish National Research Council (Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas-CSIC) and the Czech Academy of Sciences, and “Grupo de Investigación E68: Geomorfología y Cambio Global” financed by the Aragón Government and the European Social Fund (ESF-FSE). Research of M. A.-M. was supported by a JAE-Predoc grant from the Spanish National Research Council (Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas-CSIC). Peer reviewed