Clima e incendios forestales en Cantabria: evolución y tendencias recientes

• Published in: Quaternary Science Reviews
• Main Authors: Carracedo Martín, V., Diego Liaño, C., García Codrón, J. C., Rasilla Álvarez, D. F.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: Spanish
• Published: Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas 2009
• Subjects: wildfires; Cantabria; climate variability; windstorms; incendios forestales; variabilidad climática; temporales de viento; Característico; Invierno; North Atlantic; North Atlantic oscillation
• Online Access: https://pirineos.revistas.csic.es/index.php/pirineos/article/view/28; https://doi.org/10.3989/pirineos.2009.v164.28

Wildfires are a frequent event in Cantabria, but their seasonality does not match the typical warm season maximum generalized in most of the Iberian Peninsula. They occur at the end of the winter and the beginning of the spring (January to March), being mostly anthropogenically triggered, in conjunction with “Suradas”, a windstorm which combines high winds and low humidity. In this contribution temporal trends of several climatic variables from meteorological observatories located in Cantabria and nearby regions are analyzed since 1961 during the highest risk period in order to assess to what extent the occurrence of wildfires may be linked to the recent climatic variability. Our results show that the regional climate has become warmer and drier, due to the combined effects of increases in temperatures and the decrease in relative humidity and precipitation, variables that are likely to play an important role in drought and fire proneness. However, the exception is the frequency of “Suradas”, which have reduced. Those regional climatic trends are strongly linked to the recent evolution of atmospheric circulation at regional and hemispheric scale. The higher frequency of anticyclonic cells over the Iberian Peninsula, and conversely, the reduction of the number of Atlantic baroclinic disturbances are consistent with the temporal evolution of the North Atlantic Oscillation. Los incendios son un fenómeno frecuente en Cantabria, pero su estacionalidad no se corresponde con el típico máximo estival característico del resto de España. La mayoría se concentran a fines del invierno y comienzos de la primavera y su origen son unas prácticas ganaderas (principalmente la quema de matorral para mantenimiento de pastos) que aprovechan las favorables condiciones atmosféricas originadas por un tipo de temporal de viento conocido localmente como “surada”. En este artículo se analizan las tendencias de algunas variables climáticas, desde 1961, durante el periodo de máximo riesgo de incendios para determinar en qué medida la ...