A study by the scientific journal Nature Geoscience shows that the Spanish and Portuguese climates, clearly affected by the anticyclone Azores, have not been very dry for more than a thousand years.
Regions of Spain and Portugal It has never been so dry in a thousand yearsA study published on Monday warns of dire consequences for the cultivation of vineyards and olive trees.
The Azores anticyclone, corresponding to a region of the atmosphere where the pressure is higher than that of neighboring regions of the same altitude and generally located near the Azores archipelago, plays an important role.on the weather and in the long term on the climatic trends in Western Europe.
in this study Published in the scientific journal Nature Geoscience, the researchers demonstrated that high pressure system It has changed dramatically over the past century And that these changes are unprecedented in the North Atlantic climate over the past millennium.”.
They studied the changes in atmospheric pressure in this region over the past 1200 years and found that Anticyclone covered a larger area for about 200 yearswhich corresponds to some extent with the Industrial Revolution.
During the summer, the azure anticyclone sends hot and dry air towards Portugal, Spainbut also other countries in the west of the continent. However, during the winter, it can be synonymous with dampness and rain.. These are winter precipitations “very important” For the ecological and economic health of the Iberian Peninsula, the authors note.
Azure Hai will enhance in the 21st century under the influence of climate change. The result, forrain dropsespecially since the second half of the twentieth century and its level is expected to decrease by 10 to 20% by the end of the century, making agriculture in the Iberian Peninsula “One of the most vulnerable groups in Europe”.
Previous studies had failed to determine the responsibility of human-caused climate change in modifying the climate in the North Atlantic. Now the link has been created.
Wine growers are already looking at how to adapt, while areas suitable for viticulture could decline by at least a quarter, or even nearly disappear by 2050 in the Iberian Peninsula, while olive production in southern Spain could drop by 30% by 2050. 2100, according to previous studies.
