Southeastern Iberia Research Articles

Mesoscale convective systems in Spain: instability conditions and moisture sources involved

Abstract. Source-receptor water vapor content areas are analyzed for a particular case of deep mesoscale convective system (MCS) developed over the Mediterranean margin of Spain in October 1982. The aim of this work is to study simultaneously the atmospheric instability conditions and water vapour fluxes which finally resulted in very severe precipitation rates, reaching up to 600 mm in a single day. Humidity amounts and transport are quantified along the trajectories computed from a lagrangian particle simulation model (FLEXPART6.2). To evaluate the precipitation probability, the water vapor content and both thermodynamic and dynamic atmospheric instability components were assessed. The October 1982 Iberian MCS occurred as a consequence of a deep cutoff low detected between 500 and 200 hPa levels. The dynamical instability was measured through potential vorticity anomalies and Q vector divergence, which presented their maximum and minimum centers respectively over south-eastern Iberia. Synoptic and dynamic instability conditions were obtained from the ERA-40 reanalysis dataset. It is observed that during this severe weather episode, the specific humidity increased along the lowest and easternmost trajectories, which are mainly spread over the Mediterranean Sea.

Events around the Triassic–Jurassic boundary in northern and eastern Spain: A review

More than 20 successions containing the Triassic–Jurassic (T–J) boundary were studied in five of the major geological units of Spain. The data are from outcrop, cored boreholes, and interpreted well-logs. A consistent − 3.4‰ δ 13C org isotope excursion, starting in the Rhaetian and continuing in the Hettangian, was recorded in Asturias. Climate changes in the T–J transition show a warming episode in the early Hettangian. Other climate changes are indicated by an increase in hygrophytic miospores above the T–J boundary; this reflects a more humid episode at the beginning of the Hettangian. The Messejana Dyke in southeastern Iberia is part of the Central Atlantic Magmatic Province (CAMP). CO 2 outgassing related to extensive magmatic activity in the CAMP is thought to be one of the possible factors responsible for the end-Triassic mass extinction. No major sea-level changes or unconformities were recorded at the T–J boundary. Only in the Asturias area was there a well-defined shallow carbonate platform during the T–J transition. The other areas of eastern and northern Spain were occupied by coastal playas and sabkhas that developed in arid climatic conditions. The biotic crisis around the T–J boundary is reflected in the palynomorph record. In Asturias, seven species do not persist beyond the late Rhaetian, and only six appeared in the Triassic–Jurassic transition. However, 22 taxa appeared in the early Hettangian.

Los <i>Hycleus</i> Latreille, 1829 (Coleoptera, Meloidae) de la Península Ibérica: distribución geográfica y variabilidad elitral

The genus Hycleus Latreille, 1829, included in the tribe Mylabrini (Coleoptera: Meloidae) is represented by five species in the Iberian Peninsula. We revise and actualize the Iberian geographic range of each species and discuss the variability of elytral pattern, based upon the revision of 1148 specimens, mostly from the entomological collection of the Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (CSIC). Hycleus brevicollis (Baudi, 1878) is an African species with a single record in southeastern Iberia. Hycleus dufourii (Graells, 1849) is an Iberian endemism with scattered records in central and northern Spain and Portugal. The geographic range of Hycleus duodecimpunctatus (Olivier, 1811) is limited to western Europe, being widely distributed throughout the Mediterranenan area of the Iberian Peninsula. Hycleus polymorphus (Pallas, 1771) has a wide geographic Eurasian range and it is present in mountain areas of eastern Spain, mainly on limestone substrates. Hycleus scutellatus (Rosenhauer, 1856) is an Iberian species widely distributed throughout the Mediterranean area of the Iberian Peninsula.

An overview of a heavy rain event in southeastern Iberia: the role of large-scale meteorological conditions

Abstract. The heavy rain event of 30 January to 4 February 1993 in the Segura Basin in SE Iberia is investigated. The study emphasizes the atmospheric processes that led to thunderstorm development. The meteorological scenario has been separated into preconvective and convective periods and into large-scale and subsynoptic settings. The warm, moist air flow from the Mediterranean Sea, channelled by a high-over-low blocking pattern with a cold front over southeastern Iberia appears to be the main reason that helped trigger a severe weather occurrence. The study of the mesoscale environment parameters showed an enhanced conditional unstability through a deep troposphere layer with a moderate to strong vertical wind shear that promoted conditions to allow organization of long-lived convective structures.

An overview of a heavy rain event in southeastern Iberia: the role of large-scale meteorological conditions

An overview of a heavy rain event in southeastern Iberia: the role of large-scale meteorological conditions

Interactions between a floodway and coastal constructions in Aguila bay (Southeastern Spain)

The influence of eutrophication associated with the presence of coastal constructions (dykes, quays and seaports) and several natural phenomena over the benthic biological communities in a bay of southeastern Iberia (Aguilas, Murcia) is studied in this work. This bay has an area of 6.3 km 2, where a small floodway, belonging to a drainage system of 49 km 2 discharge. Eighty-five per cent of its shoreline is occupied by an industrial port, and an artificial beach. Due to the semi-arid character of this zone, periodical high intensity rains occur, causing floods with a great quantity of suspended materials that are discharged into the sea through the drainage streams. This significantly conditions the biological functioning of the planktonic and benthic marine populations in the affected littoral zone. The analysis of the sediments, and of the physical and chemical parameters, shows that the constructions built in the bay make it difficult for the fine materials poured into it after the floods to be washed away, thus prolonging the eutrophication associated with natural phenomena. The cartography of the bay clearly shows the effects of these periodical earth-carrying floods on the structure of the Posidonia oceanica meadows, and on the distribution of the fine materials. Comparison of recent aerial photographs reveals regression symptoms of the P. oceanica meadow associated with coastal works. The analysis of the biocoenosis diversity of the P. oceanica and the soft-bottoms shows different states of succession in relation to the degree of perturbation.

Peasant Household Formation and the Organization of Rural Labor in the Valley of Segura During the Nineteenth Century

Meant as a contribution to the recently initiated debate over household and family composition in the Mediterranean area, the study presents the first results of an investigation of class differences in family behavior in several rural communities in the Segura Basin of southeastern Iberia during a period of agrarian change. A variety of measures and classifications suggest the predominance of the nuclear family, but also that the household formation process and the family life cycle are conditioned by the land tenure system, inheritance practices, and transmission of the patrimony. Also, patterns of mobility and demographic mechanisms exert a powerful influence over family forms and household structures.