Temática: Climate

Isoyeta

An imaginary line drawn on a map that connects all points that have the same amount of precipitation over a period of time.

Foehn effect

Warming of the air on the leeward side of a mountain, after it has been forced to lose moisture to rise and overcome the windward slope. We can find it in the Cantabrian Mountains when humid winds blow from the south or in the Canary Islands, where the terrain acts as an obstacle to the circulation of the trade winds (winds […]

DANA (Cold Drop)

A pocket of cold air surrounded by warmer air due to a deep undulation in the polar jet stream, which eventually breaks away and moves towards warmer latitudes. The acronym DANA stands for "Isolated Depression at High Levels." It generates significant instability, with intense showers and severe storms, especially if the surface air is very warm.

Center of action (anticyclone and storm)

A pressure area that is delimited on maps by closed isobars. Above 1013 millibars we distinguish anticyclones or high pressure systems, while below that measurement we have cyclones or low pressure systems. They can have a thermal origin (heating or cooling of the air) or a dynamic origin (surface reflection of cyclonic waves and […]

Climate

The usual succession of atmospheric states or types of weather in a given place or region over an extended period. It involves a statistical analysis of different atmospheric variables (temperature and precipitation, among others) collected over periods of at least 30 years. Climatology is the science that studies climate.

Continentality

A set of climatic characteristics characteristic of areas far from the influence of the sea. The most notable are the increase in intra-annual temperature range and the decrease in precipitation. The area of the Iberian Peninsula with the greatest continentality is La Mancha.

Climate change

Variation in the elements of Earth's climate, which can have both natural and human causes. Earth's climate has been inherently changeable since its origins. Astronomical, atmospheric, and geographical factors explain the cycles and phases through which Earth's climate has passed until the mid-19th century. From then on, […]

Anticyclone

Centers of action with high atmospheric pressure (above 1013 millibars, which is the average pressure at sea level). In these areas, air masses descend and, in the Northern Hemisphere, move clockwise, generating stable weather. They can have a dynamic origin (such as the anticyclone of […]

Barrenness

This situation results from a lack of water due to insufficient rainfall. It is related to the needs of agriculture and the temperature regime (higher temperatures mean greater aridity). In Spain, the driest areas are located in the southeast of the peninsula and in the eastern part of the Canary Islands. The […]

Storm

Centers of action with low atmospheric pressure (below 1013 millibars, which is the average pressure at sea level). In these areas, air rises and, in the Northern Hemisphere, moves counterclockwise, generating cloudiness, precipitation, and therefore unsettled weather. They can have an origin […]