Analysis of the Effect of Climate Change on the Characteristics of Rainfall in Igeldo-Gipuzkoa (Spain)

Abstract

In recent years, numerous studies have been carried out on changes in the temperature and precipitation regimes and in the frequency of the extreme events that are a result of climate change. While there is evidence of an increase in temperature at a global level, this globality does not seem to occur with precipitation. The Igeldo weather station (San Sebastian) has one of the longest recorded rainfall intensity series in Spain and can be considered as representative of the Cantabrian coast. This circumstance makes it the ideal place to analyse the trend of the pluviometric regime of this area, and this was precisely the objective of this study. A total of 165 series of pluviometric parameters were obtained to characterise the pluviometric regime. The Mann–Kendall and Spearman tests were applied to evaluate the trends of the different parameters, and the Pettitt test was applied to detect the existence of change points. In all the series, it was proven that there were no significant trends or change points. Significant increasing trends were only detected in the series of maximum winter precipitation. In general terms, it can be concluded that the precipitation regime in Igeldo is quite stationary in the context of climate change.

The Impacts of Climate Change on the Hydrological Cycle and Water Resource Management

“…The study also provides some other interesting results related to uncertainties of rainfall patterns under different scenarios. In a European case, López et al [3] analyzed the effects of climate change on the long-term rainfall pattern in Igeldo-Gipuzkoa, Spain, and found no significant change in rainfall characteristics throughout the year except for maximum winter precipitation.…”

Susceptibility of Iberia to Extreme Precipitation and Aridity: A New High-Resolution Analysis over an Extended Historical Period

“…Furthermore, in these regions, the duration of precipitation events has increased. In northern Spain, along the Cantabrian coast, the precipitation regime during the last century has been quite stable, with the only significant trend detected being an increase in the maximum winter precipitation [28]. Seasonally, the trends for PEE occurrences have shown a decrease during winter for most of the IP, but an increase over an area within southeastern Spain, which narrows as the duration of PEEs increase.…”