Spain’s Diverse Climates: A Comprehensive Analysis
Spain’s Climate Diversity
2.1. Oceanic Climate
Spain is characterized by a great diversity of climates, resulting from a combination of various climatic factors. These factors can be grouped into two main sets: geographic and thermodynamic factors.
Geographic Factors
These factors explain the climatic differences across Spain: latitude, location, and the influence of relief. The temperate latitude in the Northern Hemisphere determines the existence of two seasons (summer and winter) separated by two transition periods (spring and autumn).
Spain’s location at a crossroads of different air masses with varying characteristics is significant. The influence of relief on the peninsula is considerable due to its extensive size, its indented coastline, and the existence of mountain ranges. Relief influences the climate through its height, arrangement, and orientation.
Thermodynamic Factors
These are atmospheric circulation patterns responsible for determining weather and atmospheric conditions. This is influenced by altitude, the jet stream, and surface actions of air masses and fronts.
The jet stream is a strong, tubular wind current circulating in an east-west direction at altitudes of 9 to 11 kilometers. Its velocity and seasonal displacements are variable. Surface circulation involves the action of high and low-pressure centers. Atmospheric pressure is the weight of the air on a unit surface area, measured in millibars.
An anticyclone is a high-pressure area surrounded by areas of lower pressure. It is formed when a mass of warmer air cools, becoming denser and descending. Air masses are air bodies with specific characteristics of temperature, humidity, and pressure. Fronts are surfaces separating two air masses with different characteristics. Their meeting produces an abrupt change in air properties.
2.2. Continentalized Mediterranean Climate
This climate comprises the inland territory of the Iberian Peninsula, including the Ebro Valley. Annual rainfall ranges from 800 to 300 mm. Differences exist between the center of the Castilian depressions and the Ebro Valley due to the relief’s enclosure effect. The annual rainfall minimum occurs in summer, while the maximum occurs during the equinoxes. In the western sector of the Iberian Peninsula’s interior, rainfall is more abundant due to Atlantic storms. The maximum occurs in winter. Temperatures show high amplitudes, exceeding 16°C.
Climatic Subtypes
- Northern Subtype (Guadalajara, Teruel, and the basin): Fresher summers (average temperature below 22°C) and cold winters (average temperature below 6°C to -3°C), with fog and mist.
- Southern Subtype (Ebro Valley border): Hot summers (average temperature above 22°C) and cold winters with less incidence of frost.
- Inland Subtype (Extremadura and Andalusia): Very hot summers and mild winters (average temperature above 6°C to 10°C).
2.3. Semi-arid or Steppe Mediterranean Climate
This climate comprises the southern Iberian Peninsula and the central Ebro Valley. Annual rainfall is below 300 mm. In the south, aridity is due to the shelter from Atlantic storms by the Baetic Cordillera. Mediterranean storms are frequent due to African air advection. Disturbances only penetrate through the Strait of Gibraltar, occasionally causing rainfall in the Alboran Sea.
In the central Ebro Valley, aridity is due to the isolation from Atlantic storms and the lack of influence from the Mediterranean due to the position of the Catalan Coastal Range. Temperatures allow for a distinction between the warm steppe of the southern coastal area (annual average around 17-18°C, mild winters above 10°C) and the cold steppe of the interior (central Ebro Valley), with lower annual average temperatures and moderate to cold winters (6°C to 10°C and 6°C to -3°C, respectively).
3. Mountain Climate
This climate characterizes territories located at high altitudes. As altitude increases, rainfall increases, and temperatures decrease. Rainfall often exceeds 1000 mm per year. It is characterized by low annual average temperatures (always below 10°C), cool summers (average temperature below 22°C), and cold winters (average temperature close to or below 0°C), leading to frequent snow.
4. Climate Classification Summary
a) Precipitation
- Very abundant: >1000 mm
- Abundant: >800 mm
- Moderate: 300-800 mm
- Scanty: <300 mm
- Desert: <300 mm
Regularity:
- Irregular: <30 mm
- Quite regular: <2 months
- Irregular: >2 months
Type: Rain or snow.
b) Temperatures
Annual average temperature. Thermal amplitude: Coast 15-16°C, Interior 16-18°C. Summer temperatures: Hot >22°C, Cool <22°C. Winter temperatures: Mild >10°C, Moderate 6-10°C, Cold <6°C.
c) Aridity
Monthly: Tx2 > Pp. General: 0 humid months, 1-3 semi-humid months, 4-6 sub-humid months, 7-11 extremely dry months.