Understanding Spain’s Climate: Geographical & Thermodynamic Factors

Posted on Apr 6, 2025 in Geology

Understanding Spain’s Climate: Geographical and Thermodynamic Factors

Geographical Factors

Geographic factors explaining the Spanish climates are:

Latitude

The latitude of Spain, in the Northern Hemisphere temperate zone, determines the existence of two distinct seasons (summer and winter), separated by two transitional seasons (spring and fall).

Situation

The situation of the peninsula between two large bodies of water of different thermal characteristics (the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea) and between two continents (Europe and Africa).

Marine Influence

The configuration of the Peninsula results in a small marine influence, except in the two archipelagos, due to the large width of the peninsula and the existence of mountainous terrain along the coast.

Relief

The topography influences climate because:

• The orientation has several implications.
• The altitude lowers temperatures.
• The slope creates contrasts between sunny local climates (more sunny and dry) and shaded climates (more cool and wet).

Thermodynamic Factors

Thermodynamic factors are responsible for air circulation or a succession of air masses, which determines the different types of weather and climate.

Atmospheric Circulation at Height

In the temperate zone, Spain is situated by the jet stream. This is a strong gust of wind, tubular structure, which runs west-east between nine and eleven kilometers altitude and separates the low pressure that is on the pole height, of high pressure located to the right. It is responsible for time on the surface. Its speed is variable and undergoes seasonal shifts. In summer (further north) and winter (to the south, affecting the Iberian Peninsula).

Surface Atmospheric Circulation

The surface atmospheric circulation is driven by:

1. Action Centers: Areas of high and low pressure.
   • A high pressure or anticyclone is a high pressure area surrounded by others of lower pressure and where the winds circulate clockwise, producing stable weather.
   • A low pressure or cyclone is an area of low pressure surrounded by other higher pressure and where the winds circulate counter-clockwise, causing unstable weather.

   The action centers can be of two types:

   • Térmicos: Formed by cooling (high pressure) and heating (low pressure) air.
   • Dinámicos: Formed from the ridges (high pressure) and troughs (low pressure) of the Jet Stream, which is reflected on the surface.

   Action centers that direct traffic on the Peninsula are:

   • Anticyclonic centers of action: that of the Azores, polar Atlantic, Scandinavian, and the heat of the European continent and the interior of the Peninsula.
   • Depressionary action centers: that of Iceland, the Gulf of Genoa, and northern thermal Africa.
2. Masses of Air: Lots of air with specific characteristics of temperature, humidity, and pressure. These characteristics are acquired in their home regions or regions of origin. The regions from which the masses come to Spain are affecting the Arctic (A), the polar zone (P) and the tropical (T). In all cases, depending on the surface of the region of origin, they can be wet maritime (m) or continental dry (c).
3. Fronts: Surface separating two air masses of different characteristics. For Spain, the most important front is the polar front that separates tropical air masses and polar air masses, causing precipitation.