Climate extreme values in Andorra, evolution in terms of frequency and intensity

Climate change in mountain areas is faster than in other parts of the world. In addition, the rate of temperature increase in the context of climate change can be altered by changes in the environment, including the cryosphere. So, the loss snow cover and a dry floor can increase the temperature additionally.

Temperature increase study shows how in recent decades the rise in temperature is accelerating. If we focus on the extremes, in some of climatic indices such as maximum and minimum temperature records, we see that in Andorra maximum temperature records continue to occur while minimum temperature records stopped occurring in the 1980s. The analysis is made with 90-year-old stations in order to have an initial 20 years for comparison and from this period we add registered values up to the present day. Before this analysis, the climate series have undergone a process of quality control and homogenisation.

In this poster we will quantify the speed increase in temperatures rise in two historical weather stations from Andorra over the last decades and we will see how the frequency and intensity of extremes study demonstrates an alteration of the climate beyond a simple statistical distribution.

In terms of precipitation, changes are also observed in the behaviour and distribution of extreme precipitation and drought periods.

Through the SPI drought index we can see how it is becoming easier and easier for it to oscillate in short periods around 0 or negative values, while if we study the SPEI, which takes into account temperature, i.e. evapotranspiration, we will see how this index is increasingly capable of reaching negative extreme values.

capable of reaching negative extreme values.