02-07-2024
LIFE Pyrenees4Clima: a project for a resilient future in the Pyrenees in the face of climate change
The Biodiversity Research Institute with other research institutes from from University of Barcelona participates in this initiative of the LIFE program of the European Union that promotes cross-border cooperation and reinforces the application of regional climate strategies through territorial cooperation
Towards a cross-border mountain community resilient to climate change in the Pyrenees is the motto of the Pyrenees4Clima project, an initiative of the LIFE program of the European Union - one of the main European instruments to promote projects on the environment and climate - which has the participation of research teams from the University of Barcelona.
The project is coordinated by the Observatorio Pirenaico del Cambio Climático (OPCC) and is a cross-border initiative of territorial cooperation in the field of climate change of the Comunidad de Trabajo de los Pirineos. It will be deployed during the period 2024-2031, it has a budget of around 20 million euros - 60% is financed by the EU - and forty entities from Spain, France and Andorra participate.
Specifically, Pyrenees4Clima will be carried out with the participation of a team led by Professor Aaron Pérez, member of the Geobotany and Vegetation Mapping Group (GeoVeg) led by Professor Josep M. Ninot, from the Department of Evolutionary Biology, Ecology and Environmental Sciences of the Faculty of Biology and the Biodiversity Research Institute of the University of Barcelona (IRBio), and two teams from the Meteorology GRC of the Department of Applied Physics of the Faculty of Physics, led by professor M. Carmen Llasat, from the Faculty of Physics, the Institute of Complex Systems (UBICS) and the Institute of Water Research (IdRA) of the UB and professor Joan Bech, from the Faculty of Physics and the Water Research Institute (IdRA) of the UB.
Plant species that are sensitive to climate change
The GeoVeg group collaborates in the preparation of a catalog of plant species and habitats sensitive to climate change in the Pyrenees, and participates in the monitoring of congestera species as a continuation of INTERREG projects started in the year 2012. Congestera species are glacial relicts that find shelter in the longest snow-covered areas of the high mountains, and are particularly interesting in the Pyrenees because many of them find their southern limit of distribution there. Therefore, they are very sensitive species to climate change, a phenomenon that causes the snow to melt earlier and earlier due to the increase in temperatures and the decrease in winter precipitation. The data obtained will make it possible to learn about the evolution of these sensitive species, as well as to establish indicators of climate change for the vegetation of the high Pyrenean mountains.
Study extreme situations in meteorology and climatology
The Adverse Meteorological Situations Analysis Group (GAMA) will investigate the impact of climate change on the hydrological cycle of the Pyrenees and develop seasonal prediction tools to mitigate its effects. In this task, the Observatory of the Ebro and the Geological and Mining Institute of Spain (IGME) also collaborate, which contribute their expertise in the application of regionalization techniques, the correction of biases and the verification of seasonal predictions. The final objective is to provide predictions of precipitation, temperature and irrigation months in view of facilitating a management of water resources more adapted to the needs of users within the framework of these time horizons, while reducing their vulnerability in drought situations. These activities are scheduled for the irrigation districts of l'Urgell and l'Algerri-Balaguer, of great agricultural importance, and also in Andorra, where there is high competition for water resources between the tourism sector, hydroelectric production and consumption urban
Another scientific team from the Meteorology GRC will investigate the effect of extreme weather conditions on air quality in the Pyrenees and the impact on the population and ecosystems in the current context of climate change. The aim is to determine how weather and climate extremes influence air quality levels in the Pyrenees. For this reason, favorable and unfavorable meteorological situations will be identified in episodes of high pollution, the critical pollutants and the relationship with meteorological factors such as the existence of thermal inversions or the interaction of pollutants with atmospheric washing processes caused by precipitation . Pollutant concentrations will be obtained using fixed and mobile measurement sensors and satellite data, and will be complemented by air quality modeling systems. The data obtained in pilot areas will allow a comparison between areas of different types of land use in various cross-border areas of the Pyrenees.
Towards a cross-border mountain community resilient to climate change in the Pyrenees is the motto of the Pyrenees4Clima project, an initiative of the LIFE program of the European Union - one of the main European instruments to promote projects on the environment and climate - which has the participation of research teams from the University of Barcelona.
The project is coordinated by the Observatorio Pirenaico del Cambio Climático (OPCC) and is a cross-border initiative of territorial cooperation in the field of climate change of the Comunidad de Trabajo de los Pirineos. It will be deployed during the period 2024-2031, it has a budget of around 20 million euros - 60% is financed by the EU - and forty entities from Spain, France and Andorra participate.
Specifically, Pyrenees4Clima will be carried out with the participation of a team led by Professor Aaron Pérez, member of the Geobotany and Vegetation Mapping Group (GeoVeg) led by Professor Josep M. Ninot, from the Department of Evolutionary Biology, Ecology and Environmental Sciences of the Faculty of Biology and the Biodiversity Research Institute of the University of Barcelona (IRBio), and two teams from the Meteorology GRC of the Department of Applied Physics of the Faculty of Physics, led by professor M. Carmen Llasat, from the Faculty of Physics, the Institute of Complex Systems (UBICS) and the Institute of Water Research (IdRA) of the UB and professor Joan Bech, from the Faculty of Physics and the Water Research Institute (IdRA) of the UB.
Plant species that are sensitive to climate change
The GeoVeg group collaborates in the preparation of a catalog of plant species and habitats sensitive to climate change in the Pyrenees, and participates in the monitoring of congestera species as a continuation of INTERREG projects started in the year 2012. Congestera species are glacial relicts that find shelter in the longest snow-covered areas of the high mountains, and are particularly interesting in the Pyrenees because many of them find their southern limit of distribution there. Therefore, they are very sensitive species to climate change, a phenomenon that causes the snow to melt earlier and earlier due to the increase in temperatures and the decrease in winter precipitation. The data obtained will make it possible to learn about the evolution of these sensitive species, as well as to establish indicators of climate change for the vegetation of the high Pyrenean mountains.
Study extreme situations in meteorology and climatology
The Adverse Meteorological Situations Analysis Group (GAMA) will investigate the impact of climate change on the hydrological cycle of the Pyrenees and develop seasonal prediction tools to mitigate its effects. In this task, the Observatory of the Ebro and the Geological and Mining Institute of Spain (IGME) also collaborate, which contribute their expertise in the application of regionalization techniques, the correction of biases and the verification of seasonal predictions. The final objective is to provide predictions of precipitation, temperature and irrigation months in view of facilitating a management of water resources more adapted to the needs of users within the framework of these time horizons, while reducing their vulnerability in drought situations. These activities are scheduled for the irrigation districts of l'Urgell and l'Algerri-Balaguer, of great agricultural importance, and also in Andorra, where there is high competition for water resources between the tourism sector, hydroelectric production and consumption urban
Another scientific team from the Meteorology GRC will investigate the effect of extreme weather conditions on air quality in the Pyrenees and the impact on the population and ecosystems in the current context of climate change. The aim is to determine how weather and climate extremes influence air quality levels in the Pyrenees. For this reason, favorable and unfavorable meteorological situations will be identified in episodes of high pollution, the critical pollutants and the relationship with meteorological factors such as the existence of thermal inversions or the interaction of pollutants with atmospheric washing processes caused by precipitation . Pollutant concentrations will be obtained using fixed and mobile measurement sensors and satellite data, and will be complemented by air quality modeling systems. The data obtained in pilot areas will allow a comparison between areas of different types of land use in various cross-border areas of the Pyrenees.