The drought is turning Spain into what was always feared in the future: a branch of the Sahara

The current drought offers us more and more curious pictures, some of them worrying. This is the case of the latest data on the humidity that our soils retain, which at this time are similar to those of fully desert environments around us. Like the Sahara desert.

Some extraordinary conditions. The physicist and meteorologist JJ González Aleman, has recently called attention to a worrying phenomenon: the soil of the Iberian Peninsula dries up. As points via Twitterthe humidity levels of our soils have reached such a low point that it is comparable to what usually occurs in desert areas such as the Sahara.

What is happening. The weather conditions have a lot to do with this event, but the meteorologist points to the heat these days as possibly responsible for this situation.

Firewood for the oven. Soil moisture fulfills many functions, and one of them is to maintain its temperature. As with sweat, water absorbs heat and transmits it to the air as it evaporates. If the soil is dry, its ability to disperse the heat it receives in the form of solar radiation is greatly reduced. Lack of humidity and strong absorption of solar radiation are two of the key ingredients of the so-called “rule of 30” associated with the “Iberian oven”.

It’s not just the heat, it’s also the water: dry soils are often associated with increased risk from heavy rainfall and storms. Dry soils lose their ability to absorb water, which increases runoff and thus the risk of flooding. As if this were not enough, there are studies that indicate that slightly humid soils can even increase the risk of storms.

Desertification risk map in Spain. Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge.

A long term problem. The situation in recent days is worrying in itself, but it only responds to a trend noted years ago. The peninsula is immersed in a aridification and desertification process.

And this is not just a problem of the lack of rainfall or that the frequency of drought episodes may have increased. Demographic changes and changes in land use, forest fires… This is a complex process that must be understood in the long term.

It is estimated that 40% of our planet’s land is at risk of desertification, but Spain’s semi-arid climate makes it especially vulnerable to this phenomenon.

The end of the drought will not bring the end of the process. Droughts may occur more or less frequently, but it seems that the aridification process is underway. Our ability to mitigate the process may be limited, but at least we have the ability to adapt.

If our territory runs the risk of becoming a desert, those of us who inhabit it will have to get used to the circumstances. This happens not only because we are more efficient in our use of water, we will also have to adapt to the changes in temperatures that will be associated with it. In any case, we will have to learn as much from our neighbors to the south as from many other parts of the world.

In Xataka |

Image | Sergey Pesterev