Sensitivity of the Iberian Peninsula climate to a land degradation

Two six-year simulations, a land degradation scenario and a control, were performed by applying a regional climate model nested in ECMWF analyzed data to the Iberian Peninsula. The simulated time period (1993-98) includes extremely anomalous dry and rainy years. The land degradation scenario assumed a decrease in vegetation cover and an alteration of the soil properties resulting from future increases of greenhouse gases and human activity. Simulation results show that the impact of land degradation on the climate of the Iberian Peninsula depends on local factors (the intensity of degradation and geographical location) but some noticeable non-local effects are also present. Local factors result in an increase of the surface temperature which is almost linearly related to the degradation intensity. A stronger decrease in precipitation is observed in the less degraded regions, indicating that non-local effects are more relevant to changes in precipitation. The highest sensitivity to land degradation is observed in the summer season, consisting of an increase in 2 m temperature and a reduction in precipitation. In winter, the rainiest season on the Iberian Peninsula, the impact of land degradation on precipitation is almost negligible.