On July 23, 1972, the first satellite of the Landsat program He left the Californian base of Vandenberg with the intention of thoroughly monitoring the surface of the Earth. During these 50 years, another more satellites have been completing the project by giving us the most precise radiography of the planet’s changes.
A couple of years ago, a team from the University of Córdoba decided to see how Andalusia and its forests had changed.
28 years of images. That is what RESCATAR OF THE LANDSAT PROGRAM. Because what interested them were images capable of capturing information from certain electromagnetic spectra not visible to the human eye that allow studying the evolution of phenological changes (that is, changes in the relationship between climate and living beings).
This is important because, traditional ‘field measurements’ They are not effective when monitoring extensive regions. That is, for years, we have been able to have a distorted image of reality.
And what have they found? To start, that Andalusia is greener than 30 years ago. It is something that can collide, taking into account that Desertification processes seem to progress at a very fast pace in that same region of the country. But, on the other hand, it is something that We have seen all over the world.
And why does this happen? According to Rafael Villarmain research on work He has just published in Ecological indicators, “The reasons are diverse and complex.” Things like “the abandonment of the fields after the rural exodus, the adaptation of plants itself to adverse climatic conditions (such as Pinus halepensis and Quercus ilex), The effects of atmospheric fertilization with CO₂, forest management and changes in conservation policies “could be some of them.
However, as researchers point out, it is a statistical artifact. That is, Andalusia is average green; But if we look at concrete areas (such as Almería), this phenomenon does not occur or occurs very subtly. Aridity and desertification are also seen in NASA images.
The example of the wild pine. The data of Cordoba researchers show how aridity shortens the season of Wild pine growth. It has also caused significant seasonal changes in the cork oak, the pine pine and the Piño Carrasco. And even growth seasons have been shortened in the olive tree and eucalyptus. But with wild pine the situation has been especially drastic.
It seems a lie, but while Andalusia becomes greenera good part of it is suffering (and much).
And what is all this for? Above all, to understand what is happening in our country and, incidentally, understand that reality is deeply paradoxical. Not only because two apparently contradictory results can be happening live and direct, but because we do not know what will happen in the future.
Just looking closely at the world we live in and seeing how it changes we can prepare for the future. In that sense, “green” is always synonymous with hope.
Image | Pilar Flores
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