rains

Spring rains have generated an unexpected problem to Spanish farmers: Cereal too cheap

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Cereal cultivation continues to live convulsive times. Like many other crops, cereals suffered the consequences of last droughta drought that came to put the sector against the sector in 2023, transforming the dream of become the barn of Europe In a bitter awakening. Prices fall. Now the lament of the sector comes from another place: prices, collapsed after the recovery of the offer, a consequence of the recovery of production. A recovery that could hardly have occurred without a hydrological year as favorable as that of 2024-25. However, it never rains to everyone’s taste. From León. Perhaps the best example we find In the Leon Lonja. There last week the price of cereals such as wheat, rye or oatmeal saw slight falls in prices. The problem is more pressing if we consider the price two years ago: € 247/t. This implies that, in the last two years the price of cereal has dropped by more than 20%. Oats, in free fall. Another striking fall It has been oatmeal: if two years ago the price of this cereal was in the € 285/t, the price has dropped from then to € 136/t, 52.3% less. A year ago the price was € 183/t, which implies that only this year the drop in the price has been around 26%. Corn, the exception. Corn is the only cereal that seems to escape this trend. Their prices remained stable in fish markets such as León, while getting up in others, Like Salamanca. Lost opportunity A fall to which the sector has responded with pessimism since in the province the harvest is already practically finished. Farmers point out that these prices barely serve costs and They talk about “Lost Opportunity” When referring to this campaign. Supply and demand. The sector indicates the origin of the problem in a simple equation, that of supply and demand. Prices have fallen significantly since 2023, when the drought put in the middle of the agricultural sector against the ropes: the absence of rains and restrictions limited agricultural production. Now, production has recovered, but the problems continue. The increase in supply has not been equated with greater demand, which has facilitated a collapse in prices. To the precarious situation other external factors must be added, such as changes in international trade patterns, among which They are included The new tariff war between the United States and Europe, a conflict still to be resolved that adds firewood to the fire in the form of uncertainty. In Xataka | Before increasingly hard droughts, we are looking for answers in something discarded 10,000 years ago: perennial cereals Image | Heyzeus I write

The Artikutza reservoir in Navarra has remained empty despite the rains. His destiny is another: the demolition

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The rains of recent months have caused many of the reservoirs of the Peninsula to go from practically dry due to drought to recover flows more typical of normality. That is not the case of the Artikutza reservoir, a Navarrese reservoir located near the border between the Foral Community and Gipuzkoa. The reason is that the Artikutza reservoir is a dead reservoir, and its prey, as we know it, has the days counted. Green light to demolition (partial). The San Sebastián City Council It is prepared For the partial demolition of the Artikutza dam as reported by local authorities. The infrastructure, in disuse for more than 20 years will be measured so that the so -called Enobieta regatta, whose flow retained the prey leads to the Añarbe River without having to cross the infrastructure pipes. The works are expected to begin in 2026. Wasn’t we in Navarra? According to He tells Iñigo GarcíaCouncilor for the Environment of the Donostiarra Consistory, to Efeverdethe history of the Artikutza reservoir begins in 1919, when the City Council bought some land next to the population of Artikutza, in the north of Navarra in order to build a reservoir that supplied water to the coastal municipality. The dam never was fully filled: in 1948, geological problems were detected that limited the filling capacity of the reservoir to approximately half of the planned volume. In spite of this, the reservoir was the main source of water supply of the Guipuzcoan capital between 1960 and 1976, when downstream entered into the service of the Añarbe reservoir, of a much higher volume to face the population growth of the city. A spoiled dam. In 1992 the reservoir stopped supplying water to the municipality of Donostia, but its final decline would begin ten years later, in 2002. This year, a failure in the electrical maneuver Reservoir coffin. Reservoir that would end emptying more than a decade laterbetween 2017 and 2019. A duct in the lower part of the dam allows the small regato to flow with hardly any restrictions, but the new project seeks to further facilitate the transit of the river and avoid risks derived from the accumulation of sediments. A partial demolition. We indicated at the beginning that the demolition of the dam would be partial and not total. The Donostiarra Consistory considered three demolition options: the total demolition, the partial and the possibility of maintaining the current channeling to maintain an open passage. Finally, the decision was favorable to the partial demolition, which implies the opening of the dam through a vertical cleft of seven meters wide below one of the old reliefs of the dam. This would allow recovering the natural flow of the river avoiding at the same time A cumbersome work in a protected natural environment and complex access. Protect fauna. Now the question fits, and all this for what? The possibility of leaving things as they were was on the table. However, it was considered that the opening of the dam was an ideal way of guaranteeing biological connectivity without the risk that the accumulation of sediments will hinder the passage of water and animals. There are several species whose conservation has been influenced when explaining the ecological impact of the project. The first is The Iberian Desman (Pyrenaicus Galemys)an animal that also receives the nickname of the “Spanish ornitorrinco”. This animal is one of the most threatened mammal species of our environment and has a small population in this hydrographic basin. The authorities also highlight the existence of “Bat populations of much biological interest” that inhabit the interior of the dam. In Xataka | “Thank you so much, reservoirs.net”: Spanish men are developing a peculiar obsession with swamps Image | Ksarasola / Eider Palmou

The impressive impact of the rains, seen from space

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After a particularly dry years in which Spain was being put face to Sahara branch With zones severely affected for drought and A disastrous 2024this 2025 seems to have broken the streak. After a spring Exceptionally rainywith many Reservoirs showing good healthalthough The ghost of drought Still there, there is also optimism. 2024 He left exhausted fields In good part of the country. But 2025, at least for now, has given them a break. And that is something that we can see with a comparison in satellite view about Spanish reservoirs and fields. Bewilderment. This year’s spring is being a puzzle. The Azores anticyclone, a dorsal from central Europe and a continuous transfer of low pressures systems has contributed to A really strange situation With storms, some very intense, hail and rains. March has been one of the Rainy Since 1961, when records began to be taken. It is only behind 2018 and 2013, with rainfall in a generalized way, widely exceeding average values. In May too We have seen unusual storms And the big question is what will imply that for traditionally dry summers in many parts of the Peninsula. Certainties. What we know is that there are areas where this shadow of drought seems to have dissipated. There are points in which the authorities already They are raising drought restrictions And transvases are also prepared equivalent to twice the annual consumption throughout an autonomous community –The Tajo-Segura-. And an area in which it seems that optimism reigns is in eastern Catalonia. The region suffered a devastating drought between 2021 and 2024 that forced measures not to end the reservoirs. There were no certainties that it would have entered a ‘Megasquía‘, but of course the situation was worrying. What we can be sure is that, in view of satellite, vegetation, rivers, lakes and reservoirs have gained ground this year. Green outbreaks. Different Catalan regions are very evident examples. In the suquera dam we see not only green in general, but also that the dam and the river has regained lost ground. In Lleida, beyond the rotation of crops, more of the same. There are many other examples throughout the geography related to reservoirs and green areas around its surroundings. Obviating crops, irrigation and with rotation in some cases, in the images in which there are natural green areas we can see what they are … well, more green. In the case of Almendra reservoir in Salamancaalthough the reservoir occupies less space this year, the green areas are somewhat more ‘bright’. Valencia after the Dana. On October 29, the water razed localities of the East of Castilla-La Mancha-Letur- and, above all, Valencian territory and part of the Alicante. In the satellite comparison, we can see that green has taken over the panoramic view from space, but with an important counterpart. As they point in The Valencian mercantilethat green of the cultivation fields may be due to greater exuberance, but not of the crops, but of the “weeds” that flourish in abandoned terrain. The effect of the Dana on the Albufera is also notable, which received Much of the weight of dragged waste from the localities to the south of Valencia. Unequal. In spite of everything, the enthusiasm for rains in general has not reached A concrete area of ​​the country: the Southeast. Alicante this Above last year’s data, but without reaching the average of the last decade, Murcia has Orange/red reserves and Almería is another of the red lanterns. While Andalusia has registered Fantastic data, Almeria reserves are found around 11%. In satellite images we see that they have some green sprouts, but in general the capacity of their reservoirs is not at the level that it should and we see that this problem of Almería with water has become a situation chronicle. Now, although spring has been generous, summer will have the last word about whether we abandon the drought … or not. What is clear is that Satellite images are very different To what was captured in May two years ago, where green gave all the prominence to the Marrol. Images | Sentinel-2 Copernicus In Xataka | “Thank you so much, reservoirs.net”: Spanish men are developing a peculiar obsession with swamps

The allergic of Spain have been enjoying a truce for two months thanks to the rains. Now curves come

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We are in full spring and approaching the month of May. Or what is the same: the pollen season is thrown on us. Pollen is one of the main allergens and, in case this was not enough, The trend is growingthat is, more and more people suffer allergy to some type of pollen. An intense season. The experts They foresee an intense pollen season This spring. Although the weeks with the highest incidence of allergens are usually in the months of May and June, the meteorology can cause the first sneeze to catch more than one by surprise. Meteorology, an important factor. The rain is one of the most important factors When it comes to knowing whether or not they wait for us for days of sneezing. Primaveral rains can prevent the concentration of allergens in the environment, at least for a few days. And if there has been something in recent days (and the last months) is rain. Although in recent weeks we have not seen episodes of torrential rains, the possibility of an important increase in the concentration of pollen in the environment has been limited by rainfall. Looking back. However the relationship between moisture and pollen It is more complex that the simple “sweep” effect. The persistent rains of recent weeks may have protected us from early pollinators, but have also contributed to the accumulation of soil moisture and in the pollinating plants themselves. As Physicist José Miguel Viñas explains in Meteoredspring rains, situations like this, in which a rebound of temperatures follows a pause in the rains, pollen levels tend to shoot. The temperature another factor to take into account. And it is that the temperature is the other great determinant when providing the levels of allergens that will stalk us in the next few days and weeks. Many plants begin to wake up from their winter lethargy in the mid -winter and begin to accumulate energy. After a certain accumulation threshold, these plants can start the pollinating phase of their reproductive cycle. First notices. Thus, this week you can mark the beginning of the season for many allergic. According to The data of the monitoring of the atmosphere of Copernicus, this week some allergens will already emerge in some areas of Spain, especially In the south and in the northwest of the Iberian Peninsula. In the Peninsular South it will highlight the Olive Pollen. On Thursday and Friday in some areas of Andalusia we could see concentrations of more than 5,000 grains per m³ of this allergen. Throughout the week, concentrations of more than 100 grains/m³ will be common in the southern quadrant of the peninsula. The grass will be another allergen to take into account in the central and south, although with less important concentrations, below the 100 grains/m³. During the week an increase in birch pollen concentrations is also expected in the center and north of the Iberian Peninsula. The presence of this pollen will be especially noticeable in the northwest, in Galicia and west of Asturias, with concentrations that would exceed 100 grains/m³. The incidence would be moderate in the north third and in areas of Castilla y León. In Xataka | The time of the year in Japan has arrived where everyone has a mask. The fault is World War II Image | Copernicus

While Spain was pending the rains, something strange was happening with the polar vortex

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The meteorology of the month of March has been marked by the wave of storms that have left intense rains throughout the Iberian Peninsula. While many monitored attentive to the possibility that the channels overflow in their surroundings, in the high layers of the atmosphere there was an important phenomenon, the disruption of the polar vortex. New animation. NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration), The agency responsible for analyzing weather and weather in the United States, has shown us the disruption of the polar vortex occurred during last March. He has done it through a new animation in which the drastic changes can be seen The polar vortex. First of all, remember that Polar vortex It is an intense atmospheric current that transports cold air around the pole at stratosphere. In winter, the polar circle stops receiving sunlight so the air at the height of the stratosphere cools. In contrast, the warm air of sub -reliable areas continues to be tempered at these altitudes, which leads to expand north. The terrestrial rotation makes this pressure a powerful current of air that surrounds the pole in winter. Although the current is always active, it suffers important changes throughout the year. The first change is in intensity: it is during the winter months that the winds of this current reach greater force, reaching its middle peak towards the beginning of January. The second change is in the direction. Due to the inclination of the earth’s axis, approximately between spring and autumn, the current moves away from the pole to the torque that loses intensity because the sun enlightens the pole again, heating his stratosphere and reducing the contrast with lower latitudes. This implies that high latitudes the current stops moving from west to this but does it from this to west. When the vortex breaks. However, the current can suffer a sudden change, a disruption. These cases are usually due to sudden stratospheric warming in the pole. This “pushes” the current out. This is what happenedexplains the NOAA, last March 9: rapid stratospheric warming generated a disruption of the current that has led her to circulate in reverse and intense in high latitudes. Return to normal. If a disruption occurs during winter, it is common for the vortex to return to its usual circulation after one of these disruptions. If this disruption occurs during spring, it is likely that the circulation will pass to its summer shape, outside the pole. It can be expected, due to the dates, that the evolution of the vortex now takes it back to the average. Last year We saw a vortex disruption that reversed the dominant direction of the wind in early March, however the vortex recovered its direction and intensity of these dates before reversing its spring channel. Graph in which the speed and direction of the stratospheric wind is illustrated in the 60ºN latitude. The fine blue line marks the average evolution in the 1991-2020 period; while the thickness marks the evolution between 2024 and 2025. The shadow represents the variability observed and the pink forecasts. Laura Ciasto/NOA “Like an atmospheric diva. ” This year the models indicate that this will not be the case, which implies that we are facing the change in earlier in the records since 1958. This concludes the “season” of activity of the polar vortex, a season marked by a high intensity circulation and important volatility. A closure that has lived up to the season, according to NOAA. “For a good part of this winter season, the polar vortex has been strong, stretched, and not very interested in interacting with the troposphere. But like a real atmospheric diva, the polar vortex had a last ace in the sleeve, disintegrate in a spectacular way and bring with him some cold air,” NOAA itself explains in a piece in his blog dedicated to the polar vortex. And then what? In the result of all this is that the circulation of the vortex is now maintained in northern Europe and that can reach affect weather of the continent. How this arrival will depend on factors such as the interaction between this mass of air and the troposphere or what low latitudes could reach circulation in that month of April. In Xataka | It seemed impossible for the rains of March to be bad news for someone. Until the watermelons and melons arrived Image | NOAA

The rains have left a splendid Spain and a tourist destination is benefiting from it: the reservoirs

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“While the world wobbles, nature seems to want to compensate us.” This phrase of Jose Luis Gallego summarizes very well what is happening in the Spanish countryside. With full swamps and aquifers recharging, Spain is living “its most splendid spring in decades.” And that has an unexpected beneficiary: tourism. The many droughts in each drought. Galician explained in El Confidencial That, in broad strokes, there are three types of droughts: the meteorological (linked to the shortage of rainfall), the hydrological (which has to do with the water in the system. – rivers, swamps and aquifers) and the edaphic (which is related to the soil and its ability to provide the vegetation of the water it needs). The good news is that we have overcome all three and the land knows. It is no longer that the fields of Extremadura, Castilla or Andalusia are a show; It is that even the ugliest and dirty surroundings of any Spanish city are pretty. It is true that the wetlands plagued by birds and overflowers of vegetation are the areas where this “March miracle” It shows morebut even the most arid places are full of surprises. The Sea of ​​Castile. The best example can be seen in that corner between the provinces of Cuenca and Guadalajara that is usually known as “Mar de Castilla“. There are five reservoirs (Almoguera, Bolarque, Entrepeñas, Estramera and Zorita) in the Middle Tagus and one more (good day) in the Low Alcarria with a capacity of 2,515 hm³ and a tourist capacity that has lived better times. In the 60s, as consequences of the hydrological and developmental policies of the Franco regime, the region was filled with urbanizations, restaurants and small embarrassing. It became a tourist claim that improves infrastructure, first, and The Tajo-Segura transfer, afterthey put in a slow decline. The drought of recent years did the rest. However, with the rains of March, the Sea of ​​Castile It is back. How to turn water into gold. Just read the chronicles of the local press to verify that the residents of the riverside municipalities are really excited. Entrepeñas has only transferred water to good times eight times since 1956, The last almost 30 years ago; But this weekend it has happened again. The swamp has such a amount of water that you have been able to see really unprecedented images (or that had been not seen decades). He Runrun of the situation He has made “every day more curious who arrive at the riverside region to witness in the first person and immortalize with their cameras or with their mobile phones such an exceptional moment and who knows if unrepeatable.” The question that is asked in the Sea of ​​Castile is how much the situation will endure and if the Lcoal Tourism of it can be used. Although, in reality, it is a question that many more people are asked. Our country has more than 1,200 swamps and “almost double the fresh water coast than Marina in the country.” The reservoirs have historically been much more than water reserves: they have been tourist attractions that contributed to stop the demographic bleeding of emptied Spain. The problem is that, in recent decades, that interest has been falling little by little. And rural tourism has failed to fill the hole fully. Therefore, the councils of Cáceres, Lugo, Badajoz and the 530 municipalities associated with the Federation of Municipalities with Hydroelectric Plant and Embalses of Spain (15 communities and 46 provinces) have decided Bring Pantanos Tourism back. Upon? Indeed and with A very simple value proposal: Adventure activities (“Barranquismo, the paragliding or balloon walks”, “Boat routes or kayak, candle courses, sport fishing or paddle-south”, but also “horseway or bicycle routes, enjoy the observation of birds or practicing hiking”), proximity gastronomy and cultural, monumental and historical heritage. A new solution for a worrying problem. As We counted a few days agowhile in 2024 the hotels in Spain registered 7.5% more of foreign travelers, the speakers of Spanish tourists stagnate with a minimum rise of 0.2%. The price increase and the massification of the most important tourist areas are the main reasons for that break of national tourism. Therefore, now it is the least exploited areas that seek their part of a cake that grows 4.9% per year. And, seeing the photos of the country’s reservoirs, it makes a lot of sense. Image | Riaño, León (Paulo Valdivieso) | Pelayo Arbués | Eduardo Kenji Amorim In Xataka | Mass tourism has the days counted in Spain thanks to a phenomenon outside its control: extreme heat

Half of Catalonia has its contaminated aquifers. And the rains are the perfect excuse to do nothing

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In January of this year, the Catalan Agència de l’Aigua He updated his data on areas vulnerable to excess nitrates of agroganadera origin. The figures are a jug of cold water (and very polluted): 49.2% of Catalan municipalities They have contamination levels by nitrogen compounds above the legal. That is, 39.9% of the surface of Catalonia. It is a huge problem that does not stop growing, but that the rains of these weeks can end up making invisible. And, at a time when the Government began to be forced to take action, postponing them would be a difficult mistake. Doesn’t it stop growing? As Antonio Cerrillo explainedin 1998 “the percentage of municipalities cataloged with vulnerable area was 21.5%of the total; in 2004, the figure rose to 33.7%; in 2009 it reached 44.2%; in 2015 it was 44.5%.” It is true that some municipalities (three: Blanes, Cubells and Tavertet) have left the list because they have allowed the indicators; But, on the other hand, eight (Corbera d’Ebre, Gavet de la Conca, Jorba, Marçà, Pla de Santa Maria, Perelló, Ponts and Sant Sadurní d’Alcoia have entered). According to the Generalitat, the trend was stable, but “with a slight increase in nitrate pollution in certain areas.” Now the indicators will improve. There is no doubt about that. Above all, because a part of the problem was related to drought. The mechanism is simple: agribusiness contamination filters to the subsoil and there meets the huge aquifer system of the country. If there is a lot of water, those nitrates are diluted and the legal limits are not overcome. If there is not, the alarms jump. Right now, the Catalonia reserves They are at 76.46%, those in Barcelona are at 78.83%and those of Girona (the lowest) to 47.28%. Right now, while I write this, aquifers throughout the country are filling with water and, by pure logic, the situation will improve. However, the rest of the problems persist (or increase). Above all, because you have to keep in mind that those nitrates, Those purines They do not appear alone: ​​they are the result of hyperintensive models of agroganade exploitation. Models that base part of their profitability on Not having to put their negative externalities In the results account. And it is not a strictly Catalan problem (although it is true that it affects especially): according to the citizen network of nitrate measurement, almost 60% of Spanish underground waters is contaminated by nitrates and growing. The matter is such a caliber that also reaches reservoirs and evidences the country’s disastrous water management. In summer 2013, 161 municipalities in Castilla y León They discovered that had been drinking contaminated water for years without knowing it. It’s alone An example of the rosary of problems We have been seeing. All reflect and, above all, take action. Antonio Cerrillo saidthat the Generalitat “prepares an order to review the areas of the territory with groundwater contaminated by nitrates from livestock purines.” But the truth is that we always go with the foot changed. A good example was that of “Royal Decree that establishes rules for sustainable nutrition in agrarian soils“which was approved with more than three years of delay. The same three years that it took to transpose the”European Directive related to the quality of the waters for human consumption“It is our way of doing things. As we said days ago, March rains have given us a historical opportunity to save the country’s aquifers. But it will also give a victory (pyrrhic, but victory after all) to those who manage the problem they can use to leave us in worse situation we have. It’s not The first time what’s happening. Image | Copernicus | Scott Goodwill In Xataka | Spain has been overexpling its aquifers. March rains have given us the historical opportunity to save them

It seemed impossible for the rains of March to be bad news for someone. Until the watermelons and melons arrived

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The huge rains of March have left much of the field offside and, for weeks, the generalized response has been the country. It is not for less: in the whole of Spain 149 l/m² have been accumulated2.5 more than usual. The benefits are huge: they are not only full swamps; but the fields of cereal, vineyard, olive grove and nuts at their best and a sweet moment in sheep, goat and milk bovine. But there are also great harmed. Who can water go wrong? Paradoxically, many crops: some vegetables (from broccoli to lettuce), the strawberries of Huelva, the harvest of potatoes, legumes and, above all, to the melon and watermelon. Is it for floods? In large part yes. In Murcia, more than 5,000 hectares of vegetables have been flooded and in Almería crops have been affected (both outdoors and greenhouse). It is thus understood that, during all this time, root asphyxiation has been one of the great fears of farmers. In essence, we talk about A phenomenon that occurs when the roots of the plants do not receive enough oxygen. This usually occurs when there is an excess of water on the ground; And, in fact, it can happen even if the ‘flood’ lasts for a short time. However, there are problems beyond suffocation. A good example is the chickpea. In his case he has not suffocated because, in short, he has not even come to be planted in provinces such as Seville (which concentrates a third of national production). As the Secretary General of Coag Sevilla says in The debatethe chickpea has to be more than 100 days in the countryside and “this year, hopefully, will pass 60”. Even in the event that the meteorology accompanies, the chickpea campaign It will be very bad. And, in addition, it is inevitable because farmers cannot plant anything else: the norms of common agricultural policy They force them to plant a certain percent of its land with legumes. And then we have the humidity. The rain has caused moisture levels to shoot and, With themthe “proliferation of pests and diseases such as the Botrytis (caused by a fungus) or the Mildiu” (groups several diseases that damage stems and leaves) “that are rotting the kills. And what happens to melons and watermelons? Another different thing. In the case of these crops, the situation is “worrying” because the rains arrived in “The most delicate moment, pollination“This has significantly delayed production to the point that seems unfeasible that early watermelons can reach the market on their usual dates. The hope of the sector, As explained by COAGis that great production is rethink. If no unforeseen occurs, that would allow the market of late watermelons and melons with force. But, of course, everything depends on what happens in the next few days. It is worth remembering that in recent years, these two summer fruits have starred controversial for its high prices and distribution problems. All to do. The great unknowns are now two: What water management will allow hydrographic confederations and the rest of the administrations, on the one hand. And how flexible will be the European Union With the restrictions of phytosanitary products In a context climatic extreme. However, there are many more things on the table. Many more problems, many more opportunities. Above all, before The perspective that this is the new normality. Image | Towsend Walton In Xataka | Before the return of the rains to Spain, the field looks at the worried sky: there are dozens of crops with weeks late

The question is no longer whether the rains return or not. The question is what is happening this spring with the meteorology of Spain

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“Have you enjoyed the sun?” The meteorologist Roberto Granda asked Yesterday at noon. “Well, hurry, because from Tuesday afternoon the clouds and rain return to much of the country,” he continued and, effectively, it will be like that. In fact, from Wednesday to Friday, we will see enough rain in the west of the peninsula. But, of course, the key issue is no longer If the rain comes back or not. We have that clear. The key is what is happening this spring to meet all this rain. But, first of all, why don’t it rain now? Basically because during these last days an anticyclone has managed to close the hall of deep storms that had emerged in the Atlantic. However, it is not one of those anticyclones that remain on our heads until weed. While I write this, the anticyclone is already giving way for cold air masses to get into the country from the southwest. But that It will end. From Tuesday (and, above all, Wednesday) it will rain a lot in the Guadalquivir, Guadiana and Tajo basins. In fact, According to the weather index that measures the rarity of phenomenathe rains could be remarkably intense in the southern zone of the central system. Again. But the thing does not end there: another blockade. As Víctor González explainsboth the European and the American models have begun to draw an anticyclonic block in northern Europe in their departures. That is, a structure very similar to the one that has accompanied us in March. However, it is still early to know what will happen (because there are several options). The blockade in northern Europe Direct the storms Towards our latitudes. However, we need not an anticyclone about our heads. If in the end a dorsal is assembled on the peninsula, we will notice a “tempered and slightly unstable atmosphere”; But if the blockade is broken in the south, we can return to a situation very similar to last month. Is April a new March? Not so fast. That is alone one of the possibilities that arise. It is not clear that it will happen (And, much less, with that intensity). However, what we are seeing is already interesting in itself: in a country so prone to persistent stability, this uncertainty is really very striking. Hence, this article cannot end with the question we always ask ourselves “What can we expect?” We are entering An atmospheric dynamic that, beyond the rains this week, We can expect anything. Image | Tropical tidbits In Xataka |The swamps are so full for the rains of March that some face something unprecedented: unwind for the first time

Spain has been superxplying its aquifers. March rains have given us the historical opportunity to save them

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In recent years, we have spent hours and hours talking about swamps and reservoir water. And it makes sense: a good part of the country and its economy depend on them. However, if we only talk about reservoirs, we will be forgetting two out of ten Spaniards. And is that Spain is an aquifer country. According to The data of the Ministry of Ecological Transitioncover more than 90% of the national territory. That is between 20,000 and 30,000 cubic hectometers of water that are renewed annually. However, in the last decades we have been systematically overexploitation to the point that a good part of the country is being taken to the edge of technical bankruptcy. March rains give us a historical opportunity to solve this, the question is if we will be able to take advantage of it The clearest example is Doñana … The National Park lost “more than 80% of its marshes compared to the beginning of the 20th century.” However, more than half lost it in the last decade. That gives a clear measure of the voracity of the system: if the overexploitation has been able to denaturalize hectares and hectares of one of the most protected natural places in the country, what will not be happening with the rest? … But there are many more. Above all, because for most of the population what happens in Doñana It is still distant (problematic, rejectable, worryingYeah; but distant). The problem is that many regions depend critically on groundwater and the desiccation of aquifers exposes them to enormous water insecurity. The insecurity of which I speak has a very simple explanation: the agroganadero sector consumes 82.5% of the country’s water. That translates that most of the water passes through fertilized lands. It is not surprising that, according to the citizen network of measurement of nitrates, almost 60% of Spanish underground waters is contaminated by nitrates. If the subsoil is loaded with water, that pollution can be worrying, but is diluted. As soon as the water is scarce, the aquifers become unusable. The real problem is another. For decades, whether by their own decision or by omission, the Spanish authorities have lived back their aquifers. This explains a good part of the disorder and lack of control that surrounds them. Eyes that do not see, illegal irrigation that are allowed. Wwf Spain revealed in 2019 that The four most important aquifers in the country have been sheared for years. And presumably, goes much further. According to the reports of the Geological and Mining Institute“For decades, salinization of Mediterranean and insular Spanish coastal coastal aquifers have been known.” Despite this, “only in a few cases this situation is well managed.” As happens, for example, with the Malaga aquifer of Guadalhorce, Integral studies are missing of the entire aquifer to specify the existing reserves and determine the best extraction strategy “if it exists. Without knowing how much water there is and how that water is the situation becomes impossible to manage accurately. The opportunity of March. When we say that We have been failing for 30 years When preparing for the next drought (and diverting the resources we obtain from the improvement of efficiency to uses that abound in exploitation), we refer This kind of thing: The lack of a really ambitious management framework that recovers, manages and sanctions the aquifers of the country. March 2025 and the huge amount of water He has put in the channels has become a great opportunity to solve this. We have given us time to build these integral studies and make decisions for the future. Hopefully not missing her. Image | Scott Jasechko (via sync) | Niel Baars In Xataka | “In the next ten years, Spain and Latin America will suffer (and much) with water,” Robert Glennon (University of Arizona)

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