La frecuencia e intensidad de las sequías en las vertientes meridionales de las islas Canarias (1970 – 2018)

Abstract

In the latest report of the Intergovernmental Panel of Experts on Climate Change (IPCC, 2019), it is noted that an increase in the frequency and intensity of droughts is expected in Northern Africa and Southern Europe. In this study, it is intended to corroborate this increase in the intensity, magnitude, and frequency of dry episodes in the Canary Islands from 1970 to the present. Using daily meteorological data from the State Meteorological Agency (AEMet) in the Canary Islands, drought episodes are identified by means of two specific indices, the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) and the Standardized Evapotranspiration Precipitation Index (SPEI), in seven locations representative of the southern slopes of the Canary Islands. Preliminary results indicate a notable upward trend in this extreme meteorological phenomenon on the southern slope of the Canary Islands.