No abstract

RESUMENLas clasifi caciones zonales -macroclimáticas-son difícilmente aplicables en ám-bitos regionales, donde existe una particular interacción de factores climáticos de tipo geográfi co y dinámico. Especialmente complejas resultan las heterogé-neas regiones sometidas al cambiante clima mediterráneo, que adolecen de una sistematización escalar adecuada. Atendiendo a esta necesidad se presenta, por primera vez, una propuesta de clasifi cación interescalar basada en estadística multivariante y el criterio experto. El método se aplica a la comunidad autónoma de Andalucía (España), identifi cándose y caracterizándose cinco regiones climáticas y veintiún tipos climáticos. Se concluye que la metodología utilizada permite su extrapolación a otros ámbitos geográfi cos complejos, independientemente de la escala espacial y temporal de trabajo. Palabras clave: Clasifi cación climática, estadística multivariante, Andalucía ABSTRACTZonal classifi cations -macroclimatic-are diffi cult to apply in regional areas where there is a particular interaction of climatic factors of both a geographic and dynamic type. Especially complex are the heterogeneous regions subject to changing Mediterranean climate, which lack proper scalar systematization. In response to this need we present, for the fi rst time, an interscalar classifi cation based on multivariate statistics and expert judgment. The method has been applied to the autonomous community of Andalusia (Spain), where we identifi ed and characterized fi ve climatic regions and twenty one different climatic types. We concluded that this method allows for extrapolation to other geographical areas, regardless of the spatial and temporal scale under investigation.

This research explores, by means of a questionnaire-based survey, public knowledge and perception as well as the behaviour of young Spanish tourists before, during and after the summer holiday period affected by an episode of extreme heat in 2003. The survey was administered between November and December 2004. The extraordinary heat wave of the summer of 2003 can be seen as an example of a normal episode in terms of the predicted intensity and duration of European summers towards the end of the twenty-first century. It can therefore be used as the laboratory setting for this study. In this context, the use of the climate analogue approach allows us to obtain novel perspectives regarding the future impact that this type of event could have on tourist demand, based on a real experience. Likewise, such an approach allows the strategies of adaptation implemented by the different elements in the tourist system in order to cope with the atmospheric episode to be evaluated. Such strategies could prove useful in reducing vulnerability when faced with similar episodes in the future. The main results indicate that Spanish tourists (young segment market) are flexible in adapting to episodes of extremely high temperatures. Their personal perception of the phenomenon, their behaviour and the adaptation measures implemented to a greater or lesser extent before that time, reduce the vulnerability of the sector when faced with this type of event, at least from the point of view of this young segment of the internal national market. In Spain, the episode of extreme heat of 2003 has led to the implementation or improvement of some adaptive measures after the event, especially in the fields of management, policy and education.

Fungi are some of the most diverse organisms on earth and since prehistoric times have played an important role in human society. In recent years they have become a strategic asset not only in the conservation and management of ecosystems but also as a resource for halting the exodus from rural areas in peripheral Mediterranean regions, such as inland eastern Spain. In view of this important ecological and socioeconomic role, in this paper we present a geographical analysis of edible fungi, paying particular attention to the Spanish case. To this end we carried out a bibliographic review of the climatic factors affecting the fruiting of these fungi and the socioeconomic aspects of their commercial exploitation. We also performed an online search for mycotourism-related activities and explored the statistical data on the cultivation of edible mushrooms and its economic impact. Our main findings include a synthesis of the international research on the effects of climatic variability on the natural production of macrofungi, and an assessment of the economic viability and the social importance of mushrooms in Spain, in particular in relation to the current and future potential of mushroom cultivation and the multifunctional management and use of forests.

In this paper, we analyse the relationship between climate, tourism and water in Benidorm (Spain), an international icon of Fordist tourism (mass tourism). In particular, we have studied the causes and effects of the water supply droughts Benidorm has suffered since becoming a major holiday destination. For this purpose, we consulted the local press in Benidorm over the period 1969-2003. Using qualitative and quantitative geographical techniques, we found that the water supply in the area has managed to keep up with rapidly increasing demand, with only occasional imbalances and periods of crisis. We focused in particular on the causes and effects of the water supply crisis of 1978, a moment of great uncertainty in the history of Benidorm as a holiday resort. We also examined the influence of atmospheric conditions on precipitation levels and how these precipitation levels affect the water supply. Our results highlight the importance of intense rainfall episodes associated with easterly winds, which provided large inputs for Benidorm's water supply system (Marina Baja Water Consortium). We also found that the water supply crisis of 1978 resulted in serious economic losses for Benidorm and damaged its image as a holiday destination and that the city is now less vulnerable to variations in the climate, as a result of its search for new water resources (both surface and ground water resources and from other nonconventional sources).