Neotectonics and long-term seismicity in Europe and the Mediterranean region

2015 ◽  
Vol 120 (7) ◽  
pp. 5311-5342 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michele M. C. Carafa ◽  
Salvatore Barba ◽  
Peter Bird
Author(s):  
Eva Graciá ◽  
Roberto Carlos Rodríguez-Caro ◽  
Marcos Ferrández ◽  
Albert Martínez-Silvestre ◽  
Irene Pérez-Ibarra ◽  
...  

Chelonians are among the animal groups with the poorest conservation status. Since tortoises are long-lived species that need very long time to reach sexual maturity, they are extremely vulnerable to human pressure. Despite their endangered status, there are no common strategies for the development of conservation actions. At the “Mediterranean workshop to develop tortoise conservation strategies”, scientists, conservation associations, environmental managers, IUCN advisers and CITES inspectors met in October 2019 in Alicante (Spain). The aims were to update the diagnosis of the conservation status of the Hermann’s tortoise (Testudo hermanni) and the spur-thighed tortoise (Testudo graeca) and to suggest strategies that guarantee their preservation at the Mediterranean Region. The main conclusions are summarized by: i) Mediterranean tortoises are wild endangered species that must be protected in, and together with, their natural habitat. Their main threats are habitat loss and fragmentation and pet trade, but we should also pay attention to wildfires, spread of diseases, the introduction of exotic species or lineages and climate change. ii) Long-term efforts and stablished protocols are needed to accurately diagnose and monitor the conservation status of wild populations, as well as flows among captive and wild animals. iii)  Tortoise trade should be banned because it threatens the conservation of wild populations of tortoises. Illegal practices related to tortoises should be decidedly persecuted. People should consider tortoises as wild animals that are endangered and deserving of protection. It is possible to enjoy them by responsibly observing them in their habitat. iv) Tortoises may carry pathogens or parasites and their sanitary status cannot be fully assessed. They should always be considered potential vectors of tortoise diseases and of zoonosis. Hygiene protocols should be implemented when managing them. v) The researchers attending this workshop aimed to develop a scientific network for the long-term monitoring of graeca and T. hermanni populations in the Mediterranean Region. They will need the support from public administrations.  


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eloïse Bessière ◽  
Laurent Jolivet ◽  
Romain Augier ◽  
Stéphane Scaillet ◽  
Jacques Précigout ◽  
...  

<p>Orogens closely linked to 3-D subduction dynamics are frequently non-cylindrical and the Mediterranean region is a perfect natural laboratory to observe several of them, as well as their interactions. Through the succession of extension, subduction and sometimes collision events, the kinematic reconstructions of such orogens can be difficult and the subject of active debates. The internal zones are often non-consensual, especially when their long-term Pressure-Temperature-time-deformation (P-T-t-d) evolutions are studied. This complexity is mostly due to pre-orogenic inheritance or complex interactions between the subducting lithosphere, the overriding plate and the asthenosphere. All these elements are described and documented in Mediterranean orogens, i.e., a complex shape of the Eurasian and African margins in pre-orogenic times and a complex slab retreat and tearing dynamics. Their 3-D geometry results in strongly arcuate belts, such as the Betic-Rif Cordillera, located in the westernmost part of the Mediterranean region.</p><p>Focused on the Internal Zones of the Betic-Rif Cordillera and based on recent findings (Orogen Project framework), a synthesis of the tectono-metamorphic evolution shows the relations in space and time between tectonic and P-T evolutions. The reinterpretation of the contact between peridotite massifs and Mesozoic sediments as an extensional detachment leads to a discussion of the geodynamic setting and timing of mantle exhumation. Based on new <sup>40</sup>Ar/<sup>39</sup>Ar ages in the Alpujárride Complex (metamorphic formations of the Betic Internal Zones) and a discussion of published ages in the Nevado-Filabride Complex (metamorphic formations of the Betic Internal Zones), we conclude that the age of the HP-LT metamorphism is Eocene in all the Internal Zones. A first-order observation is the contrast between the well-preserved Eocene HP-LT blueschists-facies rocks of the Eastern Alpujárride-Sebtide Complex and the younger HT-LP conditions reaching partial melting recorded in the Western Alpujárride. We propose a model where the large longitudinal variations in the P-T evolution are mainly due to (i) differences in the timing of subduction and exhumation, (ii) the nature of the subducting lithosphere and (iii) a major change in subduction dynamics at ~20 Ma associated with a slab-tearing event.</p>


2011 ◽  
Vol 11 (12) ◽  
pp. 3235-3250 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. M. Philandras ◽  
P. T. Nastos ◽  
J. Kapsomenakis ◽  
K. C. Douvis ◽  
G. Tselioudis ◽  
...  

Abstract. In this study, the trends and variability of annual precipitation totals and annual rain days over land within the Mediterranean region are analyzed. Long term ground-based observations concerning, on one hand, monthly precipitation totals (1900–2010) and rain days (1965–2010) from 40 meteorological stations within the Mediterranean region were obtained from the Hellenic National Meteorological Service and the World Climate Data and Monitoring Programme (WCDMP) of the World Meteorological Organization. On the other hand, high spatial resolution (0.5° × 0.5°) gridded monthly data CRU TS 3.1 were acquired from the Climatic Research Unit, University of East Anglia, for the period 1901–2009. The two datasets were compared by means of trends and variability, while the influence of the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) in the Mediterranean precipitation was examined. In the process, the climatic changes in the precipitation regime between the period 1961–1990 (reference period) and the period 2071–2100 (future climate) were presented using climate model simulations (RACMO2.1/KNMI). The future climate projections were based on SRES A1B. The findings of the analysis showed that statistically significant (95% confidence level) negative trends of the annual precipitation totals exist in the majority of Mediterranean regions during the period 1901–2009, with an exception of northern Africa, southern Italy and western Iberian peninsula, where slight positive trends (not statistically significant at 95% CL) appear. Concerning the annual number of rain days, a pronounced decrease of 20 %, statistically significant (95% confidence level), appears in representative meteorological stations of east Mediterranean, while the trends are insignificant for west and central Mediterranean. Additionally, NAO index was found to be anticorrelated with the precipitation totals and the number of rain days mainly in Spain, southern France, Italy and Greece. These correlations are higher within the rain season (October–March) than the entire year. Based on the results of regional climate model RACMO2.1/KNMI, precipitation is very likely to decrease almost 20% in the period 2071–2100 compared to 1961–1990, under SRES A1B.


2015 ◽  
Vol 44 (5-6) ◽  
pp. 1437-1456 ◽  
Author(s):  
Annarita Mariotti ◽  
Yutong Pan ◽  
Ning Zeng ◽  
Andrea Alessandri

Atmosphere ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (11) ◽  
pp. 1172
Author(s):  
M. Carmen Alvarez-Castro ◽  
Pedro Ribera

The Mediterranean region is an area where prediction at different timescales (subseasonal to decadal or even longer) is challenging. In order to help constrain future projections, the study of past climate is crucial. By improving our knowledge about the past and current climate, our confidence in understanding the future climate will be improved. In this Special Issue, information about long-term climate variability in the Mediterranean region is assessed, including in particular historical climatology and model applications to assess past climate variability, present climate evolution, and future climate projections. The seven articles included in this Special Issue explore observations, proxies, re-analyses, and models for assessing the main characteristics, processes, and variability of the Mediterranean climate. The temporal range of these articles not only covers a wide period going from the present day to as far back as 25 centuries into the past but also covers projections of future climate over the next century.


Haematologica ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 103 (1) ◽  
pp. e1-e4 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sebastian Botzenhardt ◽  
Mariagrazia Felisi ◽  
Donato Bonifazi ◽  
Giovanni C. Del Vecchio ◽  
Maria C. Putti ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rafael Chavez Garcia Silva ◽  
Robert Reinecke ◽  
Emmanouil Varouchakis ◽  
Jaime Gómez-Hernández ◽  
Michael Rode ◽  
...  

<p>The Mediterranean region faces water security challenges with increasing water demand and climate change effects. Groundwater has become a key resource for water supply and economic development in the last decades, however, its budget remains poorly understood. The distribution of piezometric data in the Mediterranean has a very contrasting distribution. A large portion of them is not centralized and openly accessible, resulting in lack of detailed assessment of groundwater trends and their controlling factors at the regional Mediterranean scale. The objectives of this work are: i) the creation of a long-term and, possibly, the most comprehensive database for groundwater dynamics in the Mediterranean region, ii) the identification of trends and clusters on groundwater levels, and iii) the identification of the relationship between trends and climatic and hydrogeological drivers.</p><p>Over 10,000 time series of groundwater level have been collected from national and regional authorities and the literature. The data come from eight countries in the Mediterranean region and have been post-processed into a common format. A search for seasonal patterns and long-term trends is performed then clustered accordingly. Furthermore, the influence of controlling factors such as precipitation and hydrogeology on the groundwater dynamics and trends are assessed. Significant groundwater level changes have been identified at a regional scale and used to provide insight into groundwater level change drivers’ in the Mediterranean region. The database is the result of a unique joint effort between regional groundwater experts to collect groundwater status information in the Mediterranean region and will serve as the foundation for future research on the influence of anthropogenic drivers and the prediction of groundwater depletion hotspots.</p><p>This work was developed under the scope of the InTheMED project. InTheMED is part of the PRIMA programme supported by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 1923.</p>


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