SIERRA NEVADA: Economic and Ecological Evolution

To what extent climate change and other anthropic actions are affecting the endemic species of Sierra Nevada and the performance of the ski resort?



Participants

Project participants:Work carried out by students of 4th ESO Subject Scientific culture IES "Padre Manjón". Granada (Spain):

Arias López Claudia, Blanca Khaldy Samuel, Cárdenas Jiménez Álvaro, Cazzato Arias Fabio, Dorador Casas Enrique, Espejo Vílchez Alberto, Gámez Gutiérrez Héctor, García Huertas Ignacio, Jiménez Morales Jaime Alberto, Martos Tribaldos Laura, Navarro Morillas Elisabeth, Pan Yang Mengzhe, Peredo Soto Jhenedith, Sánchez Magán Carlos, Santana Gómez Raúl, Serrano Jiménez Aurora, Serrano Jiménez Samuel, Titos Ibáñez Lucia, Triviño Marín Pablo, Vallejo Saiz Lucia, Vera Medina Andrea



 

Teacher:  Francisco L. Bueno Castellón

Introduction.

Summary



Sierra NevadaI belongs to the Penibética mountain range, being the southernmost and most isolated mountain range in Europe, it contains many endemic species. According to what our grandparents told us, it was common for snowfields to remain in summer, they tell us about heavy snowfall in winter (both on the northern slopes and on the south, which in recent years are less and less frequent, and we wonder if it could be a consequence of global climate change. On the other hand, it is visited in winter by many tourists, especially to practice sports such as skiing, mountaineering, etc. Therefore , we wonder if these activities could endanger endemic species that inhabit it.


initial project


In the first place, we want to look for historical data on snowfall, temperatures, etc. in the area, old ones, and take satellite data on vegetation cover in summer, snow-covered surface, and water sheets of lagoons on both slopes.

Being a group of students, others are going to investigate the main endemic species, how they are affected by human activities, and if climate changes in the area are putting it in some way in danger.

We will also search secondary sources for data on rainfall, temperature, etc.

Once the data has been collected, we will try to draw conclusions and answer the research question, and as far as possible propose solutions to try to correct the imbalances that are affecting this area of ​​such high ecological value.