Climate indicators: the key tool of Urban Klima 2050 to monitor the evolution of climate change in the Basque Country

11/02/2025

The project has a scorecard that includes three types of indicators: climate variables, sectoral monitoring and mitigation and/or adaptation.

The LIFE IP Urban Klima 2050 project has a series of climate indicators that provide information on the evolution of different variables related to climate change in the Basque Country. This information, based on data collected by measurement stations or by the centres in the Basque Science and Technology Network, facilitates the analysis of the impact of climate change in the Basque Country.

To do so, a scorecard has been drawn up which includes 3 types of indicators:

Indicators of climate variables

The indicators available include those related to temperature, such as the average air temperature, the number of tropical nights or the number and magnitude of heat waves, among other values. Such data enables the increasing temperature trend and its impact on people and ecosystems to be assessed.

For precipitation, the total precipitation, the number of days with heavy rainfall or the duration of dry and wet periods can be consulted, which facilitates the identification of drought or extreme rainfall patterns.

The coastline, coast and ocean also have key indicators, such as the evolution of the mean sea level, the pH level, the water temperature or the waves, which are essential for understanding the effects of climate change on the coast.

Sectoral monitoring indicators 

The impact of climate change is also measured in specific sectors. In marine ecosystems, indicators such as the temperature of biotic communities, the evolution of seagrass meadows, marine benthic communities, or the presence of megafauna are analysed.

In the primary sector, marine species of commercial interest are studied to assess the effects of climate change on fisheries.

In the field of health, the expansion of invasive species such as Aedes spp. mosquitoes, the abundance of ticks in urban parks or the affection of Anisakis in commercial fish are monitored.

Mitigation and adaptation indicators

The project also analyses key indicators for climate change mitigation and adaptation, such as organic carbon content in soil, which assesses the capacity of ecosystems to store carbon and contribute to the reduction of greenhouse gases. 

Access to climate indicators

All this information is available in the climate indicators section of the Urban Klima 2050 website, where time series and interactive graphs can be consulted to facilitate their analysis.

Consult the indicators here: https://urbanklima2050.eu/es/indicadores-climaticos/