Global Change Observatory of Picos de Europa Socio-Ecosystems - Spain

The Picos de Europa socio-ecosystem research platform (LTSER-Picos de Europa) comprises the catchment areas of the Sella (1,284 km², average annual Q 30 m3/s) and Deva-Cares (1,187 km², average annual Q 40 m3/s) rivers that drain the Cantabrian Mountains towards the Cantabrian Sea. The Picos de Europa National Park is located in this area and it was the first National Park declared in Spain (1918). The LTSER-Picos de Europa has a maximum altitude of 2,648 m (Torres Cerredo). The average annual temperature varies between 6ºC (mountainous areas) and 15ºC (coast), while the average annual rainfall varies between 800 mm (Liébana, Cantabria) and 3,000 mm. It is dominated by broadleaf forests >grasslands>shrublands>rocky areas ...