The Val d’Aran is the only district (“comarca”) in Catalonia located on the northern side of the Pyrenees (population about 9,000). The area is well-known winter holiday destination characterized by typical high-mountain morphology with peaks above 2000 meters above sea level. This high mountain territory is the only valley in the Catalan Pyrenees with an Atlantic climate.
Investigated climate extremes
The selected area is affected by different precipitation-induced hazards, often exacerbated by predisposing factors (e.g., forest fires or dry soil conditions): torrential floods in headwater catchments and floods in mountainous areas; shallow landslides and river network interactions; increase in large landslides and associated cascading effects. Similar dynamics affect many other territories within the Pyrenean region.
Main needs
- To improve the integration between monitoring and modelling for the development of predictive tools for early warning systems.
- To make information available to decision makers and stakeholders by a web-based tool.
- To increase the awareness within the communities about extreme climate events.
