Title: Soil degradation, landscape and climate variations in a Mediterranean agro-forest system (Thriasio, Greece): proposal for a desertification indicator using time series analysis

Authors: Anastasios Mavrakis; Andrea Colantoni; Luca Salvati

Addresses: Institute of Urban Environment and Human Resources, Department of Economic and Regional Development, Panteion University, 136 Syngrou Avenue, GR-17671 Athens, Greece ' Dipartimento di Science e Tecnologie per l'Agricoltura, Università degli studi di Viterbo, le Foreste, la Natura e l'Energia, Via S. Camillo de Lellis snc, I-01100 Viterbo, Italy ' Consiglio per la Ricerca e la sperimentazione in Agricoltura, Centro per lo studio delle Relazioni Pianta-Suolo (CRA-RPS), Via del Caravita 7a, I-00184 Rome, Italy

Abstract: As a contribution to soil degradation and desertification monitoring in the northern Mediterranean basin, the present study investigates long-term climate variations in the traditional agro-forest system of Thriasio Plain (Greece) by examining month average temperature, precipitation, relative humidity, Standardised Precipitation Index (SPI) and de Martonne index time series between 1958 and 2011. In the last twenty years, the area experienced an increased anthropogenic pressure due to urbanisation and industrialisation processes. Results indicate a moderate trend towards a warmer and drier climate with a slight increase in the range of the observed values for precipitation and temperature. Relative humidity decrease by 0.1% per year at both year and month base. Results point out the complexity of climate variations at the local scale and the importance of air humidity trends depending on rainfall and temperature regimes in the Mediterranean basin.

Keywords: time series analysis; Kendall test; dryness; rural areas; soil sealing; urbanisation; Athens; soil degradation; landscape; climate variations; agro-forest systems; Greece; desertification monitoring; air humidity; precipitation; rainfall; temperature.

DOI: 10.1504/IJARGE.2014.066253

International Journal of Agricultural Resources, Governance and Ecology, 2014 Vol.10 No.4, pp.335 - 343

Received: 15 Sep 2013
Accepted: 27 Aug 2014

Published online: 25 Apr 2015 *

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