Is climate changing in Friuli Venezia Giulia?

1. Is climate changing in Friuli Venezia Giulia?

2. Climate in FVG The region has a great variety of climates and landscapes: 42.5% of its surface is made up of mountains, 19.3% by hills and the remaining 38.2% by the plains situated in the central areas and along the coast.

3. Friuli Venezia Giulia has a humid, temperate climate which varies considerably from one area to another.

4. The Alpine System protectsit from the direct impact of the rigid northerly winds, but the region, opening toward the Po Valley, is influenced by the general circulation of air masses from the west to the east. Along this direction, the low pressure centers develop and move, bringing with them thunderstorms and hailstorms, especially in the summer.

5. Being open to the Adriatic Sea, the territory also receives Sirocco winds, that bring with them heavy rainfalls. 

6. The Karst Plateau has its own special weather and climate: the masses of cold air coming from the east cross over the low Julian Alps, so this area is affected by winds coming from the region of the Danube. The 'Bora', (north-easterly strong wind), reaches its maximum intensity in Trieste and its gulf, with gusts that sometimes exceed 150 km per hour.

7. Temperature A significant change in the average temperature has occurred in the last 30/40 years in Friuli Venezia Giulia.In the past forty years (1961-2000), we have seen a strongly oscillating trend in average annual temperatures.In fact there has been an increase in temperature of 0.5 ° C in Trieste and at the same time a slight decrease (of 0.2 ° C) in Udine. The rise in temperature is considered, for many experts, the climate change to be more concerned about.

8. Rain Another important change was the rainfall level.There have been alternating periods of very wet and very dry weather.In 2010 there was an exceptional rainfall.We have also observed variations in the distribution of annual rainfall.

9. Winds In last twenty years the Adriatic Sea has been characterised by low bora but frequent winds from the south, as the Scirocco.In the past century, the frequency of bora decreased to only 28 days / year.The periods of shorter duration were around 1925 and from the 1960s onwards.

10. Sea temperature Until 1960, the sea had a winter temperature lower than 7 ° C for about 30 days a year. Now the winter temperatures of the sea are lower than 8 °C but only for about 10 days a year. So tropicalization has occured: that is the appearance of animal and plant species from warmer seas.

11. Unfortunately!! In the Adriatic Sea a case of mucilage happened.

12. Changes in the rivers From 1910 to 2010, the rivers Isonzo and Tagliamento were marked by a reduction of the river flow. Also the temperatures of the rivers changed but they are not related to environmental temperature

13. Snow and avalanches Friuli Venezia Giulia is a snowy region due to the wind flow from the South and South-West. From 1980 until 2000 we had a significant drop in snowfall, however in our region there are still lot of avalanches, because of the very steep mountain slopes.

14. Is it all men’s fault? No, climate change has always existed and is part of the life cycle of the Earth. But men surely have contributed to some aspects of the climate change.

15. THANKS FOR YOUR ATTENTION!  2B RIM Giada Pandolfo, Marica Tridico, Elena Dabir