The increase in temperatures in the north of the Valencia region: value and nature (1950-2016)

The objective of this study is to try and get a better understanding of the magnitude of the effects of global warming in the Valencia region of Spain. The magnitude of this is the basic scientific theme that lies at the heart of the great environmental issue of climate change. The study was based on records of the AEMET (State Meteorological Agency) regional network of 10 observatories, with series dating back more than 67 years, covering the period 1950–2016 in the Valencia region (23,255 km²). The UHI (Urban Heat Index) was experimentally determined and the air–sea interactions recorded on the sea platform and Columbretes Island observatories were also used in the study. The regional analysis revealed the magnitude of the regional effects of global warming and it highlighted some physical correlations related to the causes of this rise in temperature. In this regard, the contribution of solar radiation to thermal forcing, at least regionally, could be slightly higher than the 10% acknowledged in the Fifth Assessment Report from the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change).