Vulnerability of Mediterranean ecosystems to Climatic Change, study of soil degradation under different climatological conditions in an altitudinal transect in the south east of Spain

Abstract To investigate the potential response of soils to climatic change, measurements of soil physical and chemical properties were carried out during a year in a mountain zone in Alicante (Spain), along an altitudinal and climatological gradient. Hydrological properties (infiltration runoff and sediment concentration) were measured under winter and summer conditions. Chemical and physical soil properties were analyzed for reference soil profiles along the transect. The erosional response of the soils as well as soil properties like organic matter and CEC are found to be under the direct influence of the climate, and as a result they have to be considered as important factors in the dese…