Mountain rivers of Picos de Europa National Park

Environmental conditions

The mountain climate has fluctuations and changes linked to the winds; in winter, snow covers extensive areas, and when spring arrives, its melt feeds torrents that flow toward the valleys.

Distribution and scope

This profile is limited to the mountain courses of Picos de Europa National Park, in the north of the Iberian Peninsula, in the Cantabrian Mountains, between Asturias, Cantabria and Castile and León; the rivers described include the Sella, Cares, Deva and Duje.

Structure

The rugged terrain combines high peaks with deep gorges and canyons, through which rivers descend from the mountain range toward the valleys; the park also includes streams and mountain lakes.

Ecological processes

Spring snowmelt gives way to the flow of torrents; in Picos de Europa, a research project examines how hydrological variability relates to the physical characteristics of river habitat and to biological communities.

Seasonal changes

Snow covers much of the area during winter, and its spring melt gives way to flowing torrents, a seasonal variation described for the Picos de Europa surroundings.

Conservation

In Picos de Europa, it was proposed that monitoring of the conservation status of river ecosystems be optimized, taking account of variability in biological communities and their relationship to hydrology and habitat characteristics.