North Atlantic oscillation influence on precipitation, river flow and water resources in the Iberian Peninsula

Abstract The Iberian Peninsula precipitation and river flow regimes are characterized by large values of inter‐annual variability, with large disparities between wet and dry years, especially in southern Iberia. This situation is a major problem for water resources management in general, and for the production of hydroelectricity in particular. Hydroelectric production represents, in an average year of precipitation, 20% of the total Spanish electricity production (and 35% for Portuguese production). Its absolute value, however, can vary by a factor of three between wet and dry years. We have assessed the impact of the North Atlantic oscillation (NAO) on winter precipitation and river flow regimes for the…