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In this paper, measurements of 2.012 bone remains from four different domestic species (sheep, goats, cattle and pigs) originating from 33 Bronze Age archaeological sites from the Balearic Islands, mainland Iberia, southern France and Sardinia, and spanning about 2500 years (3700-700 cal. BCE) have been compared. The results show that a decrease in animal size occurred in the Balearic Islands during the Bronze Age. It was not a local phenomenon but rather was a general pattern that happened in different territories. Yet it was more marked on the islands. The evidence shows that the four analyzed species were not affected in the same way and it was a nonlinear phenomenon. Indeed, during the Late Bronze Age some archaeological sites from the Balearics had taller caprines compared with the other contemporaneous places, also on the continent. A multi-factor explanation for these fluctuations is proposed in this paper, showing that animal sizes generally decreased during late prehistory -especially cattle- and this process could reflect different factors such as a combination of limited feeding, increased human pressure and endogamy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the mid-20th century, tourism has become a strategic activity for the economy of the Balearic Islands, causing profound social, territorial, and environmental transformations. This fact challenges local society, which must be aware of its environment to better face the future challenges posed by this economic activity. With this goal, the official curriculum has been analyzed, making it possible to ascertain the approach with which this subject is taught by the administration and what objectives are set. Furthermore, a review was carried out of the contents of geography textbooks in the third year of ESO and the second year of the Baccalaureate, which corresponds to the educational stages in which tourism aspects appear. The results obtained represent a fundamental strategic diagnosis to improve the teaching and learning of this key activity for the Balearic Islands, giving it more importance and adapting its approach to the current times. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study presents the 87Sr/86Sr ratios from the tooth enamel of 57 sheep and goat specimens, in order to explore animal mobility in the Middle and Late Bronze Age society of the Balearic Islands (Naviform period). Seven archaeological sites from Mallorca and Menorca located in different biotopes and with different functionalities were selected. The results provide some of the first data on the geographic range of meat provisioning at each site. In addition, several present-day leaves, as well as tooth dentine and bones were analysed to assess local strontium isotopic ratios in different geological layers existing in the Balearic Islands. The results suggest that most caprines were sourced from the neighbouring areas of each site, but also suggest a correlation between strontium isotope variability and site function: domestic settlements and sites related with maritime exchanges had significantly more variability compared to fortified sites. In addition, the ritual cave of Cova del Camp del Bisbe had the highest diversity of strontium isotopic ratios, thus suggesting that caprines were brought here from a variety of different locations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study illustrates the contribution of plant and faecal microfossil records to interdisciplinary approaches on the identification, composition, taphonomy and seasonality of livestock dung materials. The focus is on the taphonomy of opal phytoliths and calcitic dung spherulites embedded within modern faecal pellets collected from pasture grounds and pens from a range of animals, including cattle, sheep and pigs from three different farms and seasons of the year in Menorca (Balearic Islands, Spain) declared a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO. Modern reference materials provide comparative plant and dung microfossil indicators on factors affecting the formation, composition, preservation and decay of animal faeces, as well as on the diverse environmental and anthropogenic aspects influencing these. The reported results show relevant changes in phytolith and spherulite composition according to animal species and age, livestock management, seasonality, and grazing and foddering regimes. Both microfossil records provide fundamental information on taphonomic issues that are understudied, such as the variation in the digestibility among different species, including under investigated animals such as pigs, as well on the seasonality of plant and faecal microfossils that are excreted with dung as an important material for reconstructing human-environment interactions which is commonly overlooked in archaeology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The pioneering work done in late 1970s and early 1980s on research into rissaga events or meteotsunamis in the Balearic Islands is briefly reviewed in this paper and contrasted with the present state of the art on the phenomenon. The early research phase used existing observational evidence to construct a doctrine for the initial comprehension and forecasting of the phenomenon. By the beginning of the 1980s, it had already been established that the rissaga is a marine response to quick atmospheric pressure oscillations in resonance conditions, initially attributed exclusively to internal atmospheric gravity waves and later to convective pressure jumps too. Forty years later, new observational methods have provided a much richer database, with theoretical research and the use of forecasts using numerical models underpinning a much more solid perspective. With regard to predictability, quick atmospheric pressure oscillations were associated with a three-layer atmospheric vertical structure from the beginning: a thermodynamically neutral lower layer of Mediterranean air, a thermal inversion layer (Saharan air lying above and Mediterranean air below) and a deep upper layer with conditional instability in at least some strata. This structure is compatible with a high-level trough or cut-off low over the Iberian Peninsula; strong south-westerly flow over the Western Mediterranean area; jet stream speed being reached at the highest tropospheric levels, and forced Saharan air advection at the low/medium levels. A weak low-pressure area is usually present at low levels in the Mediterranean. The identification of the meteorological framework favourable to a rissaga event soon led to a probabilistic and purely meteorological forecasting method for the rissaga phenomenon. This method is still used today, albeit in combination with objective methods, some of which are based on the use of coupled atmospheric and oceanic forecasting models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coastal ecosystems are under significant human pressure, partly due to the proximity of pollution sources. In this study, a total of 20 samples were taken in summer around the coastal waters of the Balearic Islands (Spain) using a manta trawl net to examine the concentrations of floating plastic debris through the NIXE III project campaign. Although plastic concentrations showed high variability along the coast, the higher particle concentration (max: 4,576,115 items ⋅ km −2 ) and weight (max: 8,102.94 g ( DW ) ⋅ km −2 ) values were located at the north of the Balearic Promontory. The particle size analysis showed the high prevalence of microplastics (< 5 mm) in these waters, where particles of approximately 0.7 mm and 1 mm 2 were the most frequent in the range analyzed. The high plastic concentration values in the N-NW coast of Ibiza and Mallorca in sparsely populated locations suggest that the plastic particle distribution was mostly conditioned by the hydrodynamic surface conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Balearic Islands were the last large islands in the Mediterranean to be settled, with colonization not occurring until the third millennium cal BC. The richest assemblages of zooarchaeological data for reconstructing patterns of animal exploitation and management come from Mallorca, Menorca, and Formentera and date to the late third and second millennia cal BC. In this article, I consider these exploitation and management strategies from the perspective of human ecodynamics. In general, the early settlers of the Balearic Islands adopted economic strategies which remained very conservative throughout the Early and Mid Bronze Age (i.e., 2500/2300-1200 cal BC). On Mallorca and Menorca, animal resources were derived mainly from domesticated fauna, with the evidence supporting a mixed-farming model wherein cultivation is complemented by small-scale and relatively unspecialized animal husbandry. In contrast, on Formentera there is a diversification of the faunal economy, with fish and wild birds providing an important contribution to the diet; this probably relates to the extreme marginality of the Formenteran environment. This case of initial human settlement and flexible adaptation to the Balearics highlights one of the core aspects of human ecodynamics: the ability for colonizing populations to both uniquely respond to and affect ecological conditions in island environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Only domestic mammals (sheep, goat, cattle, pig, and dog) and two rodent species constituted the faunal package introduced to the Balearic Islands by the early settlers in the 3rd millennium cal BC. Later animal introductions in the archipelago were thought to occur by the end of the 1st millennium cal BC due to contacts with Punic merchants or, more than likely, to the Roman conquest of the islands. Recently, several faunal remains belonging to different vertebrates (red deer, chicken, and rabbit) were found in the Talayotic site of Cornia Nou (Minorca), in contexts that date to the early 1st millennium cal BC. A series of radiocarbon (14C) dates was made directly on samples of small species to exclude the possibility of infiltration into lower layers. The obtained results show that chicken and rabbit were already present on Minorca in the early 1st millennium cal BC. Chicken is recorded in Phoenician colonies in south Iberia as early as the 8th century cal BC. Rabbit, on the other hand, is indigenous to the Iberian Peninsula. These new faunal introductions recorded in Minorca could be related to the Late Bronze and Phoenician maritime activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A special type of coastal settlement, promontory forts defended by inland-facing walls, appeared in the Balearic Islands in an imprecise time during the Bronze Age. A research project was initiated in 2011 to study one of these sites on each of the two major islands of the archipelago. The first one, Es Coll de Cala Morell (north Menorca), is a walled promontory with a relatively large plateau, with 13 horseshoe-shaped houses (navetes). The second, Sa Ferradura (east Mallorca), is a smaller coastal cape, with a different spatial planning, with only two large built-up areas, both attached to the enclosure wall. Two of the navetes have been excavated at Es Coll de Cala Morell, showing a domestic space with a central hearth in both cases. The occupation has been dated to around 1600–1200 cal BC. At Sa Ferradura seven hearths have been recorded in a large, open-air area. Their chronology falls within the interval of approximately 1200/1100–900 cal BC. From a chronological point of view, fortified settlements in coastal promontories are not, as was expected, a unitary phenomenon in Menorca and Mallorca and have to be related to different cultural periods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On 29 October 2013, a severe squall line developed to the west of the Balearic Islands (Spain) ahead of an advancing cold front and then crossed the archipelago. We first provide an observational characterization of the event based on surface reports, remote sensing products, radiosoundings and synoptic information. We also achieve, by means of numerical experiments, new insights into the kinematic and thermodynamic factors that governed the genesis and evolution of the linear convective system. Radar and satellite images confirm the fast movement and linear shape of the system, with an indication of a possible transition into a bow-echo structure during its later stages. The synoptic setting at mid-upper tropospheric levels was dominated by a cold trough extended over western Europe, associated with a jet stream located downstream. Convection evolved under the right entrance region of the jet and initiated under the crucial influence of a surface low that developed over the Mediterranean Sea ahead of the cold front. The low not only cooperated with the upper-level dynamical forcing to erode a capping inversion initially present over the Balearics and moisten the atmospheric column above, but also shaped and enhanced a convergence line along which the first convective cells grew and self-aggregated. This scenario is confirmed by numerical simulations of the case, which also emphasize the important role of regional topography in the production of the aforementioned maritime convergence through the mesoscale modulation of the low-level flow. Additional simulations show that (i) the destabilization of the low-level air mass necessary for triggering and feeding an organized convective system on 29 October 2013 was attributable to prior evaporation from the Mediterranean and (ii) sea-surface temperatures appear to be critical for a successful fine-grid numerical forecast of the mode, degree of severity, timing and track of the convective precipitation system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Balearic Islands provide a good example of late human settlement in the context of the prehistoric Mediterranean. After what could be considered a period of colonization, the earliest autochthonous cultural manifestations occur in the Bronze Age. This study aims to outline a chronology for Balearic Bronze Age villages, based on the case study of S'Hospitalet Vell (Manacor). A wide radiocarbon record has been obtained from three different habitation structures at the site. By combining the available dates with the stratigraphical information, a chronological approach to the occupation dynamics of this site can be established. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the spatial distribution of extreme precipitations is of major interest in order to improve our knowledge of the climate of a region and its relationship with society. These analyses inevitably require the use of directly observed values to account for the actual extreme amounts rather than analyzed gridded values. A study of daily rainfall extremes observed over mainland Spain and the Balearic Islands is performed by using records from 8135 rain gauge stations from the Spanish Weather Agency (AEMET). Results show that the heaviest daily precipitations have been observed mainly on the coastal Mediterranean zone from Gibraltar to the Pyrenees. In particular, a record value of 817 mm was recorded in the Valencia region in 1987. The current map of daily records in Spain, which updates the pioneering work of the Spanish meteorologist Font, shows similar distribution of extreme events but with notably higher amounts. Generalized extreme values distributions fit the Mediterranean and Atlantic rain gauge measurements and shows the different characteristics of the extreme daily precipitations in both regions. We identify the most extreme events (above 500 mm per day) and provide a brief description of a typical meteorological situation in which these damaging events occur. An analysis of the low-level circulation patterns producing such extremes - by means of simple indices such as NAO, WeMOi and IBEI - confirms the relevance of local flows in the generation of either Mediterranean or Atlantic episodes. WeMOi, and even more IBEI, are good discriminants of the region affected by the record precipitation event. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Balearic quicklime burials of the Iron Age have been radiocarbon dated. Because the bones found are unsuitable for dating, lime was dated using the titration method, with results indicating that in some samples there is still fossil limestone carbonate present, while other samples suffered from recarbonation. Nevertheless, 14C dates on lime and organic matter agree when both are present. The titration method allows calculating a consensus value. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Changes in climatic parameters are often given in terms of global averages even though large regional variability is generally observed. The study of regional tendencies provides not only supplementary conclusions to more large-scale oriented results but is also of particular interest to local policy-makers and resource managers to have detailed information regarding sensible and influential climatic parameters. In this study, changes in precipitation for the Balearic Islands (Spain) have been analyzed using data from 18 rain gauges with complete daily time series during the period 1951–2006 and two additional sites where only monthly totals were available. Tendencies for maximum and minimum 2-m temperatures have also been derived using data from three thermometric stations with daily time series for the period 1976–2006. The thermometric stations are located at the head of the runways in the airports of the three major islands of the archipelago, where urbanization has arguably not had a relevant impact on the registered values. The annual mean temperature in the mid-troposphere and lower stratosphere has also been analyzed using the Balearics radiosonde data for the period 1981–2006. Results show there is a negative tendency for annual precipitation (163 mm per century) with 85% significance on the sign of the trend. An abrupt decrease in mean yearly precipitation of 65 mm is objectively detected in the time series around 1980. Additionally, the analysis shows that light and heavy daily precipitation (up to 4 mm and above 64 mm, respectively) increase their contribution to the total annual, while the share from moderate-heavy precipitations (16–32 mm) is decreasing. Regarding the thermometric records, minimum temperatures increased at a rate of 5.8°C per century during the 31 years and maximum temperatures also increased at a rate of 5.0°C per century, both having a level of statistical significance for the sign of the linear trend above 99%. Temperatures in the mid-troposphere decreased at a rate of − 5.4°C per century while a tendency of − 7.8°C per century is found in the lower stratosphere. The level of statistical significance for the sign of both the tropospheric and stratospheric linear trends is above 98% despite the great inter-annual variability of both series. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article analyzes the relations between the dimensions of burnout and the causal attribution in a sample of 614 professors of pre-student to secondary/high school of the Balearic Islands, Spain. The Attributive Causal Dimensions Scale was used to evaluate the Locus of Causality, Stability, Controllability, Globality and Intentionality of the perceived cause of stress. The findings of the study indicate that the dimensions of burnout present a moderate relation with the causal dimensions. The consequences and the strategies of interventional that can contribute the attributional framework are analyzed.

Ciutadella (Menorca, Balearic Islands, Spain) is well known for the large amplitude seiches of about 10.5 min period registered in its long and narrow inlet, especially during the warm season. This phenomenon, locally referred to as "rissaga", might reach extreme wave heights (in the range 1.5 – 4 m) with a recurrence of only a few years, leading to damaging consequences in the port activities and moored vessels. The provision of as accurate as possible predictions of the rissaga risk, hours or days ahead, appears as a crucial element in helping to mitigate these consequences. We devise a chain of atmospheric and oceanic numerical simulation components aimed at capturing with low computational cost the key physical processes conducive to the vast majority of rissaga events: (i) the genesis upstream from the Balearic Islands of high amplitude atmospheric gravity waves travelling in the SW–NE direction; these mesoscale waves are synthetically triggered using a 2D nonhydrostatic fully compressible model within a vertical environment provided by a representative sounding; (ii) the oceanic response to the concomitant pressure fluctuations along the Menorca channel, in the form of long oceanic waves subject to Proudman resonance; these processes are simulated with a shallow-water model applied over a 80-m depth channel; (iii) shelf amplification, which according to theory (Green's law) accounts for a doubling of the wave amplitude for a depth jump from 80 to 5 m; and (iv) harbour resonance within Ciutadella inlet, a crucial mechanism solved again with the shallow-water equations over the idealized 5-m deep channel. The prognostic system is successfully tested for the available set of 126 rissaga events and for a complementary set of 549 ordinary situations. Our approach discriminates fairly well non-rissaga events from high-amplitude oscillations and tends to correctly categorize the meteotsunamis among weak, moderate or strong events. We are now pursuing the real time application of the method in a probabilistic context. • Ciutadella harbour (Balearic Islands) is affected by damaging meteotsunamis. • Emphasis on physical processes: atmospheric gravity waves and resonance mechanisms. • Computationally efficient prediction using atmospheric and oceanic numerical simulations. • Successful tests for large sets of meteotsunami events and ordinary situations. • Useful categorization of meteotsunamis among weak, moderate, or extreme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]