Climate change is making Europe’s drought worse this year as extreme heat depletes water supplies, scientists said in an analysis published Thursday (July 23).
Many European countries are affected by drought this summer. France fears its corn harvest will be the lowest in 50 years, while Romania has restricted farmers’ access to water to irrigate their crops. The Netherlands declared a water shortage last week and seven Greek islands declared a state of emergency due to drought in order to preserve their water resources.
Although climate change was not the cause of the lack of rain seen between April and June of this year, according to the World Weather Attribution (WWA) network of scientists, it directly contributed to extreme heat, which accelerates the evaporation of water from soils.
Water reserves evaporate faster
Conditions conducive to water evaporation were 80 times more common in Western Europe and 40 times more common in Eastern Europe between January and June compared to pre-industrial times, the WWA said.
“Extreme heat is becoming the main driver of drought on our continent,” said Sarah Kew, a climatologist at the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute. “We are seeing water reserves evaporate from our soils and rivers faster than would have been the case in a world without climate change, turning what would have been manageable dry spells into severe droughts,” she added.
The scientists said the results show that climate change is changing the way droughts form in Europe: a lack of rain now plays a less important role, while warmer air, which prevents rain from remaining in the ground, contributes more.
According to WWA analysis, agricultural soil droughts are now five times more frequent in Western Europe due to climate change, and eleven times more frequent in Eastern Europe.
With AFP
