Europe faces the strongest drought over the last 500 years: Researchers
New Delhi: Europe is probably facing the most severe drought over the last 500 years, the Joint Research Center (JRC) of the European Commission said on Tuesday.
“Cumulatively, 64 percent of Europe is under warning or alert, which is also contributing to spread widely the areas of fire danger across the EU,” JRC said.
Dry and warm weather in certain western regions and the Mediterranean will last until November, experts said. “According to JRC experts, the current drought still appears to be the worst since at least 500 years,” the statement reads.
“The combination of a severe drought and heatwaves has created unprecedented stress on water levels in the entire EU. We are currently noticing a wildfire season sensibly above the average and an important impact on crops production,” EU Commissioner for innovation, research, culture, education and youth Mariya Gabriel said in a comment.
Summer crops have suffered, with 2022 yields for grain maize set to be 16 percent below the average of the previous five years and soybean and sunflowers yields set to fall by 15 percent and 12 percent respectively.
Hydropower generation has been hit and other power producers affected due to water shortages that feed cooling systems.
Low water levels have hampered inland shipping, such as along the Rhine river, with reduced shipping loads affecting coal and oil transport.
The EDO said mid-August rainfall may have alleviated conditions but in some cases, it had come with thunderstorms that caused further damage.
The observatory’s drought indicator is derived from measurements of precipitation, soil moisture, and the fraction of solar radiation absorbed by plants for photosynthesis.
(Vinayak)
