Heat waves, drought, scalding temperatures, and wildfires are rapidly increasing in frequency and intensity throughout Europe. In the past few months, France, Spain, Italy, Poland, the British Isles and countless other countries have experienced wave after wave of record high temperatures, wildfire, and drought. So, what is the cause of all this?
Climate change plays a definitive role in causing heat waves not just in Europe, but all around the world. On average, temperatures are 1.1 degrees Celsius higher than they were in the late 1800s, due to emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases from an industrialized world. This means that heat waves are raising temperatures that are already above average.
But scientists have also determined that changes in atmosphere and ocean circulation are making Europe, in particular, a new target for heat waves.
The current heat wave hitting England and Wales was caused by “a region of upper-level low-pressure air that has been stalled off the coast of Portugal for days,” according to the New York Times. This is known as a “cut-off low” because it was cut off from the mid-latitude jet stream that circles the planet at high altitudes.
According to Kai Kornhuber, a researcher at Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, “It’s pumping hot air northward.”
These low-pressure zones will continually draw air toward themselves. In this case, the cut-off low is drawing hot air from Northern Africa towards Europe, fueling the heat wave in the British Isles.
The increase in heat waves in Europe has also been attributed to changes in the jet stream. When the jet stream splits temporarily into two parts, the gap between them is filled with weak winds and high-pressure air that can create heat waves. Researchers found that many heat waves in Europe are linked to an occurrence of the “double jet.”
Climate change in the Arctic may also be a cause of heat waves. The Arctic is warming at a faster rate than the rest of the planet, which causes a sharp decrease in the temperature difference between the Arctic and the Equator. This creates fewer summertime winds, which causes heat waves to remain in place for longer periods of time.
Due to the frequency of heat waves in Europe this year, all the moisture in the soil has already evaporated, meaning that when the next heat wave comes there will be nothing to stop the full force of the sun’s energy from scorching the ground. This will make Europe even more susceptible to heat waves in the future and ensure that each wave will be more devastating than the last.
Link to article:
https://s3.amazonaws.com/appforest_uf/f1658688777542x224549752057991330/What%E2%80%99s%20Behind%20Europe%E2%80%99s%20Heat%20Waves_%20-%20The%20New%20York%20Times.pdf
Climate change plays a definitive role in causing heat waves not just in Europe, but all around the world. On average, temperatures are 1.1 degrees Celsius higher than they were in the late 1800s, due to emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases from an industrialized world. This means that heat waves are raising temperatures that are already above average.
But scientists have also determined that changes in atmosphere and ocean circulation are making Europe, in particular, a new target for heat waves.
The current heat wave hitting England and Wales was caused by “a region of upper-level low-pressure air that has been stalled off the coast of Portugal for days,” according to the New York Times. This is known as a “cut-off low” because it was cut off from the mid-latitude jet stream that circles the planet at high altitudes.
According to Kai Kornhuber, a researcher at Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, “It’s pumping hot air northward.”
These low-pressure zones will continually draw air toward themselves. In this case, the cut-off low is drawing hot air from Northern Africa towards Europe, fueling the heat wave in the British Isles.
The increase in heat waves in Europe has also been attributed to changes in the jet stream. When the jet stream splits temporarily into two parts, the gap between them is filled with weak winds and high-pressure air that can create heat waves. Researchers found that many heat waves in Europe are linked to an occurrence of the “double jet.”
Climate change in the Arctic may also be a cause of heat waves. The Arctic is warming at a faster rate than the rest of the planet, which causes a sharp decrease in the temperature difference between the Arctic and the Equator. This creates fewer summertime winds, which causes heat waves to remain in place for longer periods of time.
Due to the frequency of heat waves in Europe this year, all the moisture in the soil has already evaporated, meaning that when the next heat wave comes there will be nothing to stop the full force of the sun’s energy from scorching the ground. This will make Europe even more susceptible to heat waves in the future and ensure that each wave will be more devastating than the last.
Link to article:
https://s3.amazonaws.com/appforest_uf/f1658688777542x224549752057991330/What%E2%80%99s%20Behind%20Europe%E2%80%99s%20Heat%20Waves_%20-%20The%20New%20York%20Times.pdf
