By: Michael Chang
From May to July 2022, unsettling heat waves in Europe discomforted Europeans with abnormally hot temperatures. These heat waves formed because of global warming, climate change, the circulation of the atmosphere and ocean, and a lack of soil moisture.
Scientists reported that Europe’s heat waves increased faster in magnitude and frequency than the heat waves of most other regions.
In May and June, France experienced high temperatures that set records. Italy, Poland, and Spain also witnessed unpleasantly hot conditions due to heat waves that wreaked havoc throughout Europe. In July, Europeans endured sweltering temperatures hovering around 100 degrees Fahrenheit.
Consequently, in many European countries, wildfires spread rapidly, and droughts developed due to the immense heat. These devastating effects of European heat waves have caused curiosity about why Europe was such a popular location for these heat waves to form.
In part, global warming and climate change caused severe European heat waves. Since the late 1800s, before carbon emissions became commonplace, global average temperatures rose by around 2 degrees Fahrenheit.
Furthermore, Kai Kornhuber, a researcher at Columbia University’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, remarked that warming in the Arctic decreased the difference in temperature between the Arctic and the Equator, which led to a decrease in winds during the summer.
Regarding the European heat waves, Dr. Kornhuber added, “We [saw] an increase in persistence.” These words show that the warming in the Arctic indirectly increased the duration of these heat waves.
Another reason for these scorching heat waves was the air circulation around Europe. For instance, a “cutoff low,” a stalled region of low air pressure at high altitudes, caused the July heat wave in Wales and England.
These low-pressure zones continuously attracted the air from the Equator towards them and facilitated the heat waves. In the words of Dr. Kornhuber, “[The low-pressure zones in Europe pumped] hot air northward.” These low-pressure zones drew the regularly hot air of North Africa into Europe and fueled these heat waves.
Also, the weakening of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation, one of the major ocean currents, might have intensified these heat waves. Using realistic computer simulations, a senior scientist at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Research in Germany, Efi Rousi, published a research paper in 2021 stating that a reduced current speed could cause changes in atmospheric circulation and heat waves in Europe. Rousi’s research was proven in Europe this year.
Furthermore, the solar energy from heat waves reduced soil moisture, evaporation, and the natural cooling of the air in Europe.
Therefore, more heat waves with higher intensities and frequencies will probably emerge in Europe as the summer continues. Alarmingly, these extreme temperatures are reaching dangerous and harmful levels in Europe.
Source:
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/18/world/europe/heat-wildfires-france.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/12/world/europe/italy-drought-farmers.html
https://www.nytimes.com/live/2022/07/19/world/uk-europe-heat-fires-weather
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/03/02/climate/atlantic-ocean-climate-change.html