High Temperatures Worsened by Climate Change Dried Out Soils Across Europe and Northern Hemisphere

The summer of 2022 in the Northern Hemisphere was one of the hottest ever recorded in Europe, with over 24,000 heat-related deaths, and it brought intense heat waves to parts of China and North America.

It was also extremely dry, resulting in widespread water shortages, wildfires, and crop failures, raising food prices and having an impact on the electricity supply.

Climate change made the summer droughts more frequent

(Photo : Mike Erskine/Unsplash)

An international team of climate scientists led by Sonia Seneviratne's research group, Professor of Land-Climate Dynamics at ETH Zurich has now investigated the potential impact of climate change on this extreme weather event, as per ScienceDaily.

According to their study, published by the World Weather Attribution group, human-caused climate change increased the likelihood of soil moisture drought conditions in the Northern Hemisphere by at least 20 times, threatening crop production and putting additional pressure on food prices and food security.

The researchers examined soil moisture levels in June, July, and August 2022 across the entire Northern Hemisphere, excluding the tropics, for their study.

-They also concentrated on Western and Central Europe, which had particularly severe droughts with significantly reduced crop yields.

The dryness of soil moisture in the top meter of soil, known as the root zone where plants extract water, is commonly referred to as agricultural and ecological drought.

The researchers discovered that human-caused climate change increased the likelihood of agricultural and ecological droughts in the North Hemisphere extratropics by at least 20 times.

They calculated that in today's climate, drought conditions like this summer can be expected once every 20 years.

Agricultural drought conditions in the Northern Hemisphere would have been expected once every 400 years or less if humans had not warmed the planet.

Human-caused climate change made agricultural and ecological droughts three to four times more likely in West-Central Europe.

This is not to say that climate change has had less of an impact on Europe than on the rest of the Northern Hemisphere; the differences in size mean that the results cannot be directly compared.

High temperatures as a result of human intervention

Rising temperatures were the primary driver of the increased agricultural and ecological drought risk, with changes in rainfall being relatively less important.

Climate change has increased temperatures across the Northern Hemisphere to the point where a summer as hot as this year would have been virtually impossible without human-caused climate change, according to the researchers.

Dominik Schumacher, a postdoc in the Seneviratnes research group and first author of the study, says, "The results of our analysis also give us an insight into what is looming ahead."

Read more: Drought: Saving Water with Plant Genetics, Breeding Salt Tolerance

Why prepare for the drought?

Drought conditions can result in insufficient water supplies for drinking, household use, fire suppression, and agriculture, as per Mass.gov.

Reservoirs, groundwater, lakes, ponds, rivers, and streams can all be severely impacted, resulting in a loss of water supply, crop damage, and significant environmental consequences.

Before and during a drought, taking steps to reduce water usage both inside and outside your home can help conserve water and reduce the impact on water supply availability.

Water conservation efforts should be made by both municipal water supply users and private well owners.

The Drought Management Task Force of the State evaluates drought conditions and impacts and makes recommendations to the Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs on how to classify drought levels for the Commonwealth's various regions.

Putting your feet in cold water is a good way to reduce core body temperature and keep your organs working, according to research. It will also aid in the reduction of swelling in your ankles and feet, as per The Conversation.

A lukewarm shower or bath, on the other hand, will cool you down faster and is the most effective way to cool down. Don't be tempted to soak in ice-cold water because cold shock can be fatal. Conserve water and focus on cooling your feet, hands, neck, and face during a drought.

Although the cool breeze from an air fan feels nice against your skin, it does not always keep you cool. Fans can actually make you feel worse, particularly in dry heat, hastening dehydration and heat illness.

Related article: Drought in Western US Could Last Until 2030 Due to Climate Change