Climate change intensified 2022's extreme drought in central and southern Europe – report

Human-driven climate change was linked to more than 30 percent of the intensity and physical extent of an extreme drought which lasted throughout the summer of 2022 in Europe, according to a report published in Nature Geoscience. "Climate change has substantially intensified the drought. This can primarily be attributed to the higher temperatures, as these increase the evaporation rates," said Jakob Zscheischler, report co-author and earth system scientist with Germany's Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ). 

"Anomalous weather" played a large part in the drought's severity, with huge swathes of Europe seeing little precipitation between March and August, as well as an exceptionally hot summer of heat waves. The average summer temperature in central and southern Europe was 1.9 degrees Celsius above the average between 1981 and 2010, according to the report. This caused even more evaporation in the already dried out soil. The weather conditions also affected the amount of water reaching rivers, affecting both navigability on major rivers and the use of hydropower. 

UFZ's simulations and modelling showed the 2022 drought was the most extreme since 1960, causing "serious socio-economic consequences for Europe", said Emanuele Bevacqua, report lead author and UFZ researcher. Half the Italian population faced water restrictions, while soybean, grain maize and sunflower yields dropped 15 percent compared to the 2017 to 2021 average.

More attention needs to be given to the delayed effects of climate change and their impact on groundwater, said the researchers. Some two thirds of the European population rely on groundwater for their water needs. Supplies are already exploited in many cities, according to a UFZ statement.

Climate change is causing Europe to warm faster than anywhere else in the world. Temperatures in Europe have increased at more than twice the global average over the past 30 years. In addition to heatwaves, climate change is also causing many other extreme weather events to become more frequent and more severe. Persistent low levels of rainfall are becoming more common and when the rain does come, it is frequently in prolonged downpours, causing flooding. Fires are also becoming more intense and more common.