Satellite images from the European Union’s Earth Observation Program (Copernicus) show that the European continent is dry and with a lower density of green vegetation. A comparison with the same period last year shows the difference between the scenarios. Experts estimate that this year’s hot summer may have caused Europe’s worst drought in 500 years.
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Last Monday (5), the European Union’s Copernicus Earth observation satellite program announced Twitter Images of Europe, seen from space, show how drought has affected the landscape on a large scale.
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The difference between the pictures is shocking. While in the former, the predominant color is abundant green, especially in the north and south; In the second image, large swathes of the continent appear dry and parched in contrast to the previous year. The images compare two records from the region, made up of a mosaic of photos taken between July and August in 2021 and 2022. Check them out below:
In August, the European Commission’s Global Drought Monitor published a report warning of drought conditions in 47% of European land. According to the document, countries such as Italy, Spain, France, Germany and the United Kingdom need to take drastic measures to mitigate the effects of this situation, as the repercussions could be worse.
Low soil moisture affected vegetation and reduced the rate of photosynthesis carried out by plants, and this situation generates a cascading effect that affects even oxygen production and the sequestration of carbon dioxide – a greenhouse gas – from the air. The report pointed out that with the decrease in the volume of water in reservoirs, the electricity sector was significantly affected.
In an interview with Newsweek, Copernicus team data specialist Annamaria Luongo said: “The images are a mosaic obtained by combining all Copernicus Sentinel-2 images obtained in the specified reference period: July 1 to August 31, 2019. 2021 and July 1 to August 31., 2022 respectively.”
Climate change has repercussions in many countries
Climate change causes many inconveniences to countries. While there are droughts in some countries, heavy rains affect other countries, such as Pakistan. Europe and its surrounding regions are not the only ones hit hard by the drought. The United States also experiences unusually arid conditions, which puts its vegetation under pressure. California, according to Site From information from the US government, it is experiencing a dry period at 128 years.
According to the European Environment Agency, climate change affects the water cycle, increases water vapor levels in the atmosphere, and makes water availability less predictable. This situation leads to heavier rainfall in some areas and severe drought scenarios in others.
Across: NEWSWEEK
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