From Romania to Kazakhstan, summer droughts linked to less winter ice in two rapidly warming seas

AI Summary

A study links severe summer droughts across parts of Europe and Central Asia to reduced winter ice in two rapidly warming seas. The droughts, intensified by heat and scarce rainfall, fueled wildfires and worsened humanitarian pressures in eastern Europe amid the war in Ukraine; researchers expect such events to become more frequent and severe as the climate warms.

This summer, with its scarce rainfall and repeated heat waves, witnessed one of the most severe droughts in Europe since 1540. The resulting wildfires across western Europe received considerable media attention, but eastern Europe was also heavily hit, worsening the humanitarian crisis caused by the war in Ukraine. Simulations have shown that such droughts are bound to become more frequent and severe in the future due to man-made global warming.