The European 2015 drought from a climatological perspective
The summer drought of 2015 affected a large portion of continental Europe and was one of the most severe droughts in the region since summer 2003. The summer of 2015 was characterized by exceptionally high temperatures in many parts of central and eastern Europe, with daily maximum temperatures 2 °C...
Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , |
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Format: | Article |
Language: | English |
Published: |
Copernicus Publications
2017-03-01
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Series: | Hydrology and Earth System Sciences |
Online Access: | http://www.hydrol-earth-syst-sci.net/21/1397/2017/hess-21-1397-2017.pdf |
Summary: | The summer drought of 2015 affected a large portion of continental Europe and
was one of the most severe droughts in the region since summer 2003. The
summer of 2015 was characterized by exceptionally high temperatures in many parts of
central and eastern Europe, with daily maximum temperatures 2 °C
higher than the seasonal mean (1971–2000) over most of western Europe, and
more than 3 °C higher in the east. It was the hottest and
climatologically driest summer over the 1950–2015 study period for an area
stretching from the eastern Czech Republic to Ukraine. For Europe, as a
whole, it is among the six hottest and driest summers since 1950. High
evapotranspiration rates combined with a lack of precipitation affected soil
moisture and vegetation and led to record low river flows in several major
rivers, even beyond the drought-hit region. The 2015 drought developed rather
rapidly over the Iberian Peninsula, France, southern Benelux and central
Germany in May and reached peak intensity and spatial extent by August,
affecting especially the eastern part of Europe. Over the summer period,
there were four heat wave episodes, all associated with persistent blocking
events. Upper-level atmospheric circulation over Europe was characterized by
positive 500 hPa geopotential height anomalies flanked by a large negative
anomaly to the north and west (i.e., over the central North Atlantic Ocean
extending to northern Fennoscandia) and another center of positive
geopotential height anomalies over Greenland and northern Canada.
Simultaneously, the summer sea surface temperatures (SSTs) were characterized
by large negative anomalies in the central North Atlantic Ocean and large
positive anomalies in the Mediterranean basin. Composite analysis shows that
the western Mediterranean SST is strongly related to the occurrence of dry
and hot summers over the last 66 years (especially over the eastern part of
Europe). The lagged relationship between the Mediterranean SST and summer
drought conditions established in this study can provide valuable skill for
the prediction of drought conditions over Europe on interannual to decadal
timescales. |
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ISSN: | 1027-5606 1607-7938 |