a CNRS study confirms that global warming is directly responsible for drought

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Global warming is responsible for the extent and intensity of last year’s drought, according to a CNRS study.

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A CNRS study published on Friday February 17 explains how the increase in temperature in Europe reinforces associated phenomena, such as drought. The researchers’ starting point is the geographic extent of this drought. It affected France, Spain, Germany, Switzerland, England, and northern Italy. According to one of the authors, in some areas it has not rained since 2015.

The scientists therefore compared the behavior of the anticyclones over two different periods. One before global warming, the other after 1941. The conclusion is that the warming of the atmosphere, which was 1.2 degrees last year in Europe, has reinforced the geographical extent and intensity of anticyclones . “The increase in temperature in experiments in gas boxes shows us that we can see air expansion phenomena”explain Davide Faranda, CNRS researcher co-author of the study. “So in the case of anticyclones, we have an expansion like a balloon that inflates. This inflation cannot continue indefinitely because the atmosphere is limited by the tropopause, continues the scientist. And after this limit we must intensify the anticyclone because we cannot make an even greater expansion.

The consequence is that the rains are pushed back further. According to another study to be published soon, droughts are likely to increase in the Mediterranean regions.


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