Heat wave in Europe sets records and worries experts – Science & Health

The consequences of these phenomena extend from agriculture to human health, including water resources, forests, biodiversity or the ecosystem. “If you have soil at 60 degrees Celsius, that soil, which can be wet, stops very quickly. It’s a nightmare for agricultural production. The crop cannot stand that kind of temperature,” assures Felipe Duarte. Santos, noting that in the case of water resources such as dams and streams “with these temperatures, evaporation is much higher than normal.”

In terms of biodiversity, “plants and animals react to these changes that have always happened but not so quickly,” he says. “What they do, especially land and sea animals, is migration. That’s why it’s increasingly common to find species of fish that have been displaced from their common habitat.”

On Thursday, the new heat wave 13, baptized by the Italian Meteorological Society in Cerberus, returned to ravage Europe. Italy and Spain were the hardest hit countries, but the phenomenon raised concerns in France, Germany and Poland, where thermometers rose to 48C on the islands of Sicily and Sardinia “potentially the highest on record,” the European Space Agency said, citing the European Space Agency. Reuters.

“In Portugal we have a different circumstance because there is a coastline, especially from Lisbon to the north, where we have sea breezes, the influence of the sea, the so-called westerly, which makes the climate milder. If we compare it with other countries, Spain faces greater challenges. But in the case of Water resources, Portugal is facing difficulties due to the decrease in the average annual precipitation, and this decadal average is decreasing, especially in northern Portugal and Galicia, ”reiterates Felipe Duarte Santos.

However, despite the geographical and climatic characteristics, the CNADS president explains, the large Portuguese cities on the coast are also subject to the consequences of the heat wave. “Temperature in urban areas, due to condensation, especially when buildings are tall and block the prevailing winds – and this happens in many cities – poses problems for people. In the case of Lisbon and Porto, the temperature can be two to three degrees above the values ​​of the surrounding areas. But there are adaptations.

More trees adapted to hot climates, more green spaces and water surfaces, “which cool the cities and remain cooler than the earth”, and lakes or “wetlands are things in the sense of conditioning cities and making them more tolerable in these periods”.

On the issue of mitigation measures, in Portugal, “the National Adaptation 2100 text is being developed, under the supervision of the Associação Portuguesa do Ambiente, but it was a process that I would not call easy,” he said. However, “we can protect ourselves. In European cities there are climate shelters, as in Paris; outdoor or indoor areas of the city with cold environments. In our country, the problem is usually the lack of heating in winter. In fact, it is Energy poverty is one of Portugal’s biggest problems and this will become increasingly evident.”