Europese hittegolf wakkert bosbranden aan infographic
Graphic shows fire danger forecast and areas already damaged in southern Europe, and effect of jetstream on heatwaves.
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Europese hittegolf wakkert bosbranden aan

By Phil Bainbridge

July 15, 2022 - The second European heatwave of the summer is pushing
temperatures over 40˚C across the continent, fuelling wildfires from Portugal to Türkiye.

Scientists believe anthropogenic climate change is to blame for the increased frequency of extreme weather events such as storm systems and heatwaves.

Climate change may be making the jet stream, the high altititude air current, move north or south more strongly or even split in two. Waves in the jet stream can cause heat waves to move more slowly or get stuck in place. As the jetsteam increasingly splits in two for longer periods, the number of European heatwaves has increased roughly 3-4 times faster than other equivalent latitudes such as North America.

Sources
PUBLISHED: 15/07/2022; STORY: Graphic News
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