|
The
August report of the European Drought Observatory (EDO),
overseen by the European Commission, said 47% of Europe is under
warning conditions, with clear deficit of soil moisture, and 17%
in a state of alert, in which vegetation is affected.
"The severe drought affecting many regions of Europe since the
beginning of the year has been further expanding and worsening
as of early August," the report said.
Summer crops have suffered, with 2022 yields for grain maize set
to be 16% lower than the average of the previous five years and
soybean and sunflowers yields set to fall by 15% and 12%
respectively.
Hydropower generation has been hit, with further impact on other
power producers due to a shortage of water to feed cooling
systems.
Low water levels have hampered inland shipping, such as along
the Rhine, with reduced shipping loads affecting coal and oil
transport.
The EDO said mid-August rainfall may have alleviated conditions,
but in some cases it had come in the form of thunderstorms that
caused further damage.
The observatory's drought indictor is derived from measurements
of precipitation, soil moisture and the fraction of solar
radiation absorbed by plants for photosynthesis.
(Reporting by Philip Blenkinsop; Editing by Benoit Van
Overstraeten)
[© 2022 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.
|
|
