The world's oceans reached a record temperature for July, while heatwaves and drought have caused rivers to run dry and worsened the condition of water bodies across Europe. Scientists link these events to intensifying climate extremes.
According to BBC, the average sea surface temperature outside polar regions was about +21°C, surpassing the previous record set in 2023. Record values were recorded off the Atlantic coast of Europe and in the western Mediterranean. July also became the second warmest month globally on record.
Western Europe experienced its hottest June-July period ever recorded, with average temperatures 2.79 degrees above normal. The heat and drought fueled large wildfires, with nearly 500,000 hectares burned in the EU since the start of the year.
The Guardian reports that drought has already impacted energy infrastructure: two coal-fired power plants in Poland and Hungary's only nuclear power station were shut down due to a lack of cooling water. The economic damage from the heat for European grain producers this summer is preliminarily estimated at two billion euros.
In the UK, July was the driest on record for England and Wales in 190 years. Large parts of England and all of Wales have been declared drought zones, while the levels of the Seine, Rhine, and Danube are significantly below normal.
Water problems in Britain are not only due to drought. New Civil Engineer reports that according to a new classification by England's Environment Agency, only 14.3% of more than 4,600 surface water bodies meet good ecological status. Another 65.4% were rated "moderate," 17% "poor," and 3.1% "bad." Moreover, all surface waters in the country fail to meet chemical status requirements.
The new assessment shows a lower rate of good ecological status than in 2019, when it was 16.3%. However, the Environment Agency notes that results cannot be directly compared, as the new assessment used broader monitoring data and updated analytical methods.
At the same time, some indicators are improving. In 82% of cases, individual ecological indicators of water bodies were rated "good" or "high." For example, phosphate levels in the River Roch improved from poor to good after a special permit was introduced for upstream sewage treatment works.
Scientists note that ocean warming intensifies marine heatwaves, raises sea levels, and may contribute to more intense tropical storms and rainfall. On land, heat and drought also reinforce each other, and the developing El Niño in the Pacific could further boost global temperatures in the coming months.
It is worth recalling that last July was one of the hottest in Uzbekistan. Average temperatures exceeded the climate norm by 1.3–2.8 degrees, and in desert areas the air warmed to nearly 50 degrees. In Kyzylkum, 19–23 days with temperatures above 40 degrees were recorded.
Source: podrobno.uz