After the extremely dry and hot last year in Europe, a difficult situation is emerging again this year for some parts of the continent. Soils in southern Europe remain “incredibly” dry, according to the EU’s Copernicus earth observation programme. France and northern Italy are particularly affected. In our southern neighbour, several lakes have reached particularly low water levels. Lake Garda is only 45.8 centimeters deep.
In the past 70 years, this value averaged 109 centimeters. The data comes from the Sentinel-2 satellite, deployed as part of the European Drought Observatory as part of the Copernicus programme. The drop in water levels is a direct result of the severe drought that has been plaguing many parts of Italy since last summer. It threatens agriculture, tourism, shipping and local communities in the area.
With an area of about 370 square kilometers, Lake Garda is the largest lake in Italy and the third deepest after Lake Como and Lake Maggiore. The average water level of Lake Garda is subject to little seasonal variation, especially compared to the other large lakes in the promontory, making the recent decline even more worrying.
Average temperatures in Europe 2.2 degrees higher
Average temperatures in Europe have increased by 2.2 degrees Celsius compared to pre-industrial times, according to the Copernicus Climate Change Service’s annual report released on Thursday. The summer of 2022 was therefore the warmest in Europe since records began.
Source: Krone
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