Climate Change Impacts on the Water Cycle of Southern Europe

Phys.org has written an article discussing recent research at ETH Zurich into how climate change impacts the southern European water cycle, with the research supporting previous studies illustrating the connection between a warming climate and a more irregular water cycle.

Research into high-resolution modeling of rainfall demonstrates the potential impact that southern Europe and North Africa is facing. Global increases in temperatures result in more water being stored in the atmosphere, yet cloud formation is predicted to decline in these regions. Research into the impacts of extreme weather events on mountains predicts an increasing risk of extreme, 100-year flood events across the Alpine region. However, the northern Alps are expected to experience drought and, subsequently, more wildfire risk. This study supports previous research by Australian National University which determined that around the world the air is getting hotter and drier, which means droughts and wildfire conditions are developing faster and more frequently. Read more at Phys.org.