In Europe, the worst drought in 500 years;
Megafloods in California
A historic drought is spreading in Europe, and rivers that are major trade routes are drying up and making it impossible for vessels to pass.
Across the ocean, experts predict huge floods in California, which will destroy Los Angeles and cost more than a trillion dollars
Tali Goldstein
08/14/2022
Sunday, August 14, 2022, 4:17 p.m. Updated: 4:33 p.m.
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Europe's rivers are drying up.
In some parts, you can cross the Loire on foot;
Transportation on the Rhine River becomes impossible due to its drying up;
In Italy, the level of the Po River is two meters lower than average, which damages crops;
In Serbia, it is difficult to pump water from the Danube River.
Across Europe, the drought has turned large rivers into torrents, and the consequences for industry, transport, and energy and food production are dramatic.
Due to climate change, particularly dry spring winters and record summer temperatures combined with extreme heat waves, the main waterways in Europe are shrinking in an unprecedented way.
Significant rains have not fallen across western, central and southern Europe in two months - and are not expected in the near future, meteorologists say, adding that this year's drought on the continent may be the most severe in 500 years.
"We have not yet analyzed the whole incident because it is ongoing," said Andrea Toretti of the European Commission.
"There have not been events similar to the drought in 2018 in the last 500 years, but this year I believe it is more severe."
The Rhine River has disappeared in Germany (Photo: GettyImages)
The Po River is drying up in Italy (Photo: Reuters)
According to him, there is a high chance that the "very dry conditions" will continue for the next three months and that without effective efforts, the intensity of the drought and the urgency of drought events "will increase dramatically in Europe, in the north and in the south."
On Friday, the water level in the Rhine River at one point fell below 40 cm - a level where barges cannot sail. The Rhine River, a major part of Europe's economy in the northwest, flows from Switzerland through the industrial heart of Germany, before reaching the huge seaport of Rotterdam in the North Sea. A complete stoppage of barge traffic on the river would hit the German and European economies hard. Germany is trying to transfer all goods to trucks and trains - but this is no easy task: 40-100 trucks are needed to replace one barge.
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Floods in California (Photo: Reuters)
The rivers in France are less important in terms of moving goods, but they cool the nuclear power plants that produce 70% of the country's electricity.
Due to the drought, electricity production was affected.
In Italy, the flow of the Po River, the longest in Italy, has fallen to a tenth of the normal rate, and the water level is two meters lower than average.
With no significant rains in the region since November, corn and risotto rice production has been badly hit.
The Po Valley is responsible for 30-40% of Italy's agricultural produce, but rice growers have specifically warned that 60% of their crops will be lost due to the drought.
In the Po River Delta near Venice, the high water temperatures and slow flow rate lowered the oxygen concentration in the water and an estimated 30% of the oysters died.
A drop in the water level and high temperatures have already claimed many victims.
In Bavaria, the Danube River reached 25 degrees Celsius and may reach 26.5 degrees next month.
In terms of oxygen concentration, it is less than six parts per million (ppm) - a lethal level for trout.
Even Norway, which relies on hydroelectric power for 90 percent of its electricity generation, said the extremely low levels in reservoirs might lead to restrictions on electricity exports.
Floods in California (Photo: Reuters)
On the other side of the ocean, California Governor Gavin Newsom announced that the state is expected to lose 10% of its water supply by 2040. He presented a new plan and a new budget to solve the problem of water loss, in addition to recycling wastewater.
On the other hand, a new study published in "Science Advances" found that climate change has doubled the chance of deadly floods in California in the next four decades.
According to experts, these are "mega-floods" that no one today has ever experienced.
Daniel Swain, a climate scientist and researcher in the study, said that a "mega-flood" is "an extremely severe flood event that spreads over a large area and has the potential for catastrophic consequences for society in the region."
These massive floods will turn inland California into a "vast sea" where there used to be land.
Due to climate change, such disasters will occur with a frequency of every 25-50 years, according to experts.
A mega-flood in California's Central Valley could be the costliest geophysical disaster to date - costing more than a trillion dollars in losses (five times the cost of Hurricane Katrina), as well as devastation to low-lying areas, including Los Angeles County and Orange County.
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