Climate Change and the European Water Dimension - Agri ...

Climate Change
and the
European Water Dimension
Chapter II. Climate Change at the European
scale
Key Points
• The average increase in the observed annual mean
temperature across the European continent is 0.8 0 C. The
temperatures during the winter season have in general
increased more than during the summer.
• The summer of 2003 was very likely the hottest summer and
the last 30 years appear to have had the warmest climate
within the last five centuries.
• Aerosols and ozone appear to exert an important influence
on radiative forcing in the Mediterranean basin.
• Annual precipitation over Northern Europe has increased
by between 10 and 40% in the last century while the
Mediterranean basin has experienced up to 20% reduction
in precipitation.
• Heat waves as well as intense precipitation events,
especially in winter, will become more frequent throughout
Europe. Risk of drought is likely to increase in central and
southern Europe.
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