Articles | Volume 23, issue 5
https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-23-1699-2023
https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-23-1699-2023
Research article
 | Highlight paper
 | 
08 May 2023
Research article | Highlight paper |  | 08 May 2023

The extremely hot and dry 2018 summer in central and northern Europe from a multi-faceted weather and climate perspective

Efi Rousi, Andreas H. Fink, Lauren S. Andersen, Florian N. Becker, Goratz Beobide-Arsuaga, Marcus Breil, Giacomo Cozzi, Jens Heinke, Lisa Jach, Deborah Niermann, Dragan Petrovic, Andy Richling, Johannes Riebold, Stella Steidl, Laura Suarez-Gutierrez, Jordis S. Tradowsky, Dim Coumou, André Düsterhus, Florian Ellsäßer, Georgios Fragkoulidis, Daniel Gliksman, Dörthe Handorf, Karsten Haustein, Kai Kornhuber, Harald Kunstmann, Joaquim G. Pinto, Kirsten Warrach-Sagi, and Elena Xoplaki

Data sets

An Ensemble Version of the E-OBS Temperature and Precipitation Data Sets R. C. Cornes, G. van der Schrier, E. J. M. van den Besselaar, and P. D. Jones https://doi.org/10.1029/2017JD028200

ERA5-HEAT: A global gridded historical dataset of human thermal comfort indices from climate reanalysis C. Di Napoli, C. Barnard, C. Prudhomme, H. L. Cloke, and F. Pappenberger https://doi.org/10.1002/gdj3.102

MPI Grand Ensemble datasets DKRZ https://esgf-data.dkrz.de/projects/mpi-ge/

WCRP Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (Phase 6) datasets DKRZ https://esgf-data.dkrz.de/projects/cmip6-dkrz/

E-OBS gridded dataset ECA&D https://www.ecad.eu/download/ensembles/download.php

Overview of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 (CMIP6) experimental design and organization V. Eyring, S. Bony, G. A. Meehl, C. A. Senior, B. Stevens, R. J. Stouffer, and K. E. Taylor https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-9-1937-2016

A European daily highresolution gridded data set of surface temperature and precipitation for 1950–2006 M. R. Haylock, N. Hofstra, A. M. G. Klein Tank, E. J. Klok, P. D. Jones, and M. New https://doi.org/10.1029/2008JD010201

The ERA5 global reanalysis H. Hersbach, B. Bell, P. Berrisford, S. Hirahara, A. Horányi, J. Muñoz-Sabater, J. Nicolas, C. Peubey, R. Radu, D. Schepers, A. Simmons, C. Soci, S. Abdalla, X. Abellan, G. Balsamo, P. Bechtold, G. Biavati, J. Bidlot, M. Bonavita, G. De Chiara, P. Dahlgren, D. Dee, M. Diamantakis, R. Dragani, R., J. Flemming, R. Forbes, M. Fuentes, A. Geer, L. Haimberger, S. Healy, R. J. Hogan, E. Hólm, M. Janisková, S. Keeley, P. Laloyaux, P. Lopez, C. Lupu, G. Radnoti, P. de Rosnay, I. Rozum, F. Vamborg, S. Villaume, and J.-N. Thépaut https://doi.org/10.1002/qj.3803

ERA5 hourly data on single levels from 1940 to present H. Hersbach, B. Bell, P. Berrisford, G. Biavati, A. Horányi, J. Muñoz Sabater, J. Nicolas, C. Peubey, R. Radu, I. Rozum, D. Schepers, A. Simmons, C. Soci, D. Dee, and J.-N. Thépaut https://doi.org/10.24381/cds.adbb2d47

The Max Planck Institute Grand Ensemble: Enabling the Exploration of Climate System Variability N. Maher, S. Milinski, L. Suarez-Gutierrez, M. Botzet, M. Dobrynin, L. Kornblueh, J. Kröger, Y. Takano, R. Ghosh, C. Hedemann, C. Li, H. Li, E. Manzini, D. Notz, D. Putrasahan, L. Boysen, M. Claussen, T. Ilyina, D. Olonscheck, T. Raddatz, B. Stevens, and J. Marotzke https://doi.org/10.1029/2019MS001639

Monitoring of climate change in Germany – data, products and services of Germany’s National Climate Data Centre F. Kaspar, G. Müller-Westermeier, E. Penda, H. Mächel, K. Zimmermann, A. Kaiser-Weiss, and T. Deutschländer https://doi.org/10.5194/asr-10-99-2013

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Short summary
The objective of this study was to perform a comprehensive, multi-faceted analysis of the 2018 extreme summer in terms of heat and drought in central and northern Europe, with a particular focus on Germany. A combination of favorable large-scale conditions and locally dry soils were related with the intensity and persistence of the events. We also showed that such extremes have become more likely due to anthropogenic climate change and might occur almost every year under +2 °C of global warming.
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