Anthropogenic impacts on amplified midlatitude European summer warming and rapid increase of heatwaves in recent decades

Yin, Z., Dong, B. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0809-7911, Wei, W. and Yang, S. (2024) Anthropogenic impacts on amplified midlatitude European summer warming and rapid increase of heatwaves in recent decades. Geophysical Research Letters, 51 (16). e2024GL108982. ISSN 0094-8276 doi: 10.1029/2024GL108982

Abstract/Summary

Midlatitude Europe (ME) emerges as a prominent heatwave hotspot with rapid increases in summer surface air temperature and heatwave days since 1979, surpassing the global land averages by approximately 2.6 and 2.3 times, respectively. The circulation analogs-based dynamic adjustment reveals that approximately 38% and 35% of these trends result from shifts in zonal dipolar circulation patterns over the North Atlantic (NA) and Europe, crucial for the enhanced warming compared to the global land average. The circulation changes are associated with warming sea surface temperatures in the NA. This warming pattern resembles the Atlantic Multidecadal Variability and is predominantly induced by greenhouse gases. Moreover, the stronger air temperature response in ME to decreased aerosols amplifies warming, contributing to the rapid increase in heatwave frequency. These findings highlight a prominent influence of anthropogenic forcings on the swift surge of European heatwaves compared to global land, with a potential implication for adaptation strategies and risk management.

Item Type	Article
URI	https://reading-clone.eprints-hosting.org/id/eprint/117882
Identification Number/DOI	10.1029/2024GL108982
Refereed	Yes
Divisions	Science > School of Mathematical, Physical and Computational Sciences > NCAS Science > School of Mathematical, Physical and Computational Sciences > Department of Meteorology
Publisher	American Geophysical Union
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