The summer so far has offered extreme heat waves in several places in the world, including the United States and Canada.
In Europe, this year’s June was the second warmest ever, according to EU researchers.
Climate researcher at the Center for Climate Research (CICERO), Maria Sand, describes the cases as extreme.
– This is the worst case these areas have ever experienced. Climate change makes the heat waves more extreme, Sand tells Dagbladet.
Heat wave: New record
Climate changes
The climate researcher says that there are several factors that are causing the heat waves in the USA and Canada now.
– It is high pressure that gets stuck and stays in the same place for a long time. In addition, there are winds that push the heat down. Drought, high pressure and climate change result in an extreme heat wave, says Sand.
According to the expert, we can expect that the heat waves will come more frequently, last longer and become even warmer. This is because climate change is generally increasing the temperature of the earth, the expert explains.
Along with the heat waves, it can have catastrophic consequences for many.
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Worth noting
A heat record was set in Helsinki. The Finnish capital has not experienced such a hot June since they began keeping statistics in 1844.
Also in Moscow, higher average temperatures were not measured in June earlier.
In Norway, temperatures are also rising. New heat records are constantly being broken, while cold records are being set less frequently. This means a shorter winter season and more warm days.
Sand is certainly concerned about the development.
– It’s extreme. The temperature rise is happening fast and a huge adjustment is required to reverse. It is about that we must change our entire energy system, she says.
Sand emphasizes that a lot is being done to reduce climate emissions, but is afraid we will not be able to change it fast enough.
Forest fires ravage: – Extreme danger
State of emergency
In particular, we see that the northernmost counties in the country now have the highest temperatures. On Monday, a new county record was set in Troms and Finnmark when it was measured 34.3 degrees in Porsanger municipality.
In total, heat waves have been measured at 59 of the Meteorological Institute’s stations so far in 2021.
TROPEAR HEAT: After measuring tropical nights at six measuring stations recently, the Norwegian Meteorological Institute announced on Wednesday that today will be the last day of tropical heat in Finnmark. Photo: Department of Meteorology.
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– We still do not get the extreme heat in this country, as further south in Europe. It will not be the same way because we have a more varied weather and not drought, Sand explains.
She points out the summer of 2018 as an exception. It was an extremely hot and dry summer for Norway to be.
– We have subsequently analyzed the current summer and look at it as an exceptional year. There was a blocking high pressure over large parts of the country in combination with dry winds from the east, instead of humid winds from the Atlantic Ocean, Sand says.
Heat wave in Finnmark attracts attention
Sand does not think we will experience a similar scenario here in Norway, as in the USA, although it is difficult to calculate.
– I would say it is unlikely that we get temperatures of 50 degrees in Norway, precisely because we have a wetter climate and a very variable summer weather, Sand states and adds:
– Whether we will have a summer like in 2018 again and whether the high pressures will bite to a greater extent is difficult to say for sure. But a lot of research is being done.
The week from hell
The animals are affected
The consequences of extreme heat can be catastrophic. In late June wrote BBC that at least 130 people had lost their lives in western Canada, due to the heat wave.
It is not just people who are affected by the heat. The animals also struggle when the degree moves upwards. It includes reindeer.
Especially in the north of the country it has been hot lately.
Wild reindeer are endangered and in general there are many populations, globally, that are on a declining course due to climate change and habitat destruction.
– Et problem
Senior researcher at the Norwegian Institute for Natural Research, Torkild Tveraa, states that heat is a problem for reindeer.
– There are several factors that come into play. One is that they become warm and relaxed. This especially applies to the calves, which can then have problems following the mother, says Tveraa.
He also points out the biggest problem, which is flies. They become active when the heat sets in.
DRAWS AWAY: The reindeer escapes to the highest peaks when the heat is oppressive and the flies are active. Photo: NTB Photo: Allan Klo / DAGBLADET
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– It is especially the skin and throat brake that is the problem. There are flies that spray eggs in the fur and nose of the animals. The skin brake appears as large larvae under the fur and drills out through the skin the following year. This can create large wounds. The pharyngeal brake attaches to the pharynx and can in the worst case suffocate the reindeer, Tveraa explains.
According to the researcher, the fear of these flies means that the reindeer escapes to the highest peaks and to snow-covered surfaces, where there are cooler and smaller flies. Here there is also less food for the animals.
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