European summer drying has serious impacts, but its thermodynamic and circulation-driven causes remain insufficiently disentangled because b
European summer drying has serious impacts, but its thermodynamic and circulation-driven causes remain insufficiently disentangled because both internal variability and regional hydroclimatic complexity are large.
Paper reconstruction — Dunkl, Bastos & Sippel (2026), European summer drying
European summer droughts have increased in frequency and intensity since the early 2000s, with major socioeconomic and ecological impacts.
Observed circulation shifts have increased anticyclonic and decreased cyclonic conditions; these conditions favour evapotranspiration through sustained radiation and temperature and reduced rainfall.
Thermodynamic warming promotes drying by increasing atmospheric water-holding capacity, evaporative demand, and VPD.
Attribution of the ongoing European drying trend is inconclusive because it has multiple complex drivers.