The 2022 European Drought Needs to be a Turning Point for Drought Risk Management: An Overview from Drivers to Impact and Management
- 1CNDS - Centre of Natural Hazards and Disaster Science, Uppsala, Sweden
- 2Department of Earth Sciences (LUVAL), Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
- 3Paleoclimate Dynamics Group, Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Center for Polar and Marine Research, 27570 Bremerhaven, Germany
- 4Forest Biometrics Laboratory – Faculty of Forestry, "Ștefan cel Mare" University of Suceava, Universității street, no.13, 720229, Suceava, România
- 5Emil Racovita Institute of Speleology, Romanian Academy, Cluj- Napoca, Romania
- *A full list of authors appears at the end of the abstract
The summer of 2022 marked a turning point for Europe as the largest drought in centuries unfolded, with dire consequences for livelihoods and ecosystems all across the continent. High temperatures and prolonged record-low precipitation underscored the event. The ensuing heatwaves in May, June, and July intensified water uptake, exacerbating conditions all across the continent, and causing secondary hazards, such as wildfires and landslides.
This research offers a comprehensive overview of the 2022 European drought, reconnecting the physical drivers of the drought, to its societal and ecological impacts, and the drought risk management measures implemented by water managers across the continent. To do so, this study relies on a survey submitted to water managers all across the continent. The survey gathered 487 responses from 30 European countries, predominantly from public and governmental organizations, making it one of the largest datasets on response to this event to date. The study shows that while Southwestern Europe bore the initial brunt, the whole continent endured protracted effects. Water managers across Europe almost unanimously acknowledged that the risk of drought is increasing and that its management is becoming more crucial year after year.
Based on the collected data we identified a correlation between increased awareness and improved preparedness post 2018-2019 drought. Yet, while awareness of drought risk is growing rapidly, preparedness lags. Additionally, despite the upward trajectory of drought preparedness, challenges persist in managing large-scale events. Differences among countries are significant, underscoring the need for European-wide coordination.
The type of measures taken varied by region and sector. In particular, water managers in Southern Europe, where agriculture is more prevalent, focussed on water supply-side measures, showing an imperative to preserve business-as-usual operations even in the face of water scarcity. On the other hand, water demand management was more common in Central and Western Europe. Long-term and transformative measures and ecosystem-based measures remain underused, underscoring how drought risk management remains largely responsive and event-focused. As droughts transcend borders, pan-European coordination is paramount to ensure effective drought risk management and address disparities in capacity across countries.
Biella Riccardo 1; Shyrokaya Anastasiya 1; Ionita Monica 2; Alencar Pedro 3; Bakke Sigrid J 4; Barker Lucy J 5; Bláhová Monika 6; Blauhut Veit; Ceola Serena 7; Cid Daniela 8; Di Baldassarre Giuliano 1; Hamed Raed 9; Hauswirth Sandra 10; Krakovska Svitlana 11; Lam Marleen 12; Llasat Maria Carmen 13; Madruga de Brito Mariana 14; Maskey Shreedhar 15; Matanó Alessia 9; McGrane Scott J 16; Moccia Benedetta 17; Nagavciuc Viorica 2; Pechlivanidis Ilias 18; Ridolfi Elena 19; Roy Tirthankar 20; Russo Fabio 19; Stenfors Elin 1; Sutanto Samuel 12; Tallaksen Lena M 4; Teutschbein Claudia 1; Todorovic Andrijana 21; Tootoonchi Faranak 22; Trambauer Patricia 23; Van Tiel Marit 24; van Loon Anne 9; Vidal Jean Philippe 25; Vignola Raffaele 12; Wendt Doris 26 ------------------------------ Affiliations ------------------------------- 1 Centre of Natural Hazards and Disaster Science, Uppsala, Sweden; 2 Paleoclimate Dynamics Group, Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Center for Polar and Marine Research, 27570 Bremerhaven, Germany; 3 Chair of Ecohydrology, Technical University of Berlinm, Germany; 4 Department of Geosciences, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway; 5 UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Wallingford, United Kingdom; 6 Global Change Research Institute CAS, Brno, Czech Republic; 7 Department of Civil, Chemical, Environmental and Materials Engineering, Alma Mater Studiorum Università di Bologna, Bologna, Italy; 8 Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Spain; 9 Institute for Environmental Studies (IVM), Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, The Netherlands; 10 Departement of Physical Geography, Faculty of Geosciences, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands; 11 Ukrainian Hydrometeorological Institute, Kyiv, Ukraine; 12 Water System and Global Change, Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, the Netherlands; 13 Department of Applied Physics, University of Barcelona, Spain; 14 Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, Germany; 15 IHE Delft Institute for Water Education, Delft, the Netherlands; 16 Department of Economics, Strathclyde Business School, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow; 17 Dipartimento di Ingegneria Civile, Edile e Ambientale, Università degli Studi di Roma La Sapienza, 00184 Roma, Italy; 18 Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute, Norrköping, Sweden; 19 Dipartimento di Ingegneria Civile, Edile e Ambientale, Università degli Studi di Roma La Sapienza, 00184 Roma, Italy; 20 Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; 21 University of Belgrade, Faculty of Civil Engineering, Institute for Hydraulic and Environmental Engineering; 22 Department of crop production ecology, Swedish university of agricultural science, Uppsala, Sweden 23 Deltares, The Netherlands; 24 Laboratory of Hydraulics, Hydrology and Glaciology (VAW), ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland 25 INRAE, RiverLy, Villeurbanne, France; 26 Research Associate, School of Geographical Sciences, Cabot Institute for the Environment, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK.
How to cite: Biella, R., Shyrokaya, A., and Ionita, M. and the Drought in the Anthropocene (DitA) working group - Panta Rhei/HELPING: The 2022 European Drought Needs to be a Turning Point for Drought Risk Management: An Overview from Drivers to Impact and Management, EGU General Assembly 2024, Vienna, Austria, 14–19 Apr 2024, EGU24-20347, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu24-20347, 2024.
