Regional factors, such as the decline of sea ice and snow, are causing temperatures in Europe to rise twice as fast as on other continents, The New York Times (NYT) reported on June 24 (local time).

According to Copernicus, the European Union's climate monitoring agency, Europe has seen its temperatures rise by 0.56°C (1°F) per decade since the mid-1990s, a rate roughly double that of other regions worldwide.

The NYT reported that while the entire planet is experiencing global warming due to carbon dioxide emissions from industrialization, Europe's temperature rise has been accelerated by specific regional factors.

The NYT cited the melting of sea ice that once covered vast areas of the Arctic in the northernmost parts of Europe as an example of these regional factors.

As the sea ice melts, more of the ocean surface is exposed, which absorbs solar energy and further fuels the rise in temperature.

The reduction of snow, which reflects solar energy, was also identified as a cause for the temperature increase.

Last year, the area of land covered by snow in Europe was about one-third less than the average.

The expansion of exposed soil, which can absorb heat, has accelerated temperature rises in Scandinavia and the European parts of Russia.

The NYT also pointed out that pollution control, including the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions, has paradoxically contributed to the speed of Europe's temperature rise.

While pollution control has had a positive impact on the atmosphere itself, it has also reduced airborne particles called aerosols, which play a role in reflecting solar radiation back into space, thereby leading to higher temperatures.

Meteorologists have analyzed that these land and sea factors have caused changes in the jet stream, which maintains the flow of cold marine air from the Atlantic Ocean to Europe.

Scientists explained that in recent decades, the jet stream has more frequently split into two branches, causing prolonged summer heatwaves.

The split jet stream creates zones of weak winds, causing heat to become trapped for several days at a time.

Climate researchers have previously stated that the increased frequency and intensity of heatwaves in Western Europe in 2022 were largely linked to the longer persistence of this double jet stream.

For instance, during the 2003 heatwave that claimed 70,000 lives across Europe, the double jet stream persisted for 29 days.

Lizzie Kendon, a climate scientist at the University of Bristol in the UK, stated, "With climate change, we expect temperature rises and record-breaking temperatures (this year)."

In fact, as record-breaking heatwaves continue across Europe, damages are mounting, including large-scale power outages, train cancellations, school closures, and shortened business hours.

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)