Drought

Drought is an extreme, prevailing over a longer period state in which less water or rainfall is available as required. Drought is not just a physical phenomenon, but also an interplay between the availability and the water needs of organisms.

Drought often occurs in areas where the climate is continental. In the north and west of Germany prevails maritime climate.

Typology of drought events

In general, three types of conditions are referred to as drought:

• Meteorological drought occurs when precipitation over a longer period falls below average.
• Agricultural drought occurs when there is too little water for an average agricultural production of crops. ( See also turgidity, turgor, wilting and winter drought ).
• Hydrological drought is recorded when the water reserves fall into the lakes, water reservoirs or water tanks below the statistical average.

Historical droughts

List of historical disasters

More:

Hot or drought years in Germany

1857 there was a drought in Germany.

2003 was a so-called summer of the century. From about 1 to 15 August 2003, there was a heat wave in much of Europe.

In Germany the first half of 2011 was extremely dry.

The weather in the months of March, April and May ( " spring " ) 2011 summed up the German Weather Service, among others thus:

• " At 10.1 degrees Celsius second warmest spring since 1881 " ( " 2.4 degrees higher than the air- value of 7.7 ° C")
• " the sunniest spring since the early sunshine measurements in 1951. " ( 699 hours - more than 50 percent above the long -term average of 459 hours) * "Extreme drought, especially in the middle of Germany "

• "With sparse on average 88 liters per square meter ( l / m ) - fall in average otherwise 186 l / m² - Germany experienced the zweittrockensten spring since measurements began 130 years ago, the most rain received nor the areas along the immediate edge of the Alps. .... driest on it was in southern Rhineland -Palatinate, in northern Baden- Württemberg, Hesse, lower Franconia and Southern Thuringia .... especially the agriculture suffered from the severe drought. example, the meadows were indeed early cut ripe, the income of hay and grass silage but only slightly. cereals remained in stature back and showed clear signs of premature ripening in late May. in May, the level of most German rivers were so low no more this time of year like for about 100 years. "

Another drought seems to pave the way in the fall of 2011. After September and October already brought below-average rainfall, the November shows a record dry, he is the driest area as of November, since the start of weather records.

Bayern operates since 2008 a Low Water Information Service ( NID). He informed online on rainfall, groundwater levels, water temperatures, and water levels in rivers and lakes. How to obtain water utilities, agriculture, business or tourism prepared information and can initiate preventive measures. Local authorities can, for example, restrict lawn watering, farmers adjust their irrigation and water-intensive industries change their production.

Mediterranean countries

From prolonged droughts that go beyond the average, especially the Mediterranean countries are affected in Europe.

Such a year was particularly in 2007 where there were many months of drought and numerous forest fires in Greece, Spain and Portugal. In places, almost all of the forest fell victim to the flames, which partly goes back to arson of land speculation. New laws for a long-standing ban on construction to prevent this.

In many parts of Spain ruled from spring 2007 to 2010 extreme drought - in some provinces it rained 18 months of inactivity. The precipitate was 2007/ 08 regionally distributed very differently: while in the Mediterranean, there is the 1 ½ - year drought, there in April 2008 floods in Andalusia and in the Spanish northern provinces (FAZ, OE1 ).

The regional authorities combat the lack of potable water on the coast with desalination plants, but this is not sufficient for the irrigation of crops. Since the beginning of 2008, therefore, the use of tankers was planned and appeals to the EU Solidarity. The water-rich northern provinces rejected a water transport from the south.

Possible effects of drought

• Lower harvests, rising prices for the harvested goods
• Less feed
• Bottlenecks in the power supply: Hydropower plants will produce less power
• The supply of coal-fired power plants by ship is difficult with declining water levels
• Thermal power stations must, especially in the summer, their performance throttling ( For one, they have quantitatively insufficient cooling water, on the other hand, the cooling water must when flowing back into the river, only a certain maximum temperature the warmer the water before removing it already is, the less cooling power can. provide it ).