According to experts, the recent severe Mediterranean storms like those in Libya can probably be attributed to climate change. “These extreme rainfalls in a very, very short time indicate this,” said Kiel meteorologist and climate researcher Mojib Latif on Bayerischer Rundfunk.
Regarding the background to the Libya catastrophe, Latif said: “This is a so-called Mediterranean low, and these lows can be particularly intense – especially in autumn – because the Mediterranean is still very, very heated. On the other hand, cold ones can also occur Air from the north meets this warm air, and it’s such an explosive concoction.”
Latif added: “This low pressure area has been bothering us for many days – it first raged in southeastern Europe, in Greece, Bulgaria, Turkey, and then it really intensified again in the Mediterranean and became a kind of Medicane .” Medicane is a Mediterranean storm that has similarities to a tropical cyclone.
Rainfall that has never been seen in Europe before
Latif emphasized the enormous impact of the recent storms in the Mediterranean region: “Last week we measured rainfall that has never been seen in Europe before. In some cases it was many times what we experienced during the Ahr Valley flood “You can perhaps estimate what kind of rain masses are involved and what destructive power lies behind these rain masses.”
For Latif, it now also has to be about how a region can adapt. But he also sees limits: “I think we were far, far too careless when it came to climate change. I think that’s changing now that we realize that climate change doesn’t just mean higher temperatures, but above all means more extreme weather, more potential for damage and, above all, a gigantic challenge for people in terms of their health.” You can adapt to a certain extent, but there are also limits: “With such masses of water, what else do you want to do?”
