CLIMATE CHANGE:Western Europe has heated up more than previously thought over the past century, according to a new study that adds to evidence pointing to a future of hotter summers and longer-lasting heatwaves.
The study, published yesterday, in the Journal of Geophysical Research-Atmospheres, showed that the actual mean temperature since 1880 had risen 1.6 Celsius degrees, not the 1.3 degrees as previously thought, said Paul Della-Marta, a climate scientist at Switzerland's national weather service who led the study. "It is a big change when you consider it is an average temperature," Mr Della-Marta said.
The reason why previous estimates were too low was because before 1930 most temperatures were measured without the type of screens now in use that block radiation from the sun and ground that can skew a reading, he said.
The study's findings may provide further evidence that heat waves like the one that killed dozens this summer in Europe were a sign of global warming.
Forecasters may also use the new data to help build climate models to help better predict the impact rising temperatures will have, Mr Della-Marta added.
The team compiled temperature readings from more than 200 locations across Europe and found that heatwaves now lasted an average of three days compared to around 1.5 days in 1880.