Drought more likely, but not desertification
The likelihood of an increase in drought, albeit not a high-risk one, in Greece in the next few years is obvious from scientific models used and research conducted in the European Union based on recent temperature increases and rainfall decreases.
“What we have been experiencing in recent years is a rise in temperature and an increase in drought, along with a decrease in rainfall, and this combination is leading to the hot and dry conditions we are seeing. Fires are a result of this dry-heat condition, as the more drought there is, the easier it is for fires to spread. If these conditions continue, then there could be areas in Greece that will face problems, such as the Cyclades and eastern Crete, which already receive only small amounts of rainfall,” Christina Anagnostopoulou, an associate professor in the Geology Department at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, told the Athens-Macedonian News Agency.
Anagnostopoulou clarified that “we are not yet in the desertification part.”
“The term ‘desertification’ refers to the degradation of land in arid and dry areas both from a biological point of view and in terms of economic productivity,” the associate professor said.
