The unprecedented Pacific Northwest heatwave of June 2021.

Autor: White RH; Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada. rwhite@eoas.ubc.ca., Anderson S; Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada., Booth JF; Earth and Atmospheric Science, City College of New York, New York, NY, US.; The Graduate Center, City University of New York, New York, NY, US., Braich G; Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada., Draeger C; Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada., Fei C; Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada., Harley CDG; Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada., Henderson SB; Environmental Health Services, British Columbia Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC), Vancouver, BC, Canada.; School of Population and Public Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada., Jakob M; Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.; BCG Engineering Inc, Vancouver, BC, Canada., Lau CA; BCG Engineering Inc, Vancouver, BC, Canada., Mareshet Admasu L; Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada., Narinesingh V; NOAA Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory, Program in Atmosphere and Ocean Sciences, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, US., Rodell C; Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada., Roocroft E; Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada., Weinberger KR; School of Population and Public Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada., West G; BC Hydro, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Nature communications [Nat Commun] 2023 Feb 09; Vol. 14 (1), pp. 727. Date of Electronic Publication: 2023 Feb 09.
DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-36289-3
Abstrakt: In late June 2021 a heatwave of unprecedented magnitude impacted the Pacific Northwest region of Canada and the United States. Many locations broke all-time maximum temperature records by more than 5 °C, and the Canadian national temperature record was broken by 4.6 °C, with a new record temperature of 49.6 °C. Here, we provide a comprehensive summary of this event and its impacts. Upstream diabatic heating played a key role in the magnitude of this anomaly. Weather forecasts provided advanced notice of the event, while sub-seasonal forecasts showed an increased likelihood of a heat extreme with lead times of 10-20 days. The impacts of this event were catastrophic, including hundreds of attributable deaths across the Pacific Northwest, mass-mortalities of marine life, reduced crop and fruit yields, river flooding from rapid snow and glacier melt, and a substantial increase in wildfires-the latter contributing to landslides in the months following. These impacts provide examples we can learn from and a vivid depiction of how climate change can be so devastating.
(© 2023. The Author(s).)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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