The summer of 2010 was the warmest in 500 years

The summer of 2010 was the warmest of the past 500 years and their temperatures are not exceeded until after 2050, according to a study by the University of Lisbon in Portugal which is published in the online edition of the journal Science.

The heat wave that hit large parts of Eastern Europe last summer was even hotter and more extensive than the European heatwave of 2003. The warm weather last summer led to a significant number of victims and the ecology.

The Climate change

In Russia alone, there were more than 55,000 heat-related deaths, major forest fires, loss of 25% in the collection of crops and a total economic loss of around 1% of gross domestic product of Russia.
More frequent heat waves.

The researchers, led by David Barriopedro, put into perspective the heat wave when compared to other temperature anomalies in the historical record dating back to 1871 in terms of duration, spatial extent and temperature and the ecology. The authors determined that this episode was more severe than in 2003.

The most warmest Summer

The scientists also found that at least two summers in this decade were probably the warmest in the past 510 years in Europe. An analysis of the results of climate models indicate that the major heat waves are likely to become 5 to 10 times more likely in the next 40 years, although an episode with a magnitude to reach the warmth of 2010 is unlikely to occur until after 205.