The first heatwave of the summer season came unusually early for the Aegean Sea region during the weekend 15-16 June. At night, temperatures were typically above +30°C, and reached well above +40 °C during the day. The highest temperatures were recorded in Rhodes, Crete and Milos. These heatwave events are often caused by a so-called heat dome,...

Niagara Falls are a system of waterfalls on the Niagara River between Lake Erie and Lake Ontario. From west to east, the individual waterfalls are named Horseshoe Falls, Bridal Veil Falls and American Falls. The river flows from southeast to northwest on this image scene. The water flow over Horseshoe falls reaches maximum volume on late spring...

Offshore wind parks create renewable energy while having a lower visual footprint on the landscape. Horns Rev wind park in the North Sea off the Danish coast has a combined capacity of more than 700 MW and has been built in three phases. On this image, you can see the turbines of the last phase, Horns Rev 3, which have a hub height of over 100...

Summertime is on at the Cote d'Azur, but warming temperatures and clear skies can also have dangerous consequences. Due to the wet spring and dry summer, the dry biomass of undergrowth is unusually high, increasing the risk of wildfires. South of Vidauban near St. Tropez, an intensively burning wildfire was reported, which has destroyed over...

Cloud forests are highly diverse ecosystems where the conditions are humid, but instead of regular precipitation water is available as the condensation of fog or low-altitude clouds. Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve is known for its extremely rich flora and fauna with many species that are unique to the region. The reserve is gradually gaining...

Large wildfires are burning near the town of Fort Nelson, in British Columbia (Canada), and could potentially reach the town this week. Thousands of people have been evacuated, and the province is in a state of emergency.   The smoke clouds generated by the fires near Fort Nelson are visible in this Copernicus Sentinel-3 image acquired on 11...

Climate change is severely affecting glaciers around the world.   Venezuela, once home to six glaciers in the Sierra Nevada de Mérida, has witnessed the disappearance of these ice giants, with La Corona being the latest to succumb. This glacier, visible in this Copernicus Sentinel-2 image acquired on 14 February 2024, melted rapidly, shrinking...

This visualisation, based on data from the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S), shows the trend of global surface air temperature anomalies since the 1940s. According to C3S data, April 2024 was the warmest April on record globally, with an average surface air temperature of 15.03°C. The month was 1.58°C warmer than the estimate of the...

The Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul has been hit by devastating floods. According to media reports, as of 7 May, more than 110,000 people have been displaced, in over 500 municipalities, and the local government has declared a state of natural calamity. Heavy rains have caused Lake Guaíba to swell by five metres, threatening the state...

In the last week of April 2024, much of Argentina was affected by cold temperatures and snowfall, including southern as well as western provinces. The National Meteorological Service of Argentina issued weather alerts in several provinces of the country as a consequence of the extreme cold, snowfall, and winds.   Snow is visible in this...

In recent days, eastern Africa has been affected by very heavy rainfall, resulting in severe floods throughout the region.   In Kenya, thousands of people have been impacted by the flooding, and at least 170 casualties have been reported. Kenyan authorities issued an evacuation order for areas that are prone to further floods and landslides.  ...

The area around Acapulco, Mexico is facing yet another environmental crisis after it was affected by Hurricane Otis last year. Multiple fires have broken out throughout the region, impacting visibility and air quality. One of the blazes is in El Veladero National Park, an important ecosystem for many species of flora and fauna. Several raging...

On 14 April, a wildfire broke out in Tàrbena, Spain. The fire, which was deemed to be the result of uncontrolled agricultural burning, led to the evacuation of 180 people and affected more than 650 hectares. Local authorities reported that the blaze had been brought under control on 16 April. The burn scar from the fire is visible in this...

In recent days, Europe has been affected by a new Saharan dust storm, which turned skies in Greece orange. On 23 April, the dust covered Romania, Moldova, and even Ukraine. The storm is forecasted to diminish by Friday 26 April. Dust hovering over Ukraine is visible in this Copernicus Sentinel-2 image acquired on 24 April. The Copernicus...

On 16 April 2024, the United Arab Emirates received extreme amounts of rainfall, with some areas recording over 250 mm of rain in less than 24 hours. In Dubai, 100 mm of rain fell within 12 hours – an amount the city typically receives in an entire year. The extreme rainfall has resulted in flash floods and impacted daily life in the city....

Australia’s Great Barrier Reef is undergoing an extreme bleaching event induced by climate change. A report from the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority highlights an increase in cumulative impacts on the reef this summer. According to the report, after a survey of 1,080 reefs, 39% of them were found to be affected by very high or extreme...

Since the start of 2024, Venezuela has been affected by the most severe forest fires in years. Between January and March, 20,000 fire outbreaks were recorded. The blazes are intensified by the ongoing drought, which has worsened in recent years due to deforestation and climate change, and have been further exacerbated this year by El Niño....

After receiving record-breaking amounts of rainfall, Australia has been impacted by severe flooding over the past few days. The worst affected area is New South Wales, where authorities issued evacuation orders for some residents. The water levels of three rivers in western Sydney continued to rise even after the rain subsided, posing a threat...

The month was, at global scale, warmer than any previously recorded March, with an average ERA5 surface air temperature 0.73°C above the 1991-2020 average. In Europe, March 2024 was the second warmest March on record, with the average temperature 2.12°C above the 1991-2020 average. The warmest recorded March in Europe was in 2014, with average...

A wildfire recently broke out on the island of Chira, which is home to the greatest biodiversity of tropical dry forest flora in Costa Rica. The blaze affected around 300 hectares of land. Costa Rica is in the midst of its dry period, during which it is affected by high temperatures and little rainfall. Firefighters in the country have reported...