14 DAY TRIAL // Scientists analyzing data from the European Space Agency's (ESA) Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) satellite have recently compiled a chart showing just how much humidity soils across the continent have lost this year.
The readings are very worrying to authorities, since soils appear to be very dry. This will undoubtedly translate into producing fewer crops, and of lower quality, than in previous years. If this is indeed the case, then the already-crippled European economy will surely take another blow.
Important countries such as Spain, France and the United Kingdom display the most severe humidity loss, as evidenced by the SMOS chart. Important parts of Germany and Eastern Europe are plagued by similar situations.
“Under conditions of extreme drought, the maps can help to locate specific areas at high risk of fire by combining the knowledge of soil moisture with other satellite data and forecasts of air temperature and wind intensity,” an ESA press release states.