A satellite image of low water levels along the Loire River in France on August 2. Copernicus
An ongoing drought in Europe has sapped French rivers. Officials say that 43 percent of small waterways in France have been partially or completely dried up.
Of the more than 3,000 small waterways in France, 1,373 have seen their flow interrupted or halted, according to an analysis from the French Office for Biodiversity. The agency said rivers were desiccated in every region, describing the drying as “the most critical situation ever observed at this time of year.”
Large waterways have also been hard hit. On the Loire River, water levels typically drop in the summer, inhibiting boat travel, but this year sightseeing boats had to suspend operations a month earlier than usual as the river dried up. In Paris, the Seine is being sustained by flows released from reservoirs that stored up surplus water over the winter.
Elsewhere in Europe, meager rainfall has sapped rivers, threatening the supply of water for households, farms, and power plants. Low water levels on the Danube have exposed Nazi shipwrecks and forced the shutdown of several nuclear reactors, which draw water from the river for cooling. On the Rhine, water levels hit a record low, measuring just 10 inches deep at the German city of Kaub. Low water levels can severely hinder inland shipping.
An ongoing drought has also sapped rivers in the U.K., where officials report that nearly a quarter of rivers in England are now “exceptionally low.” Scientists say warming is helping to drive the drought, as excessive heat speeds evaporation, drying up rivers already sapped by meager rainfall.
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