Wildfires ravage Greek island

Wildfires ravage Greek island

Part of: GS Prelims and GS I – Geography and GS – III – Climate change 

In news Wildfires on the island of Evia have charred vast areas of pine forest, destroyed homes and forced tourists and locals to flee.

• Evia lies just northeast of the capital Athens. 
• Euboea or Evia is the second-largest Greek island in area and population, after Crete.
• It is separated from Boeotia in mainland Greece by the narrow Euripus Strait. 
• Greece and Turkey have been battling devastating fires for nearly two weeks as the region suffered its worst heatwave in decades, which experts have linked to climate change.
• It is always difficult to determine forthwith the impact of climate change on extreme weather patterns, but scientific studies indicate that extreme weather events are likely to become more frequent or more intense with rising anthropogenic climate change.

What is Heat wave? 

• It is a period of abnormally high temperatures, more than the normal maximum temperature that occurs during the summer season in the North-Western and South Central parts of India.
• Heat waves typically occur between March and June. 
• Heat wave is declared under these circumstances:
  • An increase of 5°C to 6°C when the normal maximum temperature is less than or equal to 40°C.  An increase of 7°C or more is considered as severe heat wave condition.
  • An increase of 4°C to 5°C when the normal maximum temperature of a station is more than 40°C.  An increase of 6°C or more is considered as severe heat wave condition. 
  • If the actual maximum temperature remains 45°C or more irrespective of normal maximum temperature. 

News Source: TH