Low Water Levels Hamper Shipping in Germany's Rhine River as Heat Wave Continueshttps://english.aawsat.com/varieties/5159759-low-water-levels-hamper-shipping-germanys-rhine-river-heat-wave-continues
Low Water Levels Hamper Shipping in Germany's Rhine River as Heat Wave Continues
FILE PHOTO: A drone view shows a barge on the Rhine river in front of the Muenster cathedral ahead of the Eurovision Song Contest in Basel, Switzerland, May 1, 2025. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse/File Photo
Low Water Levels Hamper Shipping in Germany's Rhine River as Heat Wave Continues
FILE PHOTO: A drone view shows a barge on the Rhine river in front of the Muenster cathedral ahead of the Eurovision Song Contest in Basel, Switzerland, May 1, 2025. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse/File Photo
A heat wave in western Europe has lowered water levels on Germany's Rhine River, hampering shipping and raising freight costs for cargo owners due to additional surcharges as their vessels were unable to sail fully loaded, commodity traders said on Monday.
Low water has limited shipping on all of the river south of Duisburg and Cologne, including the chokepoint of Kaub, traders said.
At Kaub, cargo vessels could only sail about 50% full, at Duisburg and Cologne between 40-50% full, Reuters reported.
Shallow water leads vessel operators to impose surcharges on freight rates to compensate for the vessels being unable to sail fully loaded, which raises the need for additional vessels to move consignments and increases costs for cargo owners.
Still, cargo is being delivered, with loads being carried by several vessels instead of one, traders said.
The Rhine is an important shipping route for commodities such as grains, minerals, ores, coal and oil products, including heating oil.
An intense heat wave is again forecast in parts of Germany this week, including in the Rhine area, with temperatures as high as 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahreinheit) possible in Cologne.
Traders said no improvement was in immediate sight and water levels could fall further.
German companies also faced supply bottlenecks and production problems in the summer of 2022 after a drought and heat wave led to unusually low water levels on the Rhine.
Extreme Heat Becoming More Frequent and Intense, UN Agency Sayshttps://english.aawsat.com/varieties/5305724-extreme-heat-becoming-more-frequent-and-intense-un-agency-says
Castel Sant'Angelo, at background right, towers over the Tiber River, which has reached a low water level after several months without rain, in Rome, Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026. (AP)
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Extreme Heat Becoming More Frequent and Intense, UN Agency Says
Castel Sant'Angelo, at background right, towers over the Tiber River, which has reached a low water level after several months without rain, in Rome, Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026. (AP)
Periods of extreme heat are becoming more frequent, intense and longer-lasting as climate change warms the planet, the UN weather agency said on Tuesday, noting changes since the famously hot European summer of 1976. Parts of Europe are enduring their fifth heatwave of a summer marked by drought, wildfires and record-breaking temperatures.
"Extreme heat is becoming more frequent, more intense, it's lasting longer, and covering much wider areas than in the cooler climates of the past," John Kennedy, the World Meteorological Organization's head of climate information, told a press briefing in Geneva.
Kennedy said the current pattern of heat across Europe, the world's fastest-warming continent, reflected the interaction between a persistent pattern of high-pressure systems across the Northern Hemisphere and a warmer climate.
The high-pressure systems trap warm air, reduce cloud cover and block cooler air from moving in, allowing heat to build over large regions for days or weeks. El Niño, the naturally occurring climate pattern that typically boosts global temperatures, was not contributing to Europe's heat this year because conditions in the tropical Pacific are currently neutral, he added.
CHANGES OVER THE PAST FIVE DECADES
Kennedy noted that June 1976 featured a broadly similar pattern of high and low pressure systems to those seen this year, but said the outcomes were very different because of decades of global warming.
"The picture for 1976 is one of a few isolated areas above average temperatures in a much cooler world," he said, whereas today "the picture is reversed" with much of the globe experiencing above-average temperatures and only a few isolated cooler regions.
Exceptionally warm seas and parched soils were amplifying temperatures across Europe, Kennedy said.
Marine heatwaves in the Mediterranean Sea and waters west of Europe are fueling hotter conditions on land by providing additional background warmth for persistent high-pressure systems, he added.
Dry ground was also intensifying the heat because soils warm more quickly once moisture is depleted.
"Lots of these factors are coming together to give us the record heat that we're seeing this year," Kennedy stated.
Invasive Species Thrive as Global Warming Transforms the Mediterraneanhttps://english.aawsat.com/varieties/5305682-invasive-species-thrive-global-warming-transforms-mediterranean
A lionfish lies after being caught in a trap in the coastal city of Limassol, Cyprus, July 17, 2026. (Reuters)
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Invasive Species Thrive as Global Warming Transforms the Mediterranean
A lionfish lies after being caught in a trap in the coastal city of Limassol, Cyprus, July 17, 2026. (Reuters)
Pepis, the bearded skipper of a small fishing boat, deftly picks up two lionfish caught in experimental traps off the coast of Cyprus, cuts off their venomous spines, guts them and tosses them into a bucket.
Around him, the Mediterranean looks like a pane of glass, its calm surface giving little hint of the dramatic transformation unfolding underwater.
Pepis' practiced routine is part of a wider effort by scientists to track and control the spread of invasive species, such as lionfish, in these waters. Here life is changing, caused by a combination of warming sea temperatures and the Suez Canal, which has eased access for fish from more tropical climes.
A new species is estimated to enter the Mediterranean every two weeks, according to a recent survey collated by the Cyprus Academy of Sciences, Letters and Arts, based on research by scientists based in 11 countries.
In all, there are more than 1,000 non-indigenous species in the Mediterranean, the report said, up from fewer than 800 counted in another study by the European Environment Agency in the 2012 to 2017 period.
The tropical newcomers from the Red Sea and beyond are displacing native species, reshaping food chains and threatening fisheries, experts said.
That is just another sign of the impact of climate change which has wreaked such havoc on land this summer in Europe, causing record heatwaves, wildfires and drought. And it's a big worry for environmentalists: Despite accounting for just 0.8% of the global ocean area, the Mediterranean supports a share of the world's marine species that some estimates place as high as 18%.
“Changes have been drastic, especially since 2000,” said Periklis Kleitou, a marine scientist at the Cyprus-based Marine and Environmental Research (MER) lab which is looking at ways to reduce the impact of invasive species.
“We see more and more non-indigenous species proliferating and dominating the marine environment and, unfortunately, fewer native species.”
A yellowspotted pufferfish swims inside an aquarium in Heraklion, on the island of Crete, Greece, August 9, 2026. (Reuters)
NEW ARRIVALS TAKE OVER
The lionfish looks like an underwater punk, sporting a spiky mohican above a permanent scowl. It has no known predator in the Mediterranean and has a voracious appetite for native fish and crustaceans, scientists say.
Around Cyprus, MER is testing selective traps designed to attract lionfish and blue crabs while allowing other species to escape.
In Greece, increasingly common alien species are disrupting marine ecosystems.
More than 230 have entered Greek waters in recent decades, said Paraskevi Karachle, research director at the Hellenic Centre for Marine Research.
Newcomers disrupt the ecosystem in differing ways. Rabbitfish graze heavily on algae, creating barren areas underwater and competing with the Mediterranean's native herbivorous fish, said Karachle.
The Lagocephalus pufferfish, also known as silver-cheeked toadfish, a carnivore whose toxins can be fatal to humans, attacks other fish and is associated with reports of reduced octopus catches. Silver and speckled with black dots, it looks like a bruiser with bulging eyes and buck teeth.
Greek and Cypriot authorities have offered fishermen bounties on pufferfish hauls.
"Invasive species are taking over our seas, and that affects the local biodiversity as well as the economy," said Christina Kakoulli, a marine biologist at MER.
A lionfish with risotto is served on a plate in a restaurant in the coastal city of Limassol, Cyprus July 17, 2026. (Reuters)
LOOKING AT WAYS TO ADAPT
Scientists are looking for ways to adapt. One option is to get consumers used to eating new types of fish. Lionfish is safe to consume once the spines are removed. Pepis the skipper advises dusting it with flour before frying.
"In the beginning people were afraid, but now they understand it's a high quality, delicious fish," said Petros Yiangou, a chef who works with MER on Life Prometheus, a European Union-funded project that looks at ways to reduce accidental capture of sharks and rays, while encouraging ways to harvest invasive species.
Markets are emerging in Lebanon and Türkiye, while Atlantic blue crabs have found customers in Tunisia.
Greek marine researchers have tested ways of removing toxins to turn pufferfish into fishmeal for farmed sea bass, Karachle said. Other research has explored possible uses for alien species in cosmetics, food supplements, leather products and pain relief.
Finding uses for the newcomers might be easier than finding one single trigger point for their spread and impact. Scientists say the situation needs sustained, long-term monitoring.
"The sea is very complicated," Kleitou said. "It has so many confounding variables interacting at the same time."
Spain Prepares for Eclipse under Shadow of Wildfire Riskhttps://english.aawsat.com/varieties/5305677-spain-prepares-eclipse-under-shadow-wildfire-risk
Residents and firefighters work to extinguish an advancing wildfire near Formariz in Zamora province, Spain, July 29, 2026. REUTERS/Umit Bektas/File Photo
Spain Prepares for Eclipse under Shadow of Wildfire Risk
Residents and firefighters work to extinguish an advancing wildfire near Formariz in Zamora province, Spain, July 29, 2026. REUTERS/Umit Bektas/File Photo
Spain is rolling out a massive police operation and public safety campaign ahead of a rare total solar eclipse on August 12 that will coincide with one of the country's highest-risk periods for wildfires.
Regional governments along the eclipse path across Spain – offering the best views of the solar event in mainland Europe – are seeking to corral an expected influx of 6 million people by designating 660 official viewing sites, along with parking and camping areas.
More than 35,000 officers will be deployed in a security operation to minimize the risks – such as fires caused by dropped cigarettes – linked to large gatherings in natural areas, Virginia Barcones, secretary-general for Civil Protection and Emergencies at Spain's Interior Ministry, told Reuters.
"We've had an extremely tough summer in Spain, with yet another series of major forest fires. That's why we must restrict any kind of activity that could generate a spark," Barcones said.
TEMPERATURES SET TO REACH 40 DEGREES CELSIUS
A control room in Madrid seen by Reuters is where authorities will lead a surveillance operation in coordination with regional governments.
The full solar eclipse, visible in totality only from Spain and Iceland early on Wednesday evening, offers an example of how climate change will reshape the management of major public events.
Several Spanish regions are under alerts issued by weather agency Aemet for the day of the eclipse due to temperatures of up to 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) and a "high" or "very high" wildfire risk.
Spain, along with France and Greece, has already battled heatwaves and severe wildfires this summer across an increasingly tinder-dry Europe.
By Monday evening, three major wildfires were burning in the provinces of Huelva, Segovia and Huesca. So far this year, fires have scorched about 200,000 hectares – six times more than by the same date in 2025, according to the Environment Ministry.
"This is a very bad time of year ... It's statistically the week when the most wildfires occur in Spain," said Raul de la Calle, secretary-general of the Association of Forest Technical Engineers.
RURAL CROWDS FUEL FEARS
Some residents of small towns have launched their own public awareness campaigns, urging visitors to avoid sensitive natural areas.
In Buitrago de Lozoya, a town of 2,000 residents north of Madrid, local group Monte en Pie (Keeping Woodlands Alive) staged a protest against events planned near forests.
The nearby town of Tres Cantos cancelled all eclipse-day events because of wildfire risks, though around 3,000 people – including Madrid's regional leaders – are still expected at an observation site near Buitrago.
Monte en Pie argues that while the eclipse will last only a few minutes, the damage caused by a major wildfire could endure for decades.
"We are in a high wildfire-risk area. Barbecues and the use of machinery are prohibited because the countryside is extremely dry ... The more people there are, the greater the danger," said Ana Hernandez, the group's leader.
Authorities estimate around 1.5 million people could be on the roads during the day, travelling to rural northwestern and central Spain that is along the total eclipse's path.
National and local authorities have launched public awareness campaigns, warning in local and social media and in visitors' forums online against parking in unauthorized areas, littering, using barbecues or venturing into fire-prone countryside.
Fire risks do not however appear to be deterring astro-tourists. Travel platform Booking.com reported foreign searches more than tripled in inland cities such as Burgos and Soria, while Amadeus travel data showed bookings to the northern region of Asturias were up 292% from a year earlier.
Around 70% of Spain's rental motorhomes, camper vans and caravans, around 500,000 vehicles, have already been booked for the eclipse period, industry association ASEICAR said.
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