Extreme North American heatwaves in 1941 and 2021 drove widespread but contrasting impacts
En palabras de los autores
The 2021 Western North American heatwave was among the most extreme heatwaves ever recorded. Recent work has identified one event of comparable magnitude and location in 1941. However, little is known about the impacts of the 1941 heatwave. Here we review 357 issues of 25 news publications from before, during, and after the 1941 heatwave, and we uncover widespread impacts including mortality, water shortages, crop damages, wildfires, flooding, and changes to social customs and behaviours. We then provide a quantitative analysis of climate reanalysis, streamflow, sea level, crop yield, and mortality data to compare with 2021. Both qualitative and quantitative analyses offer insights into how and why select impacts of the two heatwaves differed, including different continental-scale heatwave evolution and post-heatwave weather, policy responses that were related to co-occurring crises of World War II and the COVID-19 pandemic, and differing social norms, daily tidal cycles, technology, engineering, and infrastructure. The 1941 Western North American heatwave caused widespread impacts, including water shortages, crop losses, wildfires, and flooding, which contrasted with the 2021 event. The two events differed in weather evolution, policy responses, infrastructure, and societal conditions, according to an analysis of newspapers and quantitative datasets.
Apareció: lunes, 21 de septiembre. Communications Earth & Environment. Revista con revisión por pares.