Drought is not a trend along the coast

Along the coast, it gets wetter rather than drier in summer, while the opposite is the case inland. This is apparent from a detailed trend analysis by KNMI in collaboration with Utrecht University.

Until now, the KNMI had only made statements about the trends in drought on average across the country. The coastal area in this new study was defined as a strip of 50 kilometers wide along the North Sea coast and at least 30 kilometers along the Wadden Sea. This covers approximately 45% of the Netherlands. The rest of the Netherlands is referred to as 'inland' in the study.

Big differences
The new research shows that global warming has increased the risk of drought inland areas, as higher temperatures and sunshine lead to additional evaporation. There is also less precipitation than before in the interior.

In the coastal areas, there is more summer precipitation and the sunshine and evaporation have not increased. There are therefore major differences between the broad coastal strip and the interior of the Netherlands with regard to the trend that it is becoming drier due to global warming.

In addition, the coastal areas do not depend on rainfall for their water supply, unlike inland areas. As a result, the Dutch interior is extra sensitive to a decrease in precipitation in the summer due to climate change.

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