A Review of the European Summer Heat Wave of 2003
has assertion: assertion
has provenance: provenance
has publication info: pubinfo
type: Nanopublication
created: 2026-05-12T13:04:18.082+02:00
creator: RoCrateBot
type: FAIRDigitalObject
type: RoCrateNanopub

Environmental research
type: DefinedTerm

A Review of the European Summer Heat Wave of 2003
date created: 2026-03-24 01:17:45.860419+00:00
date modified: 2026-03-24 01:17:46.945369+00:00
description: This paper reviews the European summer heat wave of 2003, with special emphasis on the first half of August 2003, jointly with its significant societal and environmental impact across Western and Central Europe. We show the pattern of record-breaking temperature anomalies, discuss it in the context of the past, and address the role of the main contributing factors responsible for the occurrence and persistence of this event: blocking episodes, soil moisture deficit, and sea surface temperatures. We show that the anticyclonic pattern corresponds more to an anomalous northern displacement of the North Atlantic subtropical high than a canonical blocking structure, and that soil moisture deficit was a key factor to reach unprecedented temperature anomalies. There are indications that the anomalous Mediterranean Sea surface temperatures (SSTs) have contributed to the heat wave of 2003, whereas the role of SST anomalies in other oceanic regions is still under debate. There are methodological limitations to evaluate excess mortality due to excessive temperatures; however, the different studies available in the literature allow us to estimate that around 40,000 deaths were registered in Europe during the heat wave, mostly elderly persons. Despite previous efforts undertaken by a few cities to implement warning systems, this dramatic episode has highlighted the widespread un-preparedness of most civil and health authorities to cope with such large events. Therefore, the implementation of early warning systems in most European cities to mitigate the impact of extreme heat is the main consequence to diminish the impact of future similar events. In addition to mortality (by far the most dramatic impact), we have also analyzed the record-breaking forest fires in Portugal and the evidence of other relevant impacts, including agriculture and air pollution.
license: no-permission
sd date published: 2026-03-24 01:17:45.860419+00:00
type: Resource
type: MediaObject
type: Publication

A Review of the European Summer Heat Wave of 2003
about: Environmental research
content size: 0
date created: 2026-03-24 01:17:44.353200+00:00
date modified: 2026-03-25 14:42:56.836781+00:00
date published: 2026-03-24 01:17:44.353200+00:00
description: This paper reviews the European summer heat wave of 2003, with special emphasis on the first half of August 2003, jointly with its significant societal and environmental impact across Western and Central Europe. We show the pattern of record-breaking temperature anomalies, discuss it in the context of the past, and address the role of the main contributing factors responsible for the occurrence and persistence of this event: blocking episodes, soil moisture deficit, and sea surface temperatures. We show that the anticyclonic pattern corresponds more to an anomalous northern displacement of the North Atlantic subtropical high than a canonical blocking structure, and that soil moisture deficit was a key factor to reach unprecedented temperature anomalies. There are indications that the anomalous Mediterranean Sea surface temperatures (SSTs) have contributed to the heat wave of 2003, whereas the role of SST anomalies in other oceanic regions is still under debate. There are methodological limitations to evaluate excess mortality due to excessive temperatures; however, the different studies available in the literature allow us to estimate that around 40,000 deaths were registered in Europe during the heat wave, mostly elderly persons. Despite previous efforts undertaken by a few cities to implement warning systems, this dramatic episode has highlighted the widespread un-preparedness of most civil and health authorities to cope with such large events. Therefore, the implementation of early warning systems in most European cities to mitigate the impact of extreme heat is the main consequence to diminish the impact of future similar events. In addition to mortality (by far the most dramatic impact), we have also analyzed the record-breaking forest fires in Portugal and the evidence of other relevant impacts, including agriculture and air pollution.
encoding format: application/ld+json
has part: A Review of the European Summer Heat Wave of 2003
license: no-permission
creation mode: MANUAL
type: ResearchObject
type: LiveRO
type: Dataset
type: BibliographyResearchObject
is related to: https://w3id.org/ro-id/14b4b9e7-c8b7-42dd-b5b8-857330399855/product/1
cite-as: Gonzalez, Esteban. "A Review of the European Summer Heat Wave of 2003." ROHub. Mar 24 ,2026. https://w3id.org/ro-id/14b4b9e7-c8b7-42dd-b5b8-857330399855.

Ecological Applications
type: FieldOfResearch

role
type: Concept
norm score: 7.2481572481572485
score: 5.9

Meteorology and climatology
type: NASA

Policy Scale
type: FCID

Environmental pollution
type: IPTC
path: Environment/Environmental pollution

Physical and Technological
type: FCID

Funding
type: FCID

Knowledge Sector (EEA)
type: FCID

Portugal
type: Place
geonames: https://www.geonames.org/2264397
wikidata: Q45

Extreme heat
type: FCID

2003
type: TimeReference

Structural/physical: Ecosystem-based
type: FCID

https://w3id.org/ro-id/enrichment/1d638444-f278-48e0-8e3a-7457bb93f39e
name: A Review of the European Summer Heat Wave of 2003 This paper reviews the European summer heat wave of 2003, with special emphasis on the first half of August 2003, jointly with its significant societal and environmental impact across Western and Central Europe.
type: Sentence
norm score: 44.656488549618324
score: 23.4

Earth Sciences
type: FieldOfResearch

Climate Hazard
type: FCID

Population growth
type: IPTC
path: Environment/Natural resources/Population growth

Environmental Science and Management
type: FieldOfResearch

Other Biological Sciences
type: FieldOfResearch

Academic/ Institutional
type: FCID

soil moisture deficit
type: Phrase
norm score: 34.31635388739946
score: 12.8

Systemic Literature Review
type: FCID

Key Type Measures
type: FCID

geology
type: Domain
norm score: 24.590163934426226
score: 1.5

Central Europe
type: Place

Mediterranean Sea
type: Place
geonames: https://www.geonames.org/363196
wikidata: Q4918

Methodology
type: FCID

event
type: Concept
norm score: 7.125307125307126
score: 5.8

forest fire
type: Lemma
norm score: 16.076294277929154
score: 5.9

summer
type: TimeReference

meteorology
type: Domain
norm score: 55.73770491803278
score: 3.4

Biological Sciences
type: FieldOfResearch

Extreme weather: floods, droughts, heatwaves
type: FCID

preparedness
type: Lemma
norm score: 11.716621253405993
score: 4.3

Health
type: FCID

IPCC
type: FCID

hydrography
type: Domain
norm score: 19.67213114754098
score: 1.2

surface temperature
type: Lemma
norm score: 12.806539509536783
score: 4.7

summer heat wave
type: Phrase
norm score: 25.469168900804288
score: 9.5

Data on climate-relate hazards
type: FCID

health authority
type: Lemma
norm score: 11.989100817438693
score: 4.4

Other Environmental Sciences
type: FieldOfResearch

Geographical Scope
type: FCID

mortality rate
type: Concept
norm score: 8.722358722358724
score: 7.1

Atmospheric Sciences
type: FieldOfResearch

on the first half of Aug-2003
type: TimeReference

User Needs (RAST)
type: FCID

Geosciences
type: NASA

Climate-ADAPT Adaptation Sectors
type: FCID

hot weather
type: Concept
norm score: 16.216216216216218
score: 13.2

of 2003
type: TimeReference

warning system
type: Concept
norm score: 5.15970515970516
score: 4.2

European Continent
type: FCID

readiness
type: Concept
norm score: 8.230958230958231
score: 6.7

Stakeholders
type: FCID

Records and achievements
type: IPTC
path: Human interest/Accomplishment/Records and achievements

https://w3id.org/ro-id/enrichment/a695d05d-f6e4-4710-919d-987f1d4fc9f4
name: We show the pattern of record-breaking temperature anomalies, discuss it in the context of the past, and address the role of the main contributing factors responsible for the occurrence and persistence of this event: blocking episodes, soil moisture deficit, and sea surface temperatures.
type: Sentence
norm score: 26.52671755725191
score: 13.9

Environment pollution
type: NASA

deficit
type: Lemma
norm score: 11.716621253405993
score: 4.3

European/ Subnational policy
type: FCID

Geosciences (General)
type: NASA

shortage
type: Concept
norm score: 8.353808353808354
score: 6.8

indication
type: Concept
norm score: 5.2825552825552835
score: 4.3

Weather
type: IPTC
path: Weather

Weather phenomena
type: IPTC
path: Weather/Weather phenomena

Earth resources and remote sensing
type: NASA

factor
type: Concept
norm score: 5.528255528255529
score: 4.5

health authority
type: Concept
norm score: 8.599508599508601
score: 7.0

wildfire
type: Concept
norm score: 11.670761670761673
score: 9.5

role of the main
type: Phrase
norm score: 13.404825737265414
score: 5.0

Mediterranean Sea surface temperatures
type: Phrase
norm score: 17.15817694369973
score: 6.4

Environmental Sciences
type: FieldOfResearch

Other Earth Sciences
type: FieldOfResearch

Geology
type: FieldOfResearch

mortality
type: Lemma
norm score: 11.716621253405993
score: 4.3

record-breaking temperature anomalies
type: Phrase
norm score: 9.651474530831099
score: 3.6

Academia/ Research Institutions
type: FCID

https://w3id.org/ro-id/enrichment/f708eea9-74ae-4d1c-8d5a-bdcf0af5f17f
name: There are indications that the anomalous Mediterranean Sea surface temperatures (SSTs) have contributed to the heat wave of 2003, whereas the role of SST anomalies in other oceanic regions is still under debate.
type: Sentence
norm score: 28.816793893129773
score: 15.1

heat wave
type: Lemma
norm score: 23.978201634877387
score: 8.8

impact
type: Concept
norm score: 7.8624078624078635
score: 6.4

Europe
type: Place
geonames: https://www.geonames.org/6255148
wikidata: Q46

Esteban Gonzalez
type: Agent

sig
has algorithm: RSA
signed by: RoCrateBot