MSGID: 1:317/3 630a5ba9   
   PID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
   TID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
   August 27, 2022 - Sweltering Heat and Drought in Romania   
      
      Carpathian Mountains   
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      Farm fields and forested mountains fill the heartland of Romania, a   
      country situated on the Black Sea in Southeastern Europe. Nestled   
      between Ukraine, Moldova, Bulgaria, Serbia, and Hungary, Romania is   
      home to the horse-shoe-shaped arc of the Carpathian Mountains which   
      partially enclose the richly agricultural Transylvanian Depression. The   
      ridges that form southern arc of the Carpathians are more famously   
      known as the Transylvanian Alps—the home of Vlad “The Impaler”, who   
   was   
      the historical basis of the Dracula myth.   
      
      August is typically the warmest month in Romania, and also the time   
      when many crops, including wheat, corn, and sunflower, ripen for   
      harvest. Like much of Europe, Romania has suffered several heat waves   
      in both July and August 2022. Temperatures spiked to 103˚F (39.4˚C) in   
      Bucharest on July 24 while the town of Sinai, a mountain resort sitting   
      about 2,800 feet above sea level, hit 101˚F (38.3˚C) on July 24. Still   
      sitting under a heat dome, Romania is currently experiencing another   
      heat wave, with temperatures expected to remain at or above 90˚F   
      (32.2˚F) across much of the country through the end of the month.   
      
      The high heat has brought severe drought to much of Romania, with   
      reports of low water levels in many lakes and rivers, including the   
      lake of Movila Miresei (Bride’s Mound), a saline, shallow lake in the   
      eastern part of the country, which became little more than a   
      salt-encrusted flat by August. The extended heat waves and prolonged   
      drought have hit many crops hard. On August 24, government reports   
      estimated that 420,380 hectares of crops had been damaged to date. The   
      Agriculture Ministry has estimated that wheat harvest will be 18   
      percent smaller this year than last, but that the total wheat harvest   
      should meet domestic needs and still permit some exports. The sunflower   
      and corn harvests are estimated to be reduced 3 percent and 27 percent   
      from last year, respectively.   
      
      The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on board   
      NASA’s Terra satellite acquired a true-color image of the heart of   
      Romania sweltering in summer heat on August 26, 2022. While the   
      forested mountains remain dark green, with no visible sign of heat   
      stress, the Western Plain, Western Hills, and the Romanian Plain   
      (located in the south and east) all carry a heavy tint of tan, a sign   
      of dry vegetation and/or open land, all of which are common in drought.   
      Even the Transylvanian Plain, which remains predominantly green, shows   
      heat stress, with patches of tan visible scattered throughout.   
      
      Image Facts   
      Satellite:  Terra   
      Date Acquired: 8/26/2022   
      Resolutions:  1km (460.1 KB),  500m (1.2 MB),  250m (861.7 KB)   
      Bands Used: 1,4,3   
      Image Credit: MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC   
      
      
      
   https://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/individual.php?db_date=2022-08-27   
       
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