The impact of this summer's extreme temperatures on western Europe is now visible from space, following successive heatwaves since May. Satellite images examined by BBC Verify show shrunken glaciers, areas scorched by wildfires, green fields turned arid, and lower river levels.
The EU's climate monitoring service, Copernicus, has confirmed that western Europe experienced its hottest June-to-July period on record. The Met Office attributes the immediate cause of the heatwaves to persistent high-pressure weather systems.
Rivers across the continent have been affected, with the Danube's water levels dropping to their lowest in 30 years in several countries. This has led to discoveries such as a mammoth's bones in Bulgaria and a sunken WW2 warship in Serbia. Nuclear power stations in Hungary and Romania have been forced to shut down or run at reduced capacity due to an inability to use river water for cooling. On the Rhine, some cargo vessels have been stranded and river cruises cancelled.
In the Alps, ongoing measurements suggest this summer could be one of the worst on record for melting glaciers. Satellite imagery indicates that much of the front of Switzerland's Rhône Glacier has retreated by 50m or more since the same time last year.
Wildfires have also transformed parts of western Europe. More than 90,000 hectares have burned in France, making it its worst year on record, according to the European Forest Fire Information System. The largest fire in the Gironde region burned about 42,000 hectares.
Satellite data using the Normalised Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) shows that this summer's readings were below a five-year benchmark across about 70% of France, close to half the UK, and roughly 40% of western Germany. Professor Andrew Challinor from the University of Leeds stated these images are consistent with widespread water stress, which could impact the agriculture industry and food production.