Past and Present Climate Conditions of European Coal and Lignite Areas

Abstract Weather and climate are parameters vital for the development and flourish of human activities, and they crucially affect mining activities. Coal and lignite (brown coal) mining operations can be aided by appropriate weather or stopped by an extreme weather event that might have catastrophic consequences for a mining area. The same stands for closed and abandoned coal mines, as extreme weather events can have severe consequences. This work aims to obtain a comprehensive overview of the climatic conditions by documenting and reporting them in various European coal and lignite mining regions. Specifically, the chosen regions cover Europe from the north (the United Kingdom) to the south (Greece), from the east (Poland, the Czech Republic) to the west (Spain), and through Europe’s center (Germany). A climate baseline is created for the chosen regions to serve as a reference for safety assessment and for evaluating future climate changes. Initially, the general climate of each region was evaluated; additionally, an extensive climate database from 1990 to 2020 was created, including the mean annual temperature and precipitation. Mean values and general trends of increase or decrease during the last 30 years are of interest and were compared for all areas.