Water Cycle Is Intensifying as Climate Warms
The world watched in July 2021 as extreme rainfall became floods that washed away centuries-old homes in Europe, triggered landslides in Asia and inundated subways in China. More than 900…
Author: The Conversation
How Living Structures Can Help Protect Miami’s Coast
Miami is all about the water and living life outdoors. Walking paths and parks line large stretches of downtown waterfront with a stunning bay view. This downtown core is where…
How Summer 2021 Has Changed Our Understanding of Extreme Weather
A succession of record-breaking natural disasters have swept the globe in recent weeks. There have been serious floods in China and western Europe, heatwaves and drought in North America and…
Europe’s Catastrophic Flooding Was Forecast Well in Advance – What Went So Wrong?
Almost 200 people dead and many others still missing. Billions of euros’ worth of damage. Communities devastated. Thousands of homes destroyed and their occupants traumatised. I am a flood forecaster…
Global Evidence Links Rise in Extreme Precipitation to Human-Driven Climate Change
Human activities, such as burning fossil fuels for transportation and electricity, have worsened the intensity of extreme rainfall and snowfall over land in recent decades, not just in a few…
Report From Europe’s Flood Zone: Researcher Calls Out Early Warning System Gridlock Amid Shocking Loss Of Life
It was close to midnight when I received a phone call from my sister telling me that our parent’s house was under water. Neither she nor they really knew what…
For Flood-Prone Cities, Seawalls Raise as Many Questions as They Answer
The oceans are rising at an accelerating rate, and millions of people are in the way. Rising tides are already affecting cities along low-lying shorelines, such as the U.S. Atlantic…
Sea Level Rise Is Killing Trees Along the Atlantic Coast, Creating ‘Ghost Forests’ That Are Visible From Space
Sea level rise is killing trees along the Atlantic coast, creating ‘ghost forests’ that are visible from space, writes Emily Ury, Ph.D. Candidate, Duke University. Trekking out to my research…
It’s Time to Change How We Connect With Floodplains
Floodplains aren’t separate to a river — they’re an extension of it. It’s time to change how we connect with them, write Melissa Parsons and Martin Thoms from the University…
Storm Christoph: UK Flood Response Improving, but Lockdown Confused the Messaging
Overlapping disasters struck parts of England and Wales in January as Storm Christoph battered communities which were already suffering from the effects of a prolonged period under lockdown. It was…
Letting Rivers Run Wild Could Reduce UK Flooding – New Research
The UK government currently spends £2.6 billion on flood defences in England, and that amount is set to double by 2026. Flooding in February 2020 showed how that’s likely to…
Advanced Cyclone Forecasting Is Leading to Early Action – and It’s Saving Thousands of Lives
On May 18, a massive tropical cyclone with sustained winds of nearly 150 miles per hour was barrelling across the Bay of Bengal towards the low-lying coasts of East India…
Bangladesh Has Saved Thousands of Lives From a Devastating Cyclone – Here’s How
The Atlantic and Caribbean hurricane season has just begun, with the world worried about the prospect of providing humanitarian relief in the context of a pandemic and lockdowns. But Bangladesh…
How Mobile Phone Towers Could Help Monitor Rainfall in Developing Countries
Many developing economies suffer from a lack of reliable rainfall measurements due to a lack of funds and a shortage of equipment – such as gauges and radars. Even if…
Japan’s Experience With Earthquakes Can Help Teach Us to Learn to Live With Floods
The intense rainfall from storms this winter has caused severe flooding in numerous cities across the UK. The storms have left at least eight people dead, and economic losses have…
Protecting Mangroves Can Prevent Billions of Dollars in Global Flooding Damage Every Year
Hurricanes and tropical storms are estimated to cost the U.S. economy more than US$50 billion yearly in damage from winds and flooding. And as these storms travel across the Atlantic,…
