Predicting the size, location, and timing of natural hazards is virtually impossible, but now, earth scientists are able to forecast hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, wildfires
Consequently, scientists have long tried to perfect their ability to predict floods. So far, the best that scientists can do is to recognize the potential for flooding in certain conditions. There are a number of conditions, from deep snow on the ground to human error, that cause flooding. When deep snow melts it creates a large amount of water.
“We’ve been concentrating a lot on the big rivers,” says William Veerbeek, an urban flood management expert at the IHE Delft Institute for Water Education. “There’s still a lot more to do in the smaller streams.” For years, scientists have warned climate change will mean more flooding in Europe and elsewhere.
Flooding in the town of Erfstadt, Germany, in July 2021 [Photo: David Young/picture alliance/Getty Images] To conduct the study, the scientists created a computer model that simulated the storm as
A flood is an overflow of water that submerges land that is usually dry. In the sense of “flowing water”, the word may also be applied to the inflow of the tide.Floods are an area of study of the discipline hydrology and are of significant concern in agriculture, civil engineering and public health. Human changes to the environment often increase the intensity and frequency of
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When floods happen, USGS crews are among the first-responders. Often working in dangerous conditions, USGS scientists measure streamflow and river levels, repair and install streamgages, measure water quality and changes in sediment flow, and assess river changes. Attribution: Water Resources. October 14, 2009.
What Causes A Flood?
Predicting Floods. In the pantheon of natural disasters, floods are among the worst. By any metric—from financial ruin to human toll—floods rank alongside earthquakes, hurricanes, and tsunamis. In fact, the most deadly disaster of the 20 th century was the China floods of 1931, which may have resulted in more than a million deaths.
One of the main tools that will help researchers get the study done is a drone. UC Irvine Professor Brett Sanders says flood data is already available from video or photos taken from an airplane. “But that data sometimes has gaps, has places where we might want a little more detail in features of the surface that are going to affect flooding,” said Sanders.
NSSL researchers investigate the meteorological causes of flash flooding and develop tools to improve the science and forecasting behind heavy rainfall and flash flooding. Quantitative Precipitation Estimation (QPE): Multi-Radar Multi-Sensor (MRMS)
Getty Images. Extreme rainfall of the sort that caused devastating floods in Europe last month was made both more severe and more likely by climate change, scientists have revealed in a new study
Severe flooding is caused by atmospheric conditions that lead to heavy rain or the rapid melting of snow and ice. Geography can also make an area more likely to flood. For example, areas near rivers and cities are often at risk for flash floods. A street sign barely above water in Portage des Sioux, Missouri, in a flood in 1993.
Floods cause more than $40 billion in damage worldwide annually, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. In the U.S., losses average close to $8 billion a year
The new study from a team of international scientists at World Weather Attribution has found that the European flooding event — even in today’s heated climate — would only be expected to occur
Similarly, scientists in Argentina used community measurements from the 2014 Buenos Aires floods to model the local hydrology. Most of these projects, however, only involve citizens as data collectors. They offer limited opportunities for scientists to work closely with, and learn from, communities.