UK can expect extreme rainfall/flooding
Pastor Dale Morgan
UK can expect extreme rainfall/flooding*
The UK will see more severe floods like those in Boscastle
Britain can expect more tropical-style rainfall as climate change
gathers pace, according to research carried out by Newcastle University.
Scientists said extreme conditions that are likely to lead to flooding
have become more common and intense over the last 40 years.
They found that rainstorms have doubled in intensity in places like
eastern Scotland and north-east England.
Storms are also becoming more intense in autumn, threatening flood defences.
Dr Hayley Fowler, a member of the research team, said the increased
frequency of such downpours will lead to more severe flooding like those
experienced in Boscastle in north Cornwall in 2004.
She said: "If the trend continues, which is likely, this suggests we
will have an increase in flooding over the coming years which has major
implications for flood risk management."
Water storage
The team predicted that the five million people in the UK who live near
to rivers can expected to be flooded with increasing regularity in the
future.
Dr Fowler thought water companies should respond by thinking of ways for
water storage during extreme weather conditions, which could then be
used during drier periods.
"One solution could be to build storage facilities such as small
reservoirs close to rivers to catch the excess water following extreme
rainfall events.
"This could also help alleviate the potential for flooding as well as
solve the water shortage crisis we are likely to experience in the
summer months."