Scientists across the Globe are hinting at increasing number of devastating floods in the near future.
The floods of the Somerset Levels in 2014 became more evident due to climate change and going by the recent research, we can say that global warming will be responsible for increasing number of devastating floods in coming years.
The report also confirms that human-induced greenhouse gas emissions have increased the chance of severe flooding by 43 per cent. This is because, the ever warming climate contains larger quantities of moisture, bringing heavy rainfall and ultimately floods.
Explaining further, Dr. Friederike Otto, of Oxford University said that earlier devastating flood was a once in a hundred year affair but now it has come down to once in a seventy-year affair.
In the late 2013 into early 2014, incessant rainfall flooded Somerset, Devon, Dorset, and Cornwall in Southwest England and the Thames Valley. More than 5,000 homes and businesses establishments were submerged under water escalating the total losses to about 450 million pounds.
Research carried out by Dr. Otto and her colleagues also revealed that the flooding unleashed in Cumbria by Storm Desmond in December 2015 was made 40 per cent more likely by climate change.
Click here to read the story, Destruction by Storm Desmond: Before and After images
At present Storm Henry is lashing the shores of Ireland and Scotland. It is the eighth named storm of the season to hit Britain.
The European Environment Agency has also found that the number of floods has been steadily rising over the years. All in all scientists warn that as temperatures continue to rise, the weather events which were previously rare will become more frequent.
However, we must reiterate that it is impossible to link any individual extreme weather event to climate change. All we can do is estimate how much more likely any given weather event has been made by global warming.
Image credit - Telegraph UK
