For my class presentation I was
assigned the topic of flooding and how it has been affected due to global
warming. Also, if the flooding has increased or become more severe in the years
following the publishing of the McKibben’s novel Eaarth. The amount of rainfall
has been increasing over the past years, due to the atmosphere being warmer
than it was previously. This increase in temperature allows for more moisture
to remain in the air, thus letting it move to new locations where it will
release of the rain in one spot. If the temperature continues to increase as it
has been, the amount of rainfall will also increase. Over the years, evidence
of the increase in such intense rainfall has been quite clear.
I was lucky enough to discover that a huge
flood had taken place in December of 2015, (about a month ago) in Northern
England. This is just the most recent extreme flood, and was caused due to an
abnormal amount of heavy rainfall. There is dramatic footage of the aftermath
of the event, captured by a drone. This is just one example of the increased
flooding that has occurred across the globe.
The amount of rainfall and its
locations has drastically changed over the past ten years. Many areas that are
not accustomed to high amounts of rain are now receiving more than can be
removed. I even have a personal experience with flooding and the problems it
poses. My hometown was flooded about two summers ago, resulting in thousands of
dollars in damage. People were kayaking down the streets and cars were
abandoned in the deep waters. The weeks following the flood, consisted of many
people moving items ruined by the flood onto their lawns for the garbage man to
pick up. This yet again, is such a minor event in the scale of how much
flooding, and the damages it creates have increased over the past years.
The predictions being made for futureflooding is extremely alarming. Many places near coastal areas and islands will
probably be completely submerged underwater, along with the community and
people who live there. This problem will increase even more as the amount of severe storms escalates to an all-time high. Unfortunately, with the increasing
knowledge and data to back up the increased rainfall levels, there are still
doubters making the solution to this problem almost impossible.
I had a pretty much opposite topic in droughts but yet I feel they are definitely related. Like you said, as temperatures rise, there is more rain than snow which causes a mistiming of water supply. I think this can lead to droughts or floods. If the rain comes early, areas may not be ready to handle all this water. This could also be considered an agricultural drought, as the water may come earlier than the farmers need. Droughts and floods are opposites but yet very much related.
ReplyDeleteI found interesting correlations in my research between flooding and forest fires as a reduction in forests leaves areas vulnerable to flooding that wouldn't otherwise have had that issue. Also, on a personal note, I have seen some of the effects of flooding firsthand on a class relief trip. I went down to Nashville and helped clean out a flood ridden home with a group of people from my hometown. It was pretty eye opening seeing waterlines at the eaves of some of these houses, and the pretty terrible conditions they were living in (essentially campers with above ground sewers that smelled awful). Flooding is some nasty business.
ReplyDeleteI did a little bit of research on flooding for my topic of sea level rise as well. The increase in floods and loss of shorelines go hand in hand. It is obviously a huge problem that we will have to address in new ways now that it is becoming more extreme. I thought that your visual of the flood in London was really interesting and a great example of the crazy weather patterns we are now dealing with.
ReplyDeleteI don't understand how people can't see the evidence that flooding is on a rise. I wonder in the coming years, if things aren't done to change the climate, if we will see people migrate away from coastal cities in large numbers. Lastly, great use of pictures on your post!
ReplyDeleteIt is staggering to realize how much global warming is going to effect flooding. I am not looking forward to weathering the more severe storms that are on their way. The land all around my home is very swampy already, and it wouldn't take much to make a lot of land inaccessible without a boat or canoe.
ReplyDeleteIf glaciers melting won't kill us then I know floods could. Coming from a country that had constant Monsoon rains made it hard traveling or basically doing anything. During your presentation, I kept thinking about how my house in the Philippines flooded frequently but I was glad that it was built from granite/marble.
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