http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/earth_climate/floods/ Flood Research News. Current research into flood prediction, flood preparedness, risk assessment. Is climate change contributing to extreme weather and an increase in flooding? en-us Sun, 11 May 2008 22:05:01 EDT Sun, 11 May 2008 22:05:01 EDT 60 http://www.sciencedaily.com/images/logosmall.gif http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/earth_climate/floods/ For more science articles, visit ScienceDaily. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080507105619.htm Envisat captured Cyclone Nargis making its way across the Bay of Bengal just south of Myanmar on May 1, 2008. The cyclone hit the coastal region and ripped through the heart of Myanmar on Saturday, devastating the country. Thu, 08 May 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080507105619.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080507083947.htm Prepare for more floods -- in ways we are not used to. That's the message from experts at Durham University who have studied rainfall and river flow patterns over 250 years. Last summer was the second wettest on record and experts say Britain must prepare for worse to come. Wed, 07 May 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080507083947.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080424153833.htm After finding more than 300 surface faults in Harris County, a geologist now has information that could be vitally useful to the region's builders and city planners. This information -- the most accurate and comprehensive of its kind -- was discovered using advanced radar-like laser technology. Although geologists have long known of the existence of faults in Southeast Texas, only recently have researchers produced a comprehensive map pinpointing the locations of the faults. Tue, 29 Apr 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080424153833.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080417095919.htm A fuzzy logic approach to analyzing water quality could help reduce the number of people in the developing world forced to drink polluted and diseased water for survival. Fri, 18 Apr 2008 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080417095919.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080405095557.htm The safety of earthen embankments, including levees and dams, depends in large part on how resistant they are to erosion. That resistance can hinge on the soil materials used in their construction. Wed, 09 Apr 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080405095557.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080401141535.htm Midwesterners have to be wondering: Will April be the cruelest month? Patterns in the Midwest this spring are eerily reminiscent of 1993 and 1994, back-to-back years of serious flooding. Despite the similarity, and periods of flooding nearly every year after those flood years, one thing Midwesterners have not learned is "geologic reality," says one professor of earth and planetary sciences. Fri, 04 Apr 2008 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080401141535.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080403152742.htm Proximity to a flood zone lowers property values. By law, a property is considered in a “flood zone” if any part of the structure falls within a floodplain, an area that is adjacent to a stream or river that experiences periodic flooding. It has been acknowledged that the level of risk associated with a property may be associated with natural hazards. Thu, 03 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080403152742.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080321140042.htm Major floods striking America's heartland in mid-March offer a preview of the spring seasonal outlook, according to NOAA's National Weather Service. Several factors will contribute to above-average flood conditions, including record rainfall in some states and snow packs, which are melting and causing rivers and streams to crest over their banks. The week of March 15, more than 250 communities in a dozen states are experiencing flood conditions. Sun, 23 Mar 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080321140042.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080311120617.htm While every mode of transportation in the United States will be affected as the climate changes, potentially the greatest impact on transportation systems will be flooding of roads, railways, transit systems and airport runways in coastal areas because of rising sea levels and surges brought on by more intense storms, says a new report from the National Research Council. Wed, 12 Mar 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080311120617.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080306184249.htm The Grand Canyon will be experiencing a spring of yesteryear, as water flow rates from the Glen Canyon Dam will be significantly increased, then throttled back in a high-flow experiment that runs March 4 through 9. The result will be a controlled swelling of downstream canyon waters. The goal of the high-flow experiment, the third since 1996, is to see if such high flows can help reconstruct some of the canyon's beaches and sand bars that are instrumental to ecological systems and native fishes that have suffered since the building of the Glen Canyon Dam in 1963. Fri, 07 Mar 2008 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080306184249.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080220225343.htm The bad news is that the Mississippi Delta is sinking as much as one fifth of an inch per year and sometimes even more. But the good news is that the sinking is mostly limited to the uppermost layer of sediment and the land underneath is much more stable. These findings have implications for the post-Katrina rebuilding of Louisiana. For example, the large flood-control structures under consideration can be more stable than previously believed, provided that foundations penetrate entirely through the soft shallow deposits. Fri, 22 Feb 2008 02:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080220225343.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080220225939.htm In Sackville, N.B. and the surrounding area, the words Saxby Gale can still inspire shivers of terror. The tropical storm struck overnight on October 5, 1869, leaving widespread destruction in its wake. Storm surges 1.8 meters tall, combined with a high tide, sent water rushing over the dykes at the Tantramar Marsh. According to the Canadian Hurricane Center, many people and farm animals drowned in the floods and hundreds of boats were beached when the waters receded. If a storm of the same magnitude were to hit today, "it would cause so much more damage," says a student planning for climate change. Wed, 20 Feb 2008 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080220225939.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080212134803.htm Arctic rivers transport huge quantities of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) to the Arctic Ocean. The prevailing paradigm regarding DOC in arctic rivers is that it is largely refractory, making it of little significance for the Arctic Ocean biogeochemistry. However, a recent study shows that DOC in Alaskan arctic rivers is remarkably labile during the spring flood period when the majority of annual DOC flux occurs. Sat, 16 Feb 2008 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080212134803.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080214114525.htm Winter precipitation -- such as rain and snow -- became more intense in the UK during the last 100 years. Similar increases in heavy rainfall have now also become evident in spring and, to a lesser extent, autumn. A previously reported reduction in heavy summer rainfall appears to have ended during the 1990s, with observations for the last decade indicating a return to more typical amounts of intense rainfall in summer. The results will inform other work currently being carried out on flood risk and the impact of extreme weather events. As surface run-off depends on rainfall intensity and frequency, changes in intense rainfall events will impact strongly on floods. Fri, 15 Feb 2008 23:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080214114525.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080205100014.htm John Wesley Powell wrote in 1895: "...what a conflict of water and fire there must have been [in western Grand Canyon]! Just imagine a river of molten rock running down over a river of melted snow." Over 110 years later, a synthesis of new and existing dates on these lava flows shows that many are significantly younger than initially thought and all are less than 725 thousand years old. The geochronology data indicates four major episodes when lava flows either erupted into the canyon or flowed over the rim into it. These flows formed lava dams in western Grand Canyon that had dramatic impact on the Colorado River. Mon, 11 Feb 2008 02:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080205100014.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080130092039.htm Death Valley's Furnace Creek Wash, diverted in 1941 to protect a village from flooding, has carved through the sandy hills and bedrock of Gower Gulch to reveal the forces original landscape and changing channel dynamics exert on the responses of diverted rivers and streams, according to new research. Wed, 06 Feb 2008 05:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080130092039.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080131152015.htm The past is no longer a reliable base on which to plan the future of water management. So says a new perspectives piece written by a prominent group of hydrologists and climatologists that calls for fundamental changes to the science behind water planning and policy. Tue, 05 Feb 2008 14:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080131152015.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080117140831.htm While flooding in California's Central Valley is "the next big disaster waiting to happen," critical water-related infrastructure issues confront almost every community across the country, according to engineers. Tue, 22 Jan 2008 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080117140831.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080115132835.htm Meltwater periodically overwhelms the interior drainpipes of Alaska's Kennicott Glacier and causes it to lurch forward, similar to processes that may help explain the acceleration of glaciers observed recently on the Greenland ice sheet that are contributing to global sea rise. Fri, 18 Jan 2008 20:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080115132835.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071216124230.htm As the giant North American ice sheets melted an enormous pool of freshwater, many times larger than all of the Great Lakes, formed behind them. About 8400 years ago this pool of freshwater burst free and flooded the North Atlantic. About the same time, a sharp century long cold spell is observed around the North Atlantic and other areas. Researchers have often speculated that the cooling was the result of changes in ocean circulation triggered by this freshwater flood. The sudden addition of so much freshwater would have curtailed (suppressed) the sinking of deep water in the North Atlantic and as a consequence less warm water would be pulled north in the Gulf stream. Mon, 17 Dec 2007 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071216124230.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071129113747.htm Indigenous water frogs can be crowded out by immigrant or imported species. This is the finding of a Franco-German study. The scientists investigated water frog populations in France and Northern Spain and noticed that the marsh frog (Rana ridibunda), which normally occurs only in Eastern Europe, has the potential to crowd out indigenous species like Graf's hybrid frog (Rana grafi) and the Iberian water frog (Rana perezi). Thu, 06 Dec 2007 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071129113747.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071130170615.htm The devastating impact of global warming is already evident in Indonesia and will likely worsen due to further human-induced climate change, warns WWF. Annual rainfall in the world's fourth most populous nation is already down by 2 to 3 per cent, and the seasons are changing. Mon, 03 Dec 2007 14:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071130170615.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071118213213.htm The flood believed to be behind the Noah's Ark myth kick-started European agriculture. This research paper assesses the impact of the collapse of the North American (Laurentide) Ice Sheet, 8,000 years ago. The results indicate a catastrophic rise in global sea level led to the flooding of the Black Sea and drove dramatic social change across Europe. The research team argues that, in the face of rising sea levels driven by contemporary climate change, we can learn important lessons from the past. Mon, 19 Nov 2007 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071118213213.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071012105820.htm A global analysis of the potential effect of climate change on river basins indicates that many rivers impacted by dams or extensive development will require significant management interventions to protect ecosystems and people, according to a new article. Sat, 13 Oct 2007 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071012105820.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/09/070921100324.htm Cleanup and rebuilding teams responding to the devastation across Greece caused by this summer's deadly fires are getting help from space. A series of crisis map products based on satellite acquisitions of affected areas are being provided to aid damage assessment efforts following the activation of the International Charter on Space and Major Disasters. Sun, 23 Sep 2007 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/09/070921100324.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/09/070914170323.htm More than 60,000 miles of United States roadways are in the 100-year coastal floodplain, making them vulnerable to attacks from water surges and storm waves generated by hurricanes. A new study introduces methodology that integrates state-of-the-art models as effective tools for engineering design and hurricane emergency management. According to U.S. census data, more than 50 percent of the population lives within 50 miles of the shoreline, and that coastal population continues to grow. Fri, 21 Sep 2007 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/09/070914170323.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/09/070912130825.htm Ecologist have just completed a census of snakes at a conservation preserve northwest of St. Louis, when the great flood of 1993 deluged the area, putting the preserve at least 15 feet under water. The flood provided the researcher with a rare opportunity: His collected data and the flood would combine to make "the perfect study" of how an area rebounds from natural disaster. Fri, 14 Sep 2007 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/09/070912130825.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/09/070907150931.htm Did the great flood of Noah's generation really occur thousands of years ago? Was the Roman city of Caesarea destroyed by an ancient tsunami? Will pollution levels in our deep seas remain forever a mystery? These are just a few of the questions that are being addressed by a new environmental marine research team. Scientists and Swedish environmental philanthropist Andreas Weil are collaborating on an adventure in research aboard "The Mediterranean Explorer." The floating laboratory and educational facility is taking on some of the deepest mysteries of the Mediterranean waters and is bringing together scientists from diverse cultures and backgrounds. Issues of global warming, climate change, and even biblical history are being probed in this exciting initiative. Mon, 10 Sep 2007 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/09/070907150931.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/08/070831150753.htm "A hard rain's a-gonna fall," Dylan sang. But when rain and storm surges fall on lands protected by weak levees, this means trouble...big trouble. Hurricanes Katrina and Rita were devastating reminders of this frightening fact. How then can we limit trouble when a levee breaches or, better yet, prevent such a break from ever happening again? There's another issue at play here besides horrendous storms. We are witnessing the slow death of our natural buffer zones -- which protect us from powerful sea surges. Mon, 03 Sep 2007 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/08/070831150753.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/08/070821171556.htm The National Hurricane Center reported that Hurricane Dean made landfall around 4:30 a.m. EDT, Tuesday, August 21, 2007 about 35 miles north of the city of Chetumal in Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula. Although the spot where Dean's eye made landfall is rural, and not very populated, Dean came ashore as a Category 5 hurricane, packing maximum sustained winds of 165 mph. Wed, 22 Aug 2007 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/08/070821171556.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/08/070809125956.htm Summer thunderstorms become much more fierce when they collide with a city than they would otherwise be in the open countryside, according to research led by Princeton engineers. While thunderstorms are thought of as being purely forces of nature, the new research suggests that man's built environment can radically alter a storm's life cycle. Fri, 10 Aug 2007 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/08/070809125956.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/08/070808101649.htm Microbes that result in beach closures and health advisories when detected at unsafe levels in the ocean also have been detected in the sand, according to a new study. The study found that sand at beaches all along the California coast contained some level of fecal indicator bacteria. At one popular beach in Monterey, California, they found evidence of human waste -- raising doubt about the commonly held belief that some fecal indicator bacteria occur naturally in the sand and are therefore benign. Thu, 09 Aug 2007 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/08/070808101649.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/08/070803092820.htm Zambian water authorities are integrating information based on satellite imagery to alleviate water shortages. With inadequate information causing many water-related problems, an ESA project has generated a variety of environmental maps to provide local policy makers with the necessary tools for effective water resource management. Wed, 08 Aug 2007 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/08/070803092820.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/08/070802182007.htm As catastrophic floods worsen in Bangladesh a pilot forecasting program is being used to warn thousands of vulnerable residents in selected flood-prone regions. Wed, 08 Aug 2007 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/08/070802182007.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/08/070803151256.htm On July 3, a NASA aircraft equipped with a state-of-the-art sensor provided emergency response officials with critical soil moisture data for several regions across Texas that were threatened by flooding. NASA responded to the heavy rains and flooding in Texas by redirecting a NASA research aircraft, the P-3B, to Texas after it completed an inter-agency project in Oklahoma. Sat, 04 Aug 2007 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/08/070803151256.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/07/070727115847.htm Highlighting the extreme weather conditions hitting Europe, space sensors aboard ESA's Envisat satellite have detected the worst floodwaters to hit Britain for 60 years and deadly fires raging through southern Europe. Mon, 30 Jul 2007 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/07/070727115847.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/07/070720205342.htm The first soil moisture maps with a spatial resolution of one km are available online for the entire southern African subcontinent. As soil moisture plays an important role in the global water cycle, these maps, based on data from ESA's Envisat satellite, will lead to better weather and extreme-event forecasting, such as floods and droughts. Mon, 23 Jul 2007 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/07/070720205342.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/07/070718140833.htm A catastrophic megaflood separated Britain from France hundreds of thousands of years ago, changing the course of British history, according to recent research. The study has revealed spectacular images of a huge valley tens of kilometres wide and up to 50 metres deep carved into chalk bedrock on the floor of the English Channel. Using high-resolution sonar waves the team captured images of a perfectly preserved submerged world in the channel basin. The maps highlight deep scour marks and landforms which were created by torrents of water rushing over the exposed channel basin. Thu, 19 Jul 2007 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/07/070718140833.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/06/070612134358.htm NASA's Landsat satellites have provided detailed, vivid views of China's Three Gorges Dam since construction began in 1994. Wed, 13 Jun 2007 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/06/070612134358.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/06/070604155742.htm A report that recommends steps to reduce hurricane damage in New Orleans was released by an expert engineering panel of the American Society of Civil Engineers. The 84-page report, "The New Orleans Hurricane Protection System: What Went Wrong and Why," targets the public and policymakers, and complements and synthesizes the thousands of pages released so far by the US Army Corps of Engineers during their post-Katrina investigation. Tue, 05 Jun 2007 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/06/070604155742.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/04/070430102012.htm On the occasion of the 400th anniversary of Britain's largest natural disaster, the author of Tsunami: The Underrated Hazard reveals strong new evidence that the Bristol Channel was devastated by a tsunami on January 30, 1607. On that day, historical accounts describe a storm in the Bristol Channel, flooding more then 500 square kilometers of lowland and killing 2,000 people. Mon, 30 Apr 2007 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/04/070430102012.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/04/070417095004.htm Deforestation, soil erosion, floods, and pollution are clogging up the Yangtze River's arteries, while increasing human pressure has upset the river's delicate ecological balance. Delegates from over 20 countries are meeting in China to explore solutions to environmental problems affecting the Yangtze River. Wed, 18 Apr 2007 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/04/070417095004.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/04/070410134724.htm Food and water shortages are likely to increase in Asia unless action is taken to curb the rise in greenhouse gases according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Increasing temperatures and extreme weather patterns are already taking their toll on crop yields which are declining in many parts of the Continent. Wed, 11 Apr 2007 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/04/070410134724.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/04/070410135944.htm The intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has finalized its assessment of present and future impacts of climate change, and concluded that the world's rivers, lakes, wildlife, glaciers, coastal zones and many other elements of the natural and physical environment are showing the discernable effects of human-caused global warning. Tue, 10 Apr 2007 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/04/070410135944.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/04/070410140451.htm Escalating tensions between water users are among the key challenges facing North America says the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Shifts in rainfall patterns, melting mountain glaciers, rising temperatures, increased demand and reduced supplies in some places are likely to aggravate the situation unless cuts are made in greenhouse gases to reduce the scale and pace of climate change. Tue, 10 Apr 2007 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/04/070410140451.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/04/070405122347.htm As spring melt of winter snow is underway in the Baltic Sea watershed region, satellites are monitoring and mapping the snow melting process to help local authorities manage water supplies and predict and prepare for floods. Remote sensing is the only technique capable of providing a comprehensive view over such a large area. Fri, 06 Apr 2007 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/04/070405122347.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/03/070328093605.htm The first global study to identify populations at greatest risk from rising sea levels and more intense cyclones linked to climate change will be published next month in the peer-reviewed journal Environment and Urbanization. The research shows that 634 million people -- one tenth of the global population -- live in coastal areas that lie within just ten metres above sea level. Wed, 28 Mar 2007 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/03/070328093605.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/02/070227105400.htm A stunning series of satellite imagery of Australia's Great Barrier Reef released by the CSIRO shows for the first time visual confirmation of the theory that sediment plumes travel to the outer reef and beyond. Fri, 09 Mar 2007 05:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/02/070227105400.htm