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Global warming increases frequency and extent of flood catastrophes in the Alps

Feb 03, 2010 / alpMedia
In an article published in the magazine Geophysical Research Letters researchers at Italy's Politecnico University in Turin recently confirmed that more frequent and more extensive floods in mountain areas were one of the consequences of global warming.
A consequence of climate change: more frequent and more extensive floods in the Alps
Image caption:
A consequence of climate change: more frequent and more extensive floods in the Alps © CIPRA International
They analysed peak discharge data recorded at 27 gauging stations in the Swiss Alps and calculated the extent of the correlation between flood risk and temperature, precipitation and altitude. The research team noted that there has been an apparent increase in the number of major floods in recent years compared with the past. Since the surface discharge is heavily influenced by temperature, it is assumed that these events are set to increase further. The temperature increase will affect not just the frequency but also the intensity of the floods.
The article can be downloaded from the following link: www.idrologia.polito.it/~allamano/lavori (en)
Source:
www.idrologia.polito.it/web2/ (it)
www.eco-world.de/scripts/basics/econews (de)