Year: 2008
Type: article
Abstract: Flood risk and vulnerability in the changing climate.Floods are a natural phenomenon, striking the humankind since the dawn of history.Yet, recent fl ood damages are dramatically higher than before, so that it is necessary to seek interpretation of this fact.River fl ooding is a complex phenomenon which can be affected by changes coupled to physical, terrestrial, climate and socio-economic systems.The climate track in the observed changes is likely, even if human encroaching into the harm's way and increase in the damage potential in fl oodplains can be the dominating factors in many river basins.Increase in heavy precipitation has been observed, with consequences to increasing risk of rain-induced fl ooding.Projections for the future, based on regional climate models, indicate increase of fl ood risk and vulnerability in many areas.Impacts on urban fl ooding, in a multi-factor context are examined.The present contribution is following the global IPCC perspective, in the context of the IPCC Fourth Assessment Report and the IPCC Technical Paper on Water, where ZWK was a Coordinating Lead Author.
Author: Zbigniew Kundzewicz
Language: English
Subfield: Global and Planetary Change
Field: Environmental Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W2014629654