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Increased flooding driven by climate change: study
Yahoo ^ | 2/16/11 | Marlowe Hood - AFP

Posted on 02/16/2011 10:50:09 AM PST by NormsRevenge

PARIS (AFP) – Global warming driven by human activity boosted the intensity of rain, snow and consequent flooding in the northern hemisphere over the last half of the 20th century, research released Wednesday has shown.

Two studies, both published in Nature, are among the first to draw a straight line between climate change and its impact on potentially deadly and damaging extreme weather events.

Australia, Sri Lanka, Brazil and Pakistan have all been recently ravaged by massive flooding, raising questions as to whether global warming was at least partly to blame.

Computer models have long predicted that the observed rise in atmospheric greenhouse gases would magnify episodes of diluvian rainfall.

But up to now, the link has been largely theoretical.

"This paper provides the first specific evidence that this is indeed the case," said Francis Zwiers, a researcher at the University of Victoria in Canada and a co-author of one of the studies.

"Humans influence the intensity of precipitation extremes," he told journalists in a telephone press conference.

Data gathered between 1951 and 2000 from across Europe, Asia and North America showed that, on average, the most extreme 24-hour precipitation event in a given year -- whether rain, snow or sleet -- increased in intensity over the last 50 years of the 20th century.

When this measurable spike was compared with changes simulated by climate models, the fingerprint of human influence on Earth's weather patterns was unmistakable, Zwiers said.

"The observed change cannot be explained by natural, internal fluctuations of the climate system alone."

The main driver was simply more water in the air. "In a warmer world the atmosphere has greater moisture-holding capacity," he explained.

(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: climatechange; flooding; globalwarming; increased
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To: NormsRevenge
Francis Zwiers, a researcher at the University of Victoria in Canada and a co-author of one of the studies.
This guy apparently works for the gov't - "Canadian Centre for Climate Modelling and Analysis" as Director of the Climate Research Division. Also ... Nope, no bias there.
21 posted on 02/16/2011 11:09:01 AM PST by oh8eleven (RVN '67-'68)
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To: NormsRevenge
found that global warming more than doubled the likelihood of that flood occurring. Both studies used computer modeling.

They are 90% sure there is a relationship, but there is a 10% chance there is not a relationship. Causality is not determined.
22 posted on 02/16/2011 11:09:54 AM PST by PeterPrinciple ( getting closer to the truth.................)
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To: jimt
“State of fear” was a good read.

Ate that one up faster than “The perfect storm”.

We need more peoples who can write good material in the 500 page range. I have read so many small tidbits in the last decade that I can not tell my a$$ from my elbow.

Last good fiction I remember as worthwhile was Follets “Pillars of the earth” and “Earth” by Brinn... I think.

I Highly recommend everyone read “The great reckoning” by Mog and Davidson.. Nonfiction, something we are all going through at this very moment.

The “Fountainhead” and “Atlas shrugged” need not be mentioned here.

23 posted on 02/16/2011 11:10:08 AM PST by mmercier
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To: NormsRevenge

These people think we have no memories. I remember vividly the same sort of weather patterns in the 70’s that Australia is now experiencing. I am no Prophet but last year when we were coming to the end of a severe drought I told my wife and friends that we would see a lot of flooding this year. It tends to be that when droughts break here it is followed by severe flooding.

Mel


24 posted on 02/16/2011 11:10:48 AM PST by melsec
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To: NormsRevenge

“This paper provides the first specific evidence that this is indeed the case,”

I don’t think this is the first “specific evidence”. But the other studies have been shown to be faulty so they can be ignored.


25 posted on 02/16/2011 11:14:51 AM PST by LostPassword
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To: NormsRevenge

Weather patterns shift. Weather patterns change.

Three to six thousand years ago the Sahara desert was green and wet.

Was that a bad thing?

Would it be bad if that returned?


26 posted on 02/16/2011 11:17:45 AM PST by samtheman
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To: Sherman Logan

So is Australia.


27 posted on 02/16/2011 2:14:52 PM PST by DallasDeb
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To: NormsRevenge
Humans influence the intensity of precipitation extremes

There isn't any proof of this, they merely correlate human activity with precipitation intensity, and with the models that were created to show things like intense storms - al-la Algore and Katrina.

Show me the programming and the data that went into it. I bet it's cooked.

THIS PROVES NOTHING.

28 posted on 02/16/2011 3:56:37 PM PST by SteamShovel ("Does the noise in my head bother you?")
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To: SteamShovel

[[Humans influence the intensity of precipitation extremes

There isn’t any proof of this,]]

Nor is there ANY evidence that someone walking past a smoker, inhaling a few particulates of smoke, is goign to develop cancer- or that IF the person gets cancer 40 years later, that it had ANYTHJING to do with walking past someone who smoked- but that didn’t stop lawmakers from making it illegal to smoke in crosswalks, parks, parking lots etc, and it won’t stop lawmakers from making it illegal to create carbon- proof means nothign to these folks-

I was in a hospital parking lot, having a smoke, and a ‘security guard’ stopped me and told me I couldn’t smoke in the lot- away from everyone- windy out etc- I felt like handing hte guard my extinguished cigarette butt, and saying “Tell ya what spanky- You keep that butt, and in 30-40 years IF someone here in the lot right now gets cancer from walking by and inhaling a few particulates from this cigarrette, and you can trace it to this ery cigarette, you give me a call, and I’ll pay their medical bills- but mind you- you’ll need PROOF that this cigarette was the cause of their cancer- keep the butt as evidence if youl ike”

I can understand not allowing smoking in resturaunts, bars etc where waiters and waitresses etc are forced to inhale concentrated clouds of smoke, but the antismoking self righteous nutcases are going WAY too far banning smoking in outdoor venues when there is absolutely NO proof that brief encounters with miniscule smoke particulates will lead to cancer- people are more apt to get cancer just from breathing car exhaust or aIR polution than from brief encoutners with smoke particulates.


29 posted on 02/17/2011 9:15:47 AM PST by CottShop (Scientific belief does not constitute scientific evidence, nor does it convey scientific knowledge)
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To: NormsRevenge
Increased flooding driven by climate change: study

Increased flooding driven by climate change study

There. I fixed the headline.

30 posted on 02/17/2011 9:18:55 AM PST by GSWarrior
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To: SteamShovel

as well, this report is blowing smoke out their butts- IF increased temperatures cause more precipitation, then EVERY SINGLE YEAR since the early 1950’s would have seen severe flooding the world over- but that’s NOT w2hat the evidence shows- many years showed draughts the world over- wildfires, etc-

I REALLY wish politicians and intellectually honest scientists would start flooding the media with evidenece that disproves these envirowhacko’s claims, showing htem to be the con artists that they really are, but nope- the cvoutnerevidence gets NO airtime, while hte envirowhackos get to spew their nonsense unimpeded and supported by agendist leftist media, and truth gets dumped in the gutter. FOX news should be takign hte lead in this issue- reporting the TRUTH EVERY single day to counter the constant droning by the agendists, and to get the TRUTH to the people- and politicians should be buying airtime to get the message out to the people so that we will be informed and will NOT allow our government to con us into massive taxes for a ‘crisis’ that is NOT infact a crisis or bnot infact mancaused.


31 posted on 02/17/2011 9:23:24 AM PST by CottShop (Scientific belief does not constitute scientific evidence, nor does it convey scientific knowledge)
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