Climate Change: Increasing the Frequency and Intensity of Flooding
Flooding has always been with us, but the future holds more frequent and intense flooding
The sight of a person surveying the ruins of their muddy, water-logged home after a flood is heartbreaking. But flooding is a common problem shared each year by people living in mountain retreats, rural farms, urban neighborhoods, and along coastal beaches. However, the connection between climate change and flooding is indirect. Flooding is a natural phenomenon, which started when water first appeared on the planet’s surface some four billion years ago, long before Anthropocene climate change. So, what is the connection between climate change and flooding? The critical connection is climate change amplifies flooding by increasing the frequency and intensity of destructive flood events. But there are many types of flooding, and climate change affects each of them in slightly different ways.
Death by storm surge
Ben Duckworth spent the night of August 17, 1969, clinging to an old oak tree in Pass Christian, Mississippi. He held tight to the tree trunk as sustained winds of over 175 miles-per-hour whipped inland off the Gulf of Mexico. Simultaneously, a 24-foot wall of water slammed into the coast, washing away everything in…
