Climate change will bring floods to Northern Australia and Tasmania

Scientists predict more major floods in northern Australia, Tasmania http://www.theage.com.au/environment/climate-change/scientists-predict-more-major-floods-in-northern-australia-tasmania-20130609-2ny8i.html#ixzz2Vr2IPs2u June 10, 2013 Tom Arup Major floods will occur more frequently in many parts of the world, including Australia, as the planet warms due to climate change, exposing millions more people to the threat, scientific modelling has found.

The projections by University of Tokyo researchers, using 11 global climate models, found areas most at risk were south-east Asia, most of India, eastern Africa and the northern Andes in South America.

More moderate increases in risk were forecast for northern Australia and Tasmania. But the threat of major floods would decline in northern and eastern Europe, central Asia, central North America and southern South America.

The researchers studied the likely frequency of floods in 29 international river basins, including the Murray-Darling.

Almost all, including the Murray-Darling, were expected to have increased flooding by the end of the century, with the 100-year flood event occurring every 10 to 50 years in many of the rivers by late this century.

The team found that if average global temperatures rise 2 degrees – a level scientists say gives the world a good chance of avoiding the worst impacts of climate change – 27 million people would be exposed to flooding, based on 2005 populations.

June 10, 2013 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | AUSTRALIA - NATIONAL

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