Rising temperatures may trigger a dangerous increase in “hydroclimatic whiplash” in rivers that would make traditional approaches to flood and drought planning insufficient, a study has found.
As temperatures rise owing to the worsening climate crisis, rivers will experience increasingly rapid transitions between heavy downpours and long dry spells – called hydroclimatic whiplash events – because a warmer atmosphere holds more moisture, intensifying rainfall extremes.
Sudden swings from dry to wet conditions may increase the risk of flash flooding, the study found, because intense rainfall on dry, hardened soil is less able to infiltrate the ground. Instead, water can rapidly run off the surface leading to local flooding and water quality deterioration, as well as soil erosion because intensive rainfall can flush pollutants into the rivers.
In comparison, wet-to-dry shifts can make drought planning harder because preceding wet conditions may create a false sense of security before a rapid move into drought.
Any river experts here?
Don’t we already know that rising temperatures leads to flooding events? What new and novel thing is this study bringing?
I see it as:
Less ice = more water = more floods where there’s water
Not all rivers are located near ice. The headwaters of the Colorado River (not that one; the one in Texas) are not alpine. Flows are determined by rainfall.
Ohhhh that makes sense, thanks!
