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Great Britain and northern Central Europe are threatened with more storm surges in the future
Photo: Shotshop / IMAGO
The number of floods is increasing – worldwide, but also in European coastal regions.
A new study shows that the increase along Europe's Atlantic and North Sea coasts since 1960 is linked to sea level rise.
The work was published in the scientific journal »Nature«.
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A team of experts from the USA and the UK evaluated level measurements from the years 1960 to 2018.
A total of 79 measuring stations were distributed along the European Atlantic and North Sea coasts.
The researchers focused on extreme events with particularly high water levels.
In conjunction with statistical models, they were able to read trends.
Successful coastal defenses depended on a solid understanding of how climate change affects the likelihood of extreme sea level events, the experts said.
Both storm strength and mean sea level changes that raise or lower baseline levels for storm surges would have an effect.
The danger is increasing for Great Britain and in northern central Europe
Certain regional differences can be observed: North Atlantic storms, for example, spread eastwards, which could lead to more storm surges in Great Britain and in northern Central Europe.
The south of the European continent, on the other hand, is less affected.
Experts warn that if European countries do not adapt to the increasing risk of flooding, they could face annual losses of almost one trillion euros by the year 2100.
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The damage caused by flooding and flooding is already costing a lot of money – worldwide more than 82 billion US dollars last year, according to the Swiss Re Institute, a reinsurance agency.
Floods would have caused almost a third of all damage caused by natural disasters.
"Floods affect almost a third of the world's population, more than any other hazard," said Martin Bertogg, Swiss Re's head of catastrophe risks.
In 2021, more than 50 severe flood events were recorded worldwide, often triggered by extreme rainfall and storm surges on the coasts.
The scientists of the "Nature" study warn that it is crucial to include the increasing risk when planning coastal protection measures and not to count on the same number of storm surge events.
vki/Reuters
