link: FACING UP TO RISING SEA LEVELS RETREAT? DEFEND? ATTACK? - www.buildingfutures.org.uk
txt: Flooding explained - The Royal Institute of British Architects
Climate Change and Increased Flood Risk The potential impacts of climate change during the next 30 to 80 years have been estimated by UKCIP, the United Kingdom Climate Impacts Programme. UKCIP| 02 (2002) provided a range of climate change scenarios recommended for use by Government for the assessment of climate change impacts. In the context of assessing flood risk the key results are: * the UK climate will become warmer; * winters will become wetter and summers may become drier everywhere; * heavy winter rain and snow will become more frequent; * relative sea level will continue to rise around most of the UK shoreline; and * extreme sea levels will be experienced more frequently. Climate change is therefore likely to increase flood risk significantly and progressively for all areas of the UK over time. At particularly increased risk will be low-lying coastal areas, as sea levels rise, and areas across the UK not currently prone to fluvial or tidal flooding as more intense rainfall leads to significantly higher risk of flooding from surface run-off and overwhelmed drainage systems.
