The river Wye has peaked today at its higest ever recorded level 6.166 metres beating the previous highest recorded level in 1795 of 6.100 bloody climate change. 
In reply to Post #1
Perhaps but could be the same as everywhere else, more houses, more gardens changed to hard standing, more roads etc in the catchment areas, then more rain goes straight into the river rather than soak away into the water table. The much publicised building on flood plains does the same, as well as resulting in the obvious of course.
Perhaps but could be the same as everywhere else, more houses, more gardens changed to hard standing, more roads etc in the catchment areas, then more rain goes straight into the river rather than soak away into the water table. The much publicised building on flood plains does the same, as well as resulting in the obvious of course.
In reply to Post #1
The building of structures in flood-prone areas and then erecting levees and walls to try to keep the water out. This then creates much more severe flooding.
It's not climate change but a man made problem.
The building of structures in flood-prone areas and then erecting levees and walls to try to keep the water out. This then creates much more severe flooding.
It's not climate change but a man made problem.
In reply to Post #3
Climate change is a man made problem too...
I'd say it's a combination of factors. The building and habitat stuff that's been highlighted here already coupled with the more wide ranging climate shifts
Watching the many people who have been flooded out of their homes complaining about lack of investment in flood defences and so many people missing the bigger picture...
Surely it's not too much to ask for someone to join all the dots together and focus on prevention rather than a futile search for a cure....
Climate change is a man made problem too...
I'd say it's a combination of factors. The building and habitat stuff that's been highlighted here already coupled with the more wide ranging climate shifts
Watching the many people who have been flooded out of their homes complaining about lack of investment in flood defences and so many people missing the bigger picture...
Surely it's not too much to ask for someone to join all the dots together and focus on prevention rather than a futile search for a cure....
Back in 2004 there was a terrible flood in the village where I spent my youth... It was a miracle no one died..
All my family members suffered property damage,when a huge rain storm caused the valency,Jordan and paradise rivers to surge into the valley...
I remember that day, as I was out fishing,and could see this black terror cloud over the woodlands..
In the aftermath,the national trust ,made the river straighter,shallower and increased the height and size of the carpark...no one ever mentions that the area was a significant floodplain,...my gramps told me in 1958 it happened before when the school master lost his life..it will happen again..the shape and structure of that valley dictates this,since time in memorial...
So yes ,a lot of problems to do with flooding and lack of general maintenance of drainage systems by local councils not doing their jobs....yes,I agree man-made...
All my family members suffered property damage,when a huge rain storm caused the valency,Jordan and paradise rivers to surge into the valley...
I remember that day, as I was out fishing,and could see this black terror cloud over the woodlands..
In the aftermath,the national trust ,made the river straighter,shallower and increased the height and size of the carpark...no one ever mentions that the area was a significant floodplain,...my gramps told me in 1958 it happened before when the school master lost his life..it will happen again..the shape and structure of that valley dictates this,since time in memorial...
So yes ,a lot of problems to do with flooding and lack of general maintenance of drainage systems by local councils not doing their jobs....yes,I agree man-made...
In reply to Post #1
Nothing to do with climate change....... its down to the fact that we build on the natural flood planes ......
Nothing to do with climate change....... its down to the fact that we build on the natural flood planes ......
In reply to Post #6
Near to us is a massive flood plain and guess what the council in the past has passed major building of houses on this area and the new estates are up and running but now people are thinking twice of buying on a flood plain and prices reflect this. There has recently been a published projection on the rise of sea levels in this area and guess what this will all be under water in this prediction!
And construction is now underway for office/warehouse space on same plain
Yes climate warming is not helping but people of all levels who are granting, building and buying are short sighted and think the nanny state will help them out and once flooded try getting insurance after that!
And i bet in August there will be a hosepipe ban
Near to us is a massive flood plain and guess what the council in the past has passed major building of houses on this area and the new estates are up and running but now people are thinking twice of buying on a flood plain and prices reflect this. There has recently been a published projection on the rise of sea levels in this area and guess what this will all be under water in this prediction!
And construction is now underway for office/warehouse space on same plain
Yes climate warming is not helping but people of all levels who are granting, building and buying are short sighted and think the nanny state will help them out and once flooded try getting insurance after that!
And i bet in August there will be a hosepipe ban
In reply to Post #6
I have to disagree. All 10 of the warmest average years on record in the UK are since 2002. The sea has risen on average 3" in the last 30 years. Warmer temperatures means more moisture evaporated from the air to fall as rain. More water in the sea's due to melting ice means warmer seas/planet, more water freed up to evaporate and fall as rain. Along with the coastal flooding issues of higher sea levels.
Those are facts according to the Met office.
I have to disagree. All 10 of the warmest average years on record in the UK are since 2002. The sea has risen on average 3" in the last 30 years. Warmer temperatures means more moisture evaporated from the air to fall as rain. More water in the sea's due to melting ice means warmer seas/planet, more water freed up to evaporate and fall as rain. Along with the coastal flooding issues of higher sea levels.
Those are facts according to the Met office.
I can't say this for all around the country, but in my neck of the woods (Lancashire) the de-commissioning of Reservoirs is definitely a major contributing factor to flooding. When the Utilities where privatised ONLY Reservoirs that were deemed needed for drinking water got the up-grades to meet EU Dam regulations. All the rest either got reduced in size/volume by lowering the Dam walls OR got totally drained and made back into a stream/river bed.
In around 40 years I never once saw the Darwen Valley flood, but every year since they de-commissioned the Res. at the source of the River Darwen and made the whole site into a nature reserve, it's never stopped flooding since!
These reservoirs used to remove all the kinetic energy from the water that came off the catchment area, obviously it now just goes hurtling down the valleys.
It's pretty obvious the shareholders' dividends came first.
In around 40 years I never once saw the Darwen Valley flood, but every year since they de-commissioned the Res. at the source of the River Darwen and made the whole site into a nature reserve, it's never stopped flooding since!
These reservoirs used to remove all the kinetic energy from the water that came off the catchment area, obviously it now just goes hurtling down the valleys.
It's pretty obvious the shareholders' dividends came first.
In reply to Post #8
You're right of course and also as most of the increase is in the winter that makes it even worse.
However also consider an area of soil say 8x5 metres which could be a small front garden or a very small part of a field. The rain soaks through into the water table and is stored for later so all is well.
If just that one piece of soil, perhaps a garden, is now a tarmac or concrete hard stand then the drains could see an extra cubic metre of water in an hour. Scale that up to a full estate, add the footprint of houses, roads etc then that's a lot of extra water going down the drains and rivers.
Couple that with losing a flood plain or anything to slow the flow and the problem is worse again.
You're right of course and also as most of the increase is in the winter that makes it even worse.
However also consider an area of soil say 8x5 metres which could be a small front garden or a very small part of a field. The rain soaks through into the water table and is stored for later so all is well.
If just that one piece of soil, perhaps a garden, is now a tarmac or concrete hard stand then the drains could see an extra cubic metre of water in an hour. Scale that up to a full estate, add the footprint of houses, roads etc then that's a lot of extra water going down the drains and rivers.
Couple that with losing a flood plain or anything to slow the flow and the problem is worse again.
In reply to Post #10
My reply was specifically to this "Nothing to do with climate change......"
Of course all the other issues you and others have raised compound the problem.
The climate is changing.
My reply was specifically to this "Nothing to do with climate change......"
Of course all the other issues you and others have raised compound the problem.
The climate is changing.
In reply to Post #11
Agreed and the major cause to our problems, like it or not, must be that there are too many people.
Agreed and the major cause to our problems, like it or not, must be that there are too many people.
I read a article recently that said the latest deepest ice cores had shown several rises and falls of greenhouse gases which were much worse than we are presently facing, most of them pre modern evolution, it went as far as to suggest it's a cyclic pattern.
Now I'm in no doubt were fricking the planet up but it makes you think, there seems to be a certain inevitability to it by the looks of it, the only difference now being we think we matter and or can change it
Now I'm in no doubt were fricking the planet up but it makes you think, there seems to be a certain inevitability to it by the looks of it, the only difference now being we think we matter and or can change it
In reply to Post #13
Do you remember if they attributed that to plants such as Azolla taking CO2 from the atmosphere?
Apparently they have done similar research with cores from the ocean floor.
As I understand it, 50 odd million years ago, volcanic action and shifting continents released an excess of carbon dioxide and methane etc. This resulted in very high carbon dioxide levels (several times what we have now) higher temperatures and very little polar ice because of it. A combination of high CO2, some land mass shifting and excess nitrogen, caused an Azolla bloom which took large amounts of carbon(CO2) out of the atmosphere. This then had a cooling effect, the ferns died presumably because of less favourable conditions, lack of nitrogen and less CO2 then sank to the ocean floor.
This process could then have repeated and if the age matches up then that might be the cause of the cyclic pattern they were referring to?
There seems to be some research going on into growing Azolla to try and help recapture some of the carbon that we have unlocked by burning fossil fuels.
Wether that will save us remains to be seen but allegedly it is quite a special plant.
Do you remember if they attributed that to plants such as Azolla taking CO2 from the atmosphere?
Apparently they have done similar research with cores from the ocean floor.
As I understand it, 50 odd million years ago, volcanic action and shifting continents released an excess of carbon dioxide and methane etc. This resulted in very high carbon dioxide levels (several times what we have now) higher temperatures and very little polar ice because of it. A combination of high CO2, some land mass shifting and excess nitrogen, caused an Azolla bloom which took large amounts of carbon(CO2) out of the atmosphere. This then had a cooling effect, the ferns died presumably because of less favourable conditions, lack of nitrogen and less CO2 then sank to the ocean floor.
This process could then have repeated and if the age matches up then that might be the cause of the cyclic pattern they were referring to?
There seems to be some research going on into growing Azolla to try and help recapture some of the carbon that we have unlocked by burning fossil fuels.
Wether that will save us remains to be seen but allegedly it is quite a special plant.
Would all this rain we are getting Not normally been snow at this time of year . And snow melts slower so the river get the water slower so no floods.
Up here in the north east we have had no snow at all this winter.
Small stream I fish had been in flood about 20 times this winter
2 or 3 years ago it never flooded once and still full of leaves in March.
Up here in the north east we have had no snow at all this winter.
Small stream I fish had been in flood about 20 times this winter
2 or 3 years ago it never flooded once and still full of leaves in March.