Changing climate shifts timing of European floods

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Blöschl, G, Hall, J, Parajka, J, Perdigão, P, Merz, B, Arheimer, B, Arheimer, GT, Bilibashi, A, Bonacci, O, Borga, M et al (show 36 more authors) , Čanjevac, I, Castellarin, A, Chirico, GB, Claps, P, Fiala, K, Frolova, N, Gorbachova, L, Gül, G, Hannaford, J, Harrigan, S, Kireeva, M, Kiss, A, Kjeldsen, TR, Kohnová, S, Koskela, JJ, Ledvinka, O, Macdonald, N ORCID: 0000-0003-0350-7096, Mavrova-Guirguinova, M, Mediero, L, Merz, R, Molnar, P, Montanari, A, Murphy, C, Osuch, M, Ovcharuk, V, Radevski, I, Rogger, M, Salinas, SL, Sauquet, E, Šraj, M, Szolgay, J, Viglione, A, Volpi, E, Wilson, D, Zaimi, K and Živković, N (2017) Changing climate shifts timing of European floods SCIENCE, 357 (6351). pp. 588-590. ISSN 0036-8075, 1095-9203

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Abstract

A warming climate is expected to have an impact on the magnitude and timing of river floods; however, no consistent large-scale climate change signal in observed flood magnitudes has been identified so far. We analyzed the timing of river floods in Europe over the past five decades, using a pan-European database from 4262 observational hydrometric stations, and found clear patterns of change in flood timing. Warmer temperatures have led to earlier spring snowmelt floods throughout northeastern Europe; delayed winter storms associated with polar warming have led to later winter floods around the North Sea and some sectors of the Mediterranean coast; and earlier soil moisture maxima have led to earlier winter floods in western Europe. Our results highlight the existence of a clear climate signal in flood observations at the continental scale.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	3707 Hydrology, 3709 Physical Geography and Environmental Geoscience, 3701 Atmospheric Sciences, 37 Earth Sciences, 13 Climate Action
Depositing User:	Symplectic Admin
Date Deposited:	16 Aug 2017 10:14
Last Modified:	01 Mar 2026 06:04
DOI:	10.1126/science.aan2506
Related Websites:	Author Publisher
URI:	https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/3008630
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