Changes in Flood Risk in Europe

In Europe, floods are the most prevalent natural hazard. Despite much investment in flood defence works, flooding remains a serious problem throughout the continent, causing considerable damage and loss of life. This book asks: - Has flood risk increased in Europe, how, where, and why? - Are climate change impacts apparent? - How do socio-economic trends and associated land-use and land-cover change contribute to the risk? Experts provide answers on: Facets of Change addressing historical flooding, trend detection, change in intense precipitation and in large-scale flooding, in Europe. A catalogue of 20th century floods, including the deadliest and costliest events, is provided. National and Regional Perspectives cover Central Europe (Czech Republic, Germany, Poland), Western Europe (France, the Netherlands, Switzerland, UK), Southern Europe (Greece, Italy) and Northern Europe (Iceland, Norway), the Alpine region and the Iberian Peninsula, and include consideration of storm-surge floods and jokulhaups. Finally, Attribution and Prospects focus on detection and attribution of change with respect to climate change and climate change impacts, water resources and flood risk, the re-insurer's view point, and future projections of flood risk. This interdisciplinary and unique book, authored by an international team offers a comprehensive overview of changes in flood risk in Europe, focusing on the past and present, but including prospects for the future.

Zbigniew W. Kundzewicz is an authority on floods and climate change, works closely with the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change), is a member of the Advisory Board on the Environment of the European Union Seventh framework Programme, and is Co-Editor of Hydrological Sciences Journal. Ho is a Corresponding Member of the Polish Academy of Sciences (PAS), Professor of Earth Sciences and Head of the Department of Climate and Water Resources at the Institute for Agricultural and Forest Environment, PAS, Poznan, Poland, and an associate of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), Potsdam, Germany.