The Evolution of Floods

A level Geography students went to the Royal Geographical Society to hear Professor Louise Slater from Oxford University talk about the evolution of floods in time and space.

In the lecture they learnt about the different types of flooding, what happens when flooding occurs and the importance of fluvial geomorphology. Professor Slater linked flooding to many other areas of the syllabus, such as urbanisation, climate change, sea level change, varying population densities, and the carbon cycle. She also mentioned its financial significance: flooding costs the global economy $100 billion per year.

The El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is the biggest climate mode of variability affecting the world. Climate change is already affecting its patterns of temperature and precipitation across the globe and increasing flooding risk. In addition, climate change is increasing in the strength of tropical cyclones, which also increases flooding risk.

The students also learned how climate change is hampering prediction uncertainties, and thereby making future climate predictions even more difficult.

In the week of International Women's Day, it was fitting that the students also visited an exhibition about early women explorers.

Mr Stevens