U.K. bolsters flood defenses
like the butterfly effect.
One of the news items you’ll read in this edition of Planet Earth describes how river flow data were being sought for NERC’s new Flood Studies program. Today, the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (CEH) is the UK’s center of excellence for integrated research in terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems. CEH and other research centers, including the British Geological Survey and partners such as the Met Office and Environment Agency, produce data and resources including national hydrological summaries, flood-risk maps, and a Flood Estimate Handbook. All these are routinely used by planners, builders and insurers to assess risk to new developments including housing, infrastructure and flood defenses.
NERC flood models and information allow the Flood Forecasting Centre to give earlier and more accurate warnings so the Environment Agency, local authorities and home and business owners can take action before the flood hits.
The same information is used in daily hazard assessments prepared by the Cabinet Office civil contingencies unit. NERC experts also advise Cabinet Office (Cobra) and the government’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) to co-ordinate nationwide emergency response, and brief the media.
When NERC was formed the Thames Barrier was a twinkle in the government’s eye; today NERC tide and storm surge information is fundamental to safeguarding the London flood plain — including forty-eight square miles of central London, 1.25 million people and £200 billion in property. If the frequency of operation is anything to go by, our expertise will become increasingly important as our environment changes: the barrier has been closed 65 times so far this decade compared to four in the 1980s when it was opened.
NERC science is also used by agriculture and water regulators to design smarter land-management subsidies and practices – for example to retain water in uplands and flood plains, slowing its flow and reducing flood risk.
Riding the wave
Floods are, of course, natural events and they bring many benefits. They maintain river channels, replenish nutrient-rich sediments on floodplains and support the diversity of plants and animals in our river ecosystems.
In fact, floods are essential for maintaining some of our most cherished wildlife areas. They become a threat only when we are vulnerable to their effects, and our vulnerability is increasing as we build on floodplains and our urban areas continue to grow. Modern life can also increase the likelihood of flooding — for example, when we strip vegetation or concrete over front gardens, we change the rate at which rain reaches our rivers. Meanwhile our wetlands and other landscapes that act as natural flood defenses are becoming more managed and developed.
The challenge is to maintain the ecological benefits of floods while minimizing the risks to human life and property as our environment changes. Understanding our changing planet is fundamental to our future economic prosperity and wellbeing. Back in 1965 the creation of NERC brought together several clusters of expertise in meteorology, oceanography and hydrology, so for the first time the United Kingdom could take a truly joined-up approach to flood research.
Now NERC is the driving force of investment in world-leading weather and climate research, and much of the £58 million we commit each year supports long-term, interdisciplinary projects. Monitoring and modelling together are helping us get to grips with what’s happening now, and this will provide a much firmer basis for predicting what’s going to happen in the future.
By working closely with partners, including other science funders and government departments, we make sure our knowledge and expertise can be easily used by planners, business and emergency responders to predict floods and understand flood risk.
This story is republished courtesy of Planet Earth online, a free, companion Web site to the Planet Earth, published and funded by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC).
