The amount of extreme rainfall and its severity is increasing in the Netherlands and Western Europe. What is the reason for this and what can we do to limit nuisance? In this dossier you can find news, backgrounds and results of research on flooding.
Explainer
Climate change is not only rising global temperatures, it also alters rainfall patterns. In the Netherlands we find that there are more and more floods by heavy rain. In urban areas, streets are more often flooded and it provides the necessary nuisance.
Changing rainfall patterns
Wageningen University & Research studies the causes of heavy rainfall and is looking for solutions to this phenomenon. For example, more green spaces in the city ensures that water can be drained faster into the ground. Storage of water is also important, because not only the number of heavy rains is increasing, also there are longer periods of drought.
Frequently asked questions about this topic
Research on flooding and extreme rainfall is done by chair groups of Wageningen University: Hydrology and Quantitative Water Management and Water Systems and Global Change, as well as Wageningen Environmental Research.
Education on changing rainfall patterns is offered in the BSc and MSc programmes: BSc in Earth Systems Sciences, BSc in International Land and Water Management, European Master’s in Earth System Sciences, MSc in Climate Studies and MSc in International Land and Water Management.
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