Scientists study impact of global warming
Scientists worldwide are using new techniques to predict the impact of global warming in specific regions. Thanks to the new techniques, people will soon be able to determine how vulnerable their own local area is to global warming.
The STARDEX project's seven European research teams, led by the University of East Anglia in Norwich, England, focused on evidence of changing weather patterns to predict the occurrence of floods, heat waves and drought on even smaller regions across Europe.
The researchers say the new method of analysis could help governments prepare for, or even prevent, a predicted increase in flooding by up to 50 percent in certain areas of the River Rhine and by 25 percent in areas such as northwest England by the end of the century.
The European Union-funded project brought together expertise from across Europe to study the complex impacts of regional climate change.
Its report, published Wednesday, is in advance of a meeting of United Nations leaders in Montreal, Canada, next week to discuss the Kyoto Protocol and the impact of climate change.
STARDEX stands for the Statistical and Regional dynamical Downscaling of Extremes for European regions.
Copyright 2005 by United Press International
