The UK's summer floods of 2007 were a freak event unrelated to global climate change, according to a report from the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (CEH).
The key cause was that extended rains early in summer soaked soils that would normally have been dry at that time.
When heavy storms came later, water could not soak away into the ground.
The report said data does not support the notion that UK summer rainfall is increasing or rivers are showing faster flow rates than in previous years.
BBC website: 2007 floods 'no link to climate'
There seems to be a conflict of opinion here between the CEH, Met Office, and the Environment Agency.
chrisgo: I doubt anyone needed Tim Blair in deciding the 7.30 interview was weak on topic support.
Poor Rog - reduced to drive by shootings and dribbling. Booooring.
Further to my last post (if it passed security) is some background information on Dr Bill Hare.
http://junkscience.com/blog_js/2008/03/11/ngos-and-the-ipcc/
Luke, the ever vigilant ambulance chaser
Paraphrasing Tim Blair today, barely mentioned on last night’s 7.30 Report is that Hare is a veteran Greenpeace activist,
http://news.sbs.com.au/worldnewsaustralia/greenpeace_blasts_climate_negotiators_137305
who formerly was billed as Greenpeace International climate policy director,
http://archive.greenpeace.org/pressreleases/climate/2001mar22.html
and who currently holds the title Greenpeace political advisor on climate change.
http://www.greenpeace.org/international/press/releases/greenpeace-launches-landmark-p
As Tim Blair so laconically put it, "Greenpeace is now evidently perceived as an embarrassment".
Bill Hare on ABC 7.30 Report
http://www.abc.net.au/news/video/2008/03/12/2187890.htm
Should have added Stalin too ...
But seriously folks - back on extreme events locally (sorry UK), it appears extremes are changing. Gee maybe it's all true after all chrisgo?
In
Australia, trends in extremes of both temperature and precipitation
are very highly correlated with mean trends. Annually,
the spatial correlation between trends in extremes and trends in
the mean is stronger for maximum temperature than for minimum
temperature. However, this relationship is reversed in
winter, when minimum temperatures show the stronger correlations.
Analysis of the rate of change of extremes and means
across Australia as a whole shows most stations have greater
absolute trends in extremes than means. There is also some evidence
that the trends of the most extreme events of both temperature
and precipitation are changing more rapidly in relation
to corresponding mean trends than are the trends for more
moderate extreme events.
Full article at http://www.bom.gov.au/amm/200701/alexander_hres.pdf