![]() Such flooding directly jeopardizes human lives, he said. The consequences go beyond an increased risk of flooded basements and insurance claims, although that too is a significant consequence and cost, he said. Source: Īlso vulnerable are streams in Northern Ontario and Northern Quebec, the Mackenzie and Lower Mackenzie Rivers of Northwest Territories and northern British Columbia and much of the island of Montreal. ![]() Note greater inundation in core London and in south branch than current flood peaks. Map showing Thames River flood projection in 2100. Map showing Thames River in London under historical/current 100-year flood levels. At one location, 100-year flood levels rise from historical/current 1.93 to 4.4 metres under the climate scenario with maximum level of emissions – placing a severe strain on Winnipeg’s flood-management structures and inundating surrounding areas. (where some of the country’s most advanced flood-management systems protect the city by redirecting heavy flows to surrounding areas). The Assiniboine and Red rivers that converge on Winnipeg, Man.The maps identify the most vulnerable areas in one-square-kilometre grid segments: places where rivers are most likely to overflow their banks, and by how much. In short, the unusual – heavy deluges and unseasonal thaws that overwhelm streets, homes, sewers and dams – will occur not once in a century but regularly, several times in a generation. And flood depth may increase by up to 60 per cent,” Simonovic said. ![]() “The message is very clear: Up to 30 per cent more of Canada may be under water by 2100. Users can search by postal code and zero in on neighbourhoods, or explore specific watersheds to compare current 100-year flood zones to those forecast under worst-, mid- or best-case climate-change scenarios 60 years and 80 years from now. Using this data, Simonovic has superimposed on web-based maps current and future flood frequency, flood depths, flood inundation and flow velocity. The maps are a visual distillation of almost 150,000 reference documents – including current and historical rainfall and snow-melt run-off data, topographic analyses, hydrodynamic modelling, urbanization and deforestation factors that impede effective drainage, plus a range of climate projections. At the same time, world leaders gather for COP26 climate meetings in Glasgow this week and next. Simonovic said releasing the map tool is part of his personal commitment, and Western’s newest contribution, to mitigating and adapting to the impact of climate change. ![]() “And here in Canada, until now, we haven’t had a nation-wide, standardized way of understanding the vulnerabilities of our own landscapes.” A year’s worth of rainfall recently fell, in just three days, in central China. “Floods are killing people around the world, and in countries you wouldn’t expect, such as Germany, the U.S. “What we used to call 100-year floods in London, for example, are taking place now once every 30 years,” he said. A Western University flood-control expert has developed the first Canada-wide maps showing how floodplains – including low-lying areas of major cities like Vancouver and Montreal – may become inundated in the next 80 years under various climate change scenarios.Ībout four million Canadians now live in flood-affected areas – and they and others will be at increased risk in coming decades, the mapping data shows.Įngineering professor Slobodan Simonovic’s mapping tool is a deep dive into one consequence of more frequent, and more intense, extreme weather induced by climate change.
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