Flooding Strikes Several Countries, Scientists Warn of Climate Change
2023-07-12
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1India, Japan, China, Turkey, and the United States have reported severe flooding in recent days.
2Schools in New Delhi were closed Monday after heavy monsoon rains hit the Indian capital.
3At least 15 people died in landslides and flash floods over the last three days.
4To the north, the Beas River overflowed, carrying vehicles downstream as the river flooded neighborhoods.
5In Japan, heavy rain fell on the southwestern island of Kyushu, causing floods and mudslides.
6Two people reportedly died and at least six others were missing.
7Local TV showed damaged houses in the city of Fukuoka and muddy water in the Yamakuni River.
8On Turkey's mountainous Black Sea coast, heavy rains caused rivers to overflow.
9Landslides and flooding damaged cities in the area.
10In southwestern China, at least 15 people were killed by flooding in mountainous areas.
11And in the United States, areas of New York state's Hudson Valley and Vermont also reported heavy flooding.
12The Associated Press (AP) reports that scientists are saying storms are forming in a warmer atmosphere.
13They say this is making extreme rainfall more common.
14The scientists predict that additional warming will cause more bad weather.
15The scientists say warmer air holds more water, or moisture.
16More moisture might result in storms creating more precipitation depending on several other conditions.
17Scientists blame carbon dioxide and methane, two forms of carbon gases, for trapping heat in the atmosphere.
18What scientists call climate change is not the cause of the storms creating rain.
19Instead, they say storms are forming in an atmosphere that is becoming warmer and wetter.
20Rodney Wynn is a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Tampa Bay, Florida.
21He said, "68 degrees Fahrenheit can hold twice as much water as 50 degrees Fahrenheit."
22Wynn said warm air expands, making it able to hold more moisture.
23U.S. space agency NASA says on the Global Climate Change part of its website that, for every one degree Celsius that the atmosphere warms, it can hold about seven percent more moisture.
24NASA also says the average global temperature has increased by at least 1.1 degrees Celsius since 1880.
25Brian Soden is a professor of atmospheric sciences at the University of Miami.
26He said, "...As these storms form in warmer environments that have more moisture in them, the rainfall increases."
27"As the climate gets warmer, we expect intense rain events to become more common," Soden said. "It's not surprising to see these events happening, it's what models have been predicting ever since day one."
28Gavin Schmidt is a climate scientist and director of the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies in New York City.
29He said the areas that are facing the effects of climate change are different from the ones where warming gases are being released.
30He said the places where flooding takes place are not prepared for bad weather.
31Most of the effects "are happening in places that don't have good infrastructure, that are less prepared for weather extremes and have no real ways to manage this," Schmidt said.
32I'm Dan Novak.
1India, Japan, China, Turkey, and the United States have reported severe flooding in recent days. 2Schools in New Delhi were closed Monday after heavy monsoon rains hit the Indian capital. At least 15 people died in landslides and flash floods over the last three days. To the north, the Beas River overflowed, carrying vehicles downstream as the river flooded neighborhoods. 3In Japan, heavy rain fell on the southwestern island of Kyushu, causing floods and mudslides. Two people reportedly died and at least six others were missing. Local TV showed damaged houses in the city of Fukuoka and muddy water in the Yamakuni River. 4On Turkey's mountainous Black Sea coast, heavy rains caused rivers to overflow. Landslides and flooding damaged cities in the area. In southwestern China, at least 15 people were killed by flooding in mountainous areas. 5And in the United States, areas of New York state's Hudson Valley and Vermont also reported heavy flooding. 6The Associated Press (AP) reports that scientists are saying storms are forming in a warmer atmosphere. They say this is making extreme rainfall more common. The scientists predict that additional warming will cause more bad weather. 7The scientists say warmer air holds more water, or moisture. More moisture might result in storms creating more precipitation depending on several other conditions. Scientists blame carbon dioxide and methane, two forms of carbon gases, for trapping heat in the atmosphere. 8What scientists call climate change is not the cause of the storms creating rain. Instead, they say storms are forming in an atmosphere that is becoming warmer and wetter. 9Rodney Wynn is a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Tampa Bay, Florida. He said, "68 degrees Fahrenheit can hold twice as much water as 50 degrees Fahrenheit." Wynn said warm air expands, making it able to hold more moisture. 10U.S. space agency NASA says on the Global Climate Change part of its website that, for every one degree Celsius that the atmosphere warms, it can hold about seven percent more moisture. NASA also says the average global temperature has increased by at least 1.1 degrees Celsius since 1880. 11Brian Soden is a professor of atmospheric sciences at the University of Miami. He said, "...As these storms form in warmer environments that have more moisture in them, the rainfall increases." 12"As the climate gets warmer, we expect intense rain events to become more common," Soden said. "It's not surprising to see these events happening, it's what models have been predicting ever since day one." 13Gavin Schmidt is a climate scientist and director of the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies in New York City. He said the areas that are facing the effects of climate change are different from the ones where warming gases are being released. He said the places where flooding takes place are not prepared for bad weather. 14Most of the effects "are happening in places that don't have good infrastructure, that are less prepared for weather extremes and have no real ways to manage this," Schmidt said. 15I'm Dan Novak. 16Dan Novak adapted this story for VOA Learning English based on reporting from Associated Press. 17______________________________________________________________________ 18Words in This Story 19monsoon - n. winds in the Indian Ocean and southern Asia that bring rains in the summer, the rainy season there 20overflow - v. to flow over the edge or beyond the borders of a river or stream 21moisture - n. an amount of liquid that makes something wet 22precipitation - n. rain or snow; water that falls from the sky 23meteorologist - n. a scientist who studies or reports on the weather 24since day one - idiom Since the first day or very beginning of something 25infrastructure - n. roads, bridges, ports, and all the other structures needed for modern civilization