"Tropical storm Harvey in the US brings terrible rains - and so does the current Monsoon in South Asia. Reportedly, many million people are displaced and more than a thousand died from floods in certain parts of India, Nepal, Bangladesh. This shouldn't be overlooked. Monsoon dynamics are complex, but the science shows that its variability is likely to increase with climate change. Monsoon rainfall will become more extreme if greenhouse-gas emissions are not reduced. Just like with the US storm, a warmer atmosphere can take up more moisture which then can be released in torrential rains. Climate computer simulations have predicted this and now get sadly confirmed by the observed devastating monsoon rains."
More information:
- Menon, A., Levermann, A., Schewe, J. (2013): Enhanced future variability during India's rainy season. Geophysical Research Letters (online) [DOI: 10.1002/grl.50583]
And on economic damages:
- Geiger, T.; Frieler, K.; Levermann, A. (2016): High-income does not protect against hurricane losses. Environmental Research Letters 11 084012 [DOI: 10.1088/1748-9326/11/8/084012]
- Wenz, L., Levermann, A. (2016): Enhanced economic connectivity to foster heat stress-related losses. Science Advances 2, no. 6, e1501026 [DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.1501026]
