On the linkage between humans, precipitation patterns, and floods

The growing frequency of extreme hydrologic events over multi-decadal timescales is becoming increasingly apparent at the global scale. In addition, the synchronous increase of population in flood prone areas intensifies further the impacts associated with these extreme flood events with significant societal, environmental and ecological consequences. A correct management of the impacts of extreme flood and storm events requires a greater understanding of the processes that drive them. A great challenge in such understanding is to discern whether shifts in processes, such as shifts in streamflows, also bears the signature of human activity, and if such signature is coincident (or not) with major shifts in rainfall patterns. This talk will provide an overview about this complex set of interactions, and will showcase some study cases where human drivers, rainfall patterns and floods have been analysed.