Climate change and river flooding. Part 2, Sensitivity characterisation for British catchments and example vulnerability assessments

Prudhomme, Christel; Kay, Alison L. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5526-1756; Crooks, Sue; Reynard, Nick ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5185-3869. 2013 Climate change and river flooding. Part 2, Sensitivity characterisation for British catchments and example vulnerability assessments. Climatic Change, 119 (3-4). 949-964. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10584-013-0726-3

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Official URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10584-013-0726-3

Abstract/Summary

This paper is the second of a series describing a scenario-neutral methodology to assess the sensitivity and vulnerability of British catchments to changes in flooding due to climate change. In paper one, nine flood sensitivity types were identified from response surfaces generated for 154 catchments. The response surfaces describe changes in 20-year return period flood peaks (RP20) in response to a large set of changes in precipitation, temperature and potential evapotranspiration. In this paper, a recursive partitioning algorithm is used to link families of sensitivity types to catchment properties, via a decision tree. The tree shows 85 % success characterising the four sensitivity families, using five properties and nine paths. Catchment annual average rainfall is the primary partitioning factor, with drier catchments having a more variable response to climate (precipitation) change than wetter catchments and higher catchment losses and permeability being aggravating factors. The full sensitivity-exposure-vulnerability methodology is illustrated for two catchments: sensitivity is estimated by using the decision tree to identify the sensitivity family (and its associated average response surface); exposure is defined from a set of climate model projections and combined with the response surface to estimate the resulting impacts (changes in RP20); vulnerability under a range of adaptive capacity thresholds is estimated from the set of impacts. Even though they are geographically close, the two catchments show differing vulnerability to climate change, due to their differing properties. This demonstrates that generalised response surfaces characterised by catchment properties are useful screening tools to quantify the vulnerability of catchments to climate change without the need to undertake a full climate change impact study.

Item Type:	Publication - Article
Digital Object Identifier (DOI):	https://doi.org/10.1007/s10584-013-0726-3
Programmes:	CEH Topics & Objectives 2009 - 2012 > Water > WA Topic 1 - Variability and Change in Water Systems > WA - 1.3 - Model, attribute and predict impacts of climate and land cover change on hydrological and freshwater systems
UKCEH and CEH Sections/Science Areas:	Boorman (to September 2014) Reynard
ISSN:	0165-0009
NORA Subject Terms:	Hydrology
Date made live:	18 Mar 2013 16:32 +0 (UTC)
URI:	https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/500477

Item Type:

Publication - Article

Digital Object Identifier (DOI):

https://doi.org/10.1007/s10584-013-0726-3

Programmes:

CEH Topics & Objectives 2009 - 2012 > Water > WA Topic 1 - Variability and Change in Water Systems > WA - 1.3 - Model, attribute and predict impacts of climate and land cover change on hydrological and freshwater systems

UKCEH and CEH Sections/Science Areas:

Boorman (to September 2014)
Reynard

ISSN:

0165-0009

NORA Subject Terms:

Hydrology