News

Flood risk on the rise: Climate change causes more persistent heavy rainfall

Extreme weather events are becoming more frequent as a result of climate change. River floods such as those along the Ahr and Meuse valleys in 2021, the Central European floods of last September and the recent floods in Valencia, Spain, are caused by so-called cut-off lows. The Wegener Center at the University of Graz has now for the first time investigated how these storms could change with climate change. "We expect that persistent cut-off lows north of 40 degrees latitude and in East Asia will occur earlier in the year. Canada, northern Europe, Siberia and China in particular will have to prepare for more heavy and prolonged heavy rainfall in spring," says project leader Douglas Maraun. The results of the study have just been published in the scientific journal Communications Earth & Environment.

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New research: intensity of extreme heatwaves could increase much more than expected

It is known that heatwaves become more severe as the climate warms. But a new study led by the University of Graz now shows that the most extreme heat events may intensify much stronger than previously expected. "These results have dramatic consequences for the planning of adaptation measures. Current climate risk assessments may have substantially underestimated these changes," says Douglas Maraun, lead author of the study, which has just been published in the renowned scientific journal Nature Communications.

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University of Graz receives the City of Graz's Ökoprofit seal of approval

This year, the University of Graz was once again awarded the Ökoprofit seal of approval by the City of Graz for its successful environmental and climate protection measures. The university has been taking part in this programme since 2005 in order to continuously improve its environmental performance. Deputy Mayor Judith Schwentner presented the award at a ceremony at the University of Music and Performing Arts on 26 November 2024.

Diverse and unique

The Wegener Centre at the University of Graz is an internationally outstanding institution for climate research. It celebrates its 20th anniversary in 2025.

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