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  • RESEARCH HIGHLIGHT

Europe’s flood risk is linked to atmospheric ‘seesaw’

Shifts in pressure system could increase flood damage as Earth’s climate warms.
Rescue workers push a dog in a boat through flood waters in Carcassonne, France

Rescuers in France ferry a dog to safety in October 2018, when Europe saw widespread flooding. Rainfall in the region corresponds to large-scale patterns in atmospheric pressure. Credit: Alain Pitton/NurPhoto/Zuma

The occurrence of devastating European floods correlates with large-scale fluctuations in atmospheric pressure known as the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO). As scientists improve their predictions for the NAO, society will be better able to prepare for future flooding.

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Nature 567, 149 (2019)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-019-00727-4

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