The flood capacity of dams could be at greater risk of being exceeded due to out-of-date modelling for potential maximum rainfall, according to industry-funded research by UNSW and the University of Melbourne.
The flood capacity of dams could be at greater risk of being exceeded due to out-of-date modelling for potential maximum rainfall, according to industry-funded research by UNSW and the University of Melbourne.
The study, to be published in Water Resources Research, concludes that the rainfall model that engineers use to help design critical infrastructure such as large dams and nuclear power plants need to be updated to account for climate change.
The paper calculates that estimates of the ‘Probable Maximum Precipitation’ (PMP) – the greatest depth of rainfall possible – for 546 large dams across Australia is expected to increase between 14 and 38 per cent on average due to atmospheric moisture.
The researchers say existing models of PMP have not been updated for at least 20 years, and more recent meteorological events already show that the climate is warming and making storms more intense and more frequent.
Read more at University of Melbourne
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