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Dams trigger stronger storms, study suggests

Posted by: Maven on February 6, 2010 at 7:11 am

glen canyon damFrom National Geographic News:

“Scientists have long suspected that the world’s dams can create their own weather, often bringing more rain. Water in reservoirs behind dams, plus the water used to irrigate nearby land puts more moisture in the air, which falls as precipitation.

Now some researchers are sounding the alarm that dams—along with their reservoirs—might also trigger more frequent fierce storms that could be the dams’ undoing. That’s worrisome, especially in the United States, where dams are rapidly aging, according to some researchers.

Faisal Hossain, an engineer at Tennessee Technological University in Cookeville, has led several recent studies on 633 dams and about 100 rainfall nearby stations.

“The focus is not so much on average rainfall per se, but rather on the question of whether 25-year storm data that an engineer used to size a reservoir has now become a 15-year storm … as the dams aged,” he said. “It is the heavy rainfall that has tremendous implications on dam safety.” … “

Read more from National Geographic News by clicking here.

February 6, 2010 · Filed Under Storage and supply

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