Global Flooding

<p align='left' style='margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in;'><span style='background:white'>Climate and land cover directly affect
flood and drought frequency and severity. Future changes in the Earth’s water cycle
will have major impacts on the growing global population, and they cannot be accurately
predicted without adequate knowledge concerning present conditions and rate of change.
Hydro-logic models that predict surface runoff require observational data for their
validation.</span></p><p style='line-height: 1.2em; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);'>

</p><p align='left' style='margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in;'><span style='background:white'>Floods are the most damaging of all natural
hazards, and, each year, result in major disaster response activities. This
work requires near real time information. However, the mapped record of
flooding can also improve future flood risk assessment, and it can be used in
tandem with hydro-logical modeling to facilitate weather-based flow and
inundation prediction. Many floodplains and seasonal wetlands are flooded each
year, and the duration of flooding is a factor affecting wetland carbon storage
and the global carbon cycle. Droughts also affect food supplies and regional
economies, and accommodating both types of extremes is essential in planning
for hydro-power and other water-based development.</span></p>