March - flood and drought

Rainfall patterns in Scotland are changing as a result of climate change.

Over the past 40 years there has been about a 30% increase in the annual flow of a number of rivers that rise in the west of Scotland. These increasing river flows will inevitably lead to more floods, which will need to be managed to limit their socio-economic and human health effects. The way we manage such floods is changing and there is the opportunity to do so in a truly sustainable and beneficial way by allowing more rivers to flood onto their floodplains wherever possible and better linking them with their wetlands. Allowing our rivers, lochs and wetlands to function more naturally would not only help moderate the scale of flooding but also help increase the abundance and diversity of the species they support.

Aside from flooding, climate change will also have other effects on our rivers, lochs and wetlands. It is expected that increased droughts will allow sulphur trapped in upland wetlands to leach out as they dry, leading to the acidification of fresh waters. Continued warming of the waters of our lochs is also likely to result in increased levels of nutrient pollution, leading to more frequent algal blooms. All these changes will need to be carefully considered in our management of rivers and lochs so that they continue to play an important role in the conservation of Scotland’s natural heritage.

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