>> DO YOU THINK THE CYCLONE AND

WHAT'S HAPPENING AS I MENTIONED

IN THOSE RIVER BASINS IN THE

UNITED STATES RIGHT NOW HAVE THE

SAME CHARACTERISTICS?

YOU SAY BOTH ARE A PRODUCT OF

THIS WARMING WATERS AND THE AIR

AND THE INCREASING VIOLENCE AND

FREQUENCY.

>> THERE ARE TWO THINGS ABOUT

THE BIG FLOOD IN THE GREAT

PLAINS THAT ARE ALSO

CHARACTERISTIC OF A CHANGE IN

CLIE THE MA.

ONE OF THEM IS THERE'S A LOT OF

EXTRA MOISTURE IN THE ATMOSPHERE

DUE TO EVAPORATION FROM THE

OCEAN SURFACE.

THIS MOISTURE FEEDS

PRECIPITATION IN A SITUATION

WE'RE GOING TO HAVE HEAVY

PRECIPITATION, WHICH WE HAD IN

THE GREAT PLAINS OVER THE FEW

WEEKS PRECEDING THE FLOOD.

THEN IN ADDITION, WE HAD AN

EARLY MELT OF THE SNOW PACK.

THE COMBINATION OF AN EARLY MELT

AND HEAVY PRECIPITATION IS

WHAT'S CAUSING THE FLOOD AND AN

EARLY AND INTENSE MELTING IS

WHAT YOU WOULD EXPECT IN A

CHANGING CLIMATE.

WHAT WE'RE SEEING HERE IS A

VISION OF WHAT WE EXPECT IN THE

FUTURE.

MORE VIOLENT STORMS, WORSE

FLOODS.

AND IT'S JUST SORT OF ONE SET OF

EXTREMES THAT WE EXPECT TO

INCREASE IN THE CHANGING CLIMATE

AND THAT HAVE ALREADY CHANGED.

FOR INSTANCE, AS WOULDN'T BE A

SURPRISE IN A WARMER CLIMATE,

YOU GET MORE EPISODES OF EXTREME

HEAT.

EXTREME HEAT IS EXTREMELY

DANGEROUS TO HUMAN HEALTH.

ALSO IN A WARMER CLIMATE, YOU

EXPECT THE SEA LEVEL TO RISE.

SEA LEVEL HAS BEEN RISING.

IT'S DUE TO THE WARMED OCEAN.

IT'S DUE TO MELTING ICE FEEDING

MORE WATER INTO THE OCEAN.

WHEN YOU GET A COASTAL STORM IN

THE UNITED STATES LIKE, FOR

INSTANCE, HURRICANE SANDY, THE

FLOOD LEVEL GETS INTO PLACES IT

WOULDN'T HAVE BEFORE.

PERHAPS THE KING OF ALL THESE

EVENTS THAT HAVE THESE

CHARACTERISTICS WAS HURRICANE

HARVEY IN HOUSTON WHICH WAS SO

INTENSE IN TERMS OF RAINFALL

THAT IT JUST -- 50 INCHES OF

RAINFALL IN ONE EPISODE, UNHEARD

OF IN THE UNITED STATES.