Recent research has shown that floods described as "unprecedented" are not so if we look back into the distant past.
A scientific team led by researchers from the University of Exeter in the UK documented the history of major floods in Western Europe over thousands of years using geological records. The study was published in the journal Climatic Change.
The study also showed that many ancient floods were more severe than modern floods.
The study casts doubt on the idea that recent floods are solely related to greenhouse gas emissions.
Professor Stefan Harrison said: "In recent years, floods around the world, including in Pakistan, Spain, and Germany, have caused massive human and material losses. These natural events were described as unprecedented, but looking back thousands of years, we find that this was not the case. In fact, what we call unprecedented floods today may have been less severe than similar natural events that occurred in the past."
The study relied on river sediment analysis, sand grain dating, and the movement of massive rocks to identify historical flood events.
"When we combine evidence from ancient floods with the additional influence of global warming causing more extreme weather events, we can estimate the risk of truly unprecedented flooding," Harrison added.
The study focused on three regions, including the Lower Rhine (Germany and the Netherlands), the Upper Severn (Britain), and the rivers of the Valencian Community (Spain).
Data from the Rhine River revealed at least 12 floods over the past 8,000 years that exceeded contemporary flooding. The Severn River's record showed that floods recorded over the past 72 years are not exceptional, compared to the 4,000-year geological record. The most severe flood in the region occurred in 250 BC, when researchers estimated that its peak water flow was 50% higher than the devastating flood that struck the region in 2000.