Estimation of peak discharges of historical floods
There is no doubt that the hazard assessment of future floods, especially under consideration of recent environmental change, can be significantly improved by the consideration of historic flood events. While flood frequency inventories on local, regional and even European scale have already been de...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Copernicus Publications
2014-10-01
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| Series: | Hydrology and Earth System Sciences |
| Online Access: | http://www.hydrol-earth-syst-sci.net/18/4029/2014/hess-18-4029-2014.pdf |
| Summary: | There is no doubt that the hazard assessment of future floods, especially
under consideration of recent environmental change, can be significantly
improved by the consideration of historic flood events. While flood
frequency inventories on local, regional and even European scale have already been
developed and published, the estimation of their magnitudes indicated by
discharges is still challenging. Such data are required due to significant
human impacts on river channels and floodplains, though historic flood levels
cannot be related to recent ones or recent discharges. Based on
experiences from single local key studies, we present the general outline of an approach
to estimate the discharge of the previous flood based on handed-down
flood level and topographic data. The model for one-dimensional
steady flow is based on the empirical Manning equation for the mean flow
velocity. Background and potential sources of information, acceptable
simplifications and data transformation for each element of the
model equation are explained and discussed. Preliminary experiences regarding the
accuracy of ±10% are documented, and potential approaches for the
validation of individual estimations are given. A brief discussion of benefits
and limitations, including a generalized statement on alternative approaches,
concludes the review of the approach. |
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| ISSN: | 1027-5606 1607-7938 |