Hydrologic behavior and flood probability for selected arid basins in Makkah area, western Saudi Arabia

In arid regions, flash floods often occur as a consequence of excessive rainfall. Occasionally causing major loss of property and life, floods are large events of relatively short duration. Makkah area in western Saudi Arabia is characterized by high rainfall intensity that leads to flash floods. This study quantifies the hydrological characteristics and flood probability of some major wadis in western Saudi Arabia, including Na’man, Fatimah, and Usfan. Flood responses in these wadis vary due to the nature and rainfall distribution within these wadis. Rainfall frequency analysis was performed using selected annual maximums of 24-h rainfall from eight stations located in the area. Two of the most applied methods of statistical distribution, Gumbel’s extreme value distribution and log Pearson type III distribution, were applied to maximum daily rainfall data over 26 to 40 years. The Gumbel’s model was found to be the best fitting model for identifying and predicting future rainfall occurrence. Rainfall estimations from different return periods were identified. Probable maximum floods of the major wadis studied were also estimated for different return periods, which were extrapolated from the probable maximum precipitation.     

Global Perspectives on Loss of Human Life Caused by Floods

Every year floods cause enormous damage all over the world. This study investigates loss of human life statistics for different types of floods and different regions on a global scale. The OFDA/CRED Database contains data on international disasters and is maintained by the Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters in Brussels (CRED) in cooperation with United States Office for Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA). Information from this source on a large number of flood events, which occurred between January 1975 and June 2002, is evaluated with respect to flood location and flood type. Due to the limited availability of information on coastal flood events, the scope of this study is limited to three types of freshwater flooding: river floods, flash floods and drainage problems. First, the development of loss of life statistics over time is discussed. Second, the dataset is analysed by region, by flood type and by the combination of type and region. The study shows that flash floods result in the highest average mortality per event (the number of fatalities divided by the number of affected persons). A cross analysis by flood type and location shows that average mortality is relatively constant for the different types over various continents, while the magnitude of the impacts (numbers of killed) and affected for a certain type varies between the different continents. On a worldwide scale Asian river floods are most significant in terms of number of persons killed and affected. Finally, a comparison with figures for other types of natural disasters shows that floods are the most significant disaster type in terms of the number of persons affected.     

浅析甘肃小流域分布特性及山洪灾害成灾特点

暴雨洪水是自然界的主要灾害之一,它是水文现象的极端事件。山洪给国民经济和人民的生命财产造成很大损失,它是甘肃经济社会发展的重要制约因素之一。随着经济发展,人口增加,山洪给国民经济和社会发展带来的损失将越来越大,因此,防洪减灾任务仍十分艰巨。本文对甘肃省小流域分布特性及山洪成灾特点进行了分析,并提出了山洪灾害防治的建议。     

Flash flood occurrence and magnitude assessment in an alluvial fan context: the October 2011 event in the Southern Apennines

Natural Hazards - This study presents the analysis of flash floods triggered by an extreme rainfall event that occurred on 7 October, 2011, over the Marzano carbonate massif (Southern Apennines)....     

Flash flood mitigation as a positive consequence of anthropogenic forcing on the groundwater resource in a karst catchment

The Mediterranean coastal region is prone to high-intensity rainfall events that are frequently associated with devastating flash floods. This paper discusses the role of a karst aquifer system in the flash floods of a Mediterranean river, the Lez river. Most of the Lez river watershed is located on karst terrains where interactions between surface water and groundwater take place. During extreme rainfall events, the presence of fractures and well-developed karst features in carbonate terrains enhances the infiltration processes and involves the concentration of the recharge into highly organized and permeable flow paths. The groundwater, therefore, quickly moves towards the natural outlets of the karst system. The influence of the Lez karst aquifer system on the associated river floods dynamics is analysed while considering the spatially distributed rainfall, as well as the time series of the groundwater level within the aquifer and of the Lez river discharge measured at various gauging stations. Special attention is given to the relative importance of the surface and underground processes involved in flash flood genesis. It is shown that the karst groundwater contributes to flash floods under certain conditions, while high-rate pumping within the karst aquifer, which generates significant drawdown, may mitigate flash floods under other conditions.     

Reconstruction and post-event analysis of a flash flood in a small ungauged basin: a case study in Slovak territory

Flash floods are one of the major natural hazards occurring in small streams with a negative effect on the country as well as on human lives. Heavy rainfall occurred on July 20, 2014 and July 21, 2014 and caused severe surface water flooding and a flash flood in the Malá Fatra National Park (Slovakia). The most affected was Vrátna Valley with the Varínka stream. This study presents a reconstruction and post-event analysis of a flash flood on small ungauged basin located in this protected area of Slovakia. The reconstruction included hydraulic terrain measurements on estimating the flood’s culmination and documenting the flood’s development. The measurements were taken at three cross sections of the Varínka stream. This paper is focused mainly on post-event analysis of the Varínka stream in two profiles: Strá?a (gauged profile) and Tiesňavy (ungauged cross section). Subsequently, the extremeness of the flash flood was preliminary evaluated. Results of the post-event analysis showed that the July 2014 flood was not the highest flood in this area despite its catastrophic consequences. By studying historical materials, we came to the conclusion that in the past (e.g. in 1848 or 1939) some devastating floods in this area had occurred, which had disastrous consequences for the population. The second part of the study is focused on comparing this flash flood with three major floods which have occurred in Slovak territory since 1998. The first flood occurred on the 20th of July, 1998 on the Malá Svinka stream, and the two others are floods which occurred on the 7th of June, 2011 in the Small Carpathian Mountains: on the Gidra stream in Píla village and on the Parná stream in Horné Ore?any village. Such comparison of flash floods from different geographical regions and different rainfall events can provide comprehensive information about their regimes, threats and disastrous effects.     

Impact of climate change on extreme rainfall events and flood risk in India

The occurrence of exceptionally heavy rainfall events and associated flash floods in many areas during recent years motivate us to study long-term changes in extreme rainfall over India. The analysis of the frequency of rainy days, rain days and heavy rainfall days as well as one-day extreme rainfall and return period has been carried out in this study to observe the impact of climate change on extreme rainfall events and flood risk in India. The frequency of heavy rainfall events are decreasing in major parts of central and north India while they are increasing in peninsular, east and north east India. The study tries to bring out some of the interesting findings which are very useful for hydrological planning and disaster managements. Extreme rainfall and flood risk are increasing significantly in the country except some parts of central India.     

Droughts in the desert: Medieval Warm Period associated with coarse sediment layers in the Gulf of Aqaba-Eilat,Red Sea

Prolonged droughts can cause environmental stress, even in ecosystems that are already adapted to dry conditions. In these areas life greatly depends on rare, sporadic rainfall events that can produce flash floods. Today, urban expansion, population growth and development are occurring worldwide, including along hyperarid coastlines, an ecological zone on the extreme of habitability. In such places, the absence of the already limited precipitation can lead to long-lasting damage, and recognizing drought conditions in the past is useful for planning. Recognizing droughts, however, is challenging because they are not known as depositional events, and therefore may be under-recognized in the sedimentological record. Floods in these hyperarid deserts carry eroded sediments and deposit them in either terrestrial or marine terminal basins. In the hyperarid (ca 30 mm rain per year) desert surrounding the northern Gulf of Aqaba-Eilat some flash floods reach the sea and deposit alluvial sediments (mostly silt and clay) on the shelf. Following a recent 17 year drought period (1995 to 2012) a coarser surface layer was recognized offshore the outlet of an ephemeral river, despite the lack of incoming flood material. This coarsened layer resulted from a prolonged period wherein mixing and winnowing of fine particles at the surface was not interrupted by recurrent flash floods. In the bottom of two sediment cores collected from the same shelf, a similarly coarsened layer was observed. The terminal level of this deep coarse layer was dated to ca 660 yr bp , corresponding with the end of the Medieval Warm Period (ca 1350 ad ). These findings suggest that the medieval anomaly resulted in a prolonged drought period in this already arid region. These results present a new interpretation of grain-size distribution records that provides a means to reconstruct drought histories in hyperarid regions globally.     

淮河流域近500年洪旱事件演变特征分析

为了认识淮河流域过去500年洪旱事件发生规律并鉴别当前的洪旱情势,收集并对比分析了流域实测降雨资料、重建历史雨季降雨资料、历史旱涝等级资料、历史洪旱文献记录和历史调查洪水资料等多源洪旱灾害数据。以重建历史雨季降雨资料和历史旱涝等级资料为主要依据,通过滑动平均、频率计算、小波分析和突变检验等方法,分析流域过去500年洪水干旱时空分布特征和演变规律。结果表明,17世纪淮河流域洪旱灾害最严重,但20世纪极端洪旱事件发生频次最多。淮河流域洪旱事件存在40年左右的稳定长周期,主周期从18世纪的15~20年逐渐减少到19世纪的5年周期,近20年来出现2~3年的主周期,洪旱灾害事件呈增加趋势,流域社会经济发展面临着严峻的洪旱灾害威胁。     

Modeling flood dynamics in a temporary river draining to an eutrophic reservoir in southeast Portugal

Enxoé is a small temporary river with a flushy regime, which flash floods carry significant loads to the reservoir. As a result, the reservoir, which supplies 25,000 inhabitants, exhibits a high trophic state and cyanobacteria blooms since its construction in 1998, with water abstractions requiring extensive treatment. This study aimed to understand the contribution of flash floods to the Enxoé’s reservoir high trophic state using a modeling approach. This was the first time the river was monitored and that a modeling study was carried out. The MOHID-Land model was implemented to assess the water path in the catchment, and was integrated with field data to compute river loads. Results confirmed the importance of flash events. During flash floods, water properties were determined by soil surface and river bottom wash out, and depended mostly on the flush sequence and intensity. Model simulations showed that soil surface permeability reduction was an important factor regulating surface runoff while soil moisture was low. The first flood after the dry period contributed to 2% of the yearly discharge, 3% of yearly N load, and 7% of the yearly P loads. Winter floods contribution differed, producing 10% of both yearly discharge and loads. However, concentration of particulate matter and organic compounds in the first flood were one order of magnitude higher than in winter floods. This was due to river bottom resuspension and erosion of riparian areas, representative dynamics of a flushy regime. During subsequent winter floods, nutrient concentrations tended to remain constant as the watershed surface and respective soils were washed. Further work should link a watershed model to a reservoir model to depict the flood impact in the reservoir, and test management strategies to reduce the reservoir trophic state.     

Floods in the IPCC TAR Perspective

Recent floods have become more abundant and more destructive than ever in many regions of the globe. Destructive floods observed in the 1990s all over the world have led to record-high material damage, with total losses exceeding one billion US dollars in each of two dozen events. The immediate question emerges as to the extent to which a sensible rise in flood hazard and vulnerability can be linked to climate variability and change. Links between climate change and floods have found extensive coverage in the Third Assessment Report (TAR) of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Since the material on floods is scattered over many places of two large volumes of the TAR, the present contribution - a guided tour to floods in the IPCC TAR – may help a reader notice the different angles from which floods were considered in the IPCC report. As the water-holding capacity of the atmosphere grows with temperature, the potential for intensive precipitation also increases. Higher and more intense precipitation has been already observed and this trend is expected to increase in the future, warmer world. This is a sufficient condition for flood hazard to increase. Yet there are also other, non-climatic, factors exacerbating flood hazard. According to the IPCC TAR, the analysis of extreme events in both observations and coupled models is underdeveloped. It is interesting that the perception of floods in different parts of the TAR is largely different. Large uncertainty is emphasized in the parts dealing with the science of climate change, but in the impact chapters, referring to sectors and regions, growth in flood risk is taken for granted. Floods have been identified on short lists of key regional concerns.     

Towards a better understanding of the evolution of the flood risk in Mediterranean urban areas: the case of Barcelona

This contribution explores the evolution of the flood risk in the Metropolitan Area of Barcelona (MAB; Northeast Spain) from 1981 to 2015, and how it has been affected by changes in land use, population and precipitation. To complete this study, we analysed PRESSGAMA and INUNGAMA databases to look for all the information related to the floods and flash floods that have affected the chosen region. The “Consorcio de Compensación de Seguros”, a state insurance company for extraordinary risks, provided data on economic damage. The extreme precipitation trend was analysed by the Fabra Observatory and El Prat-Airport Observatory, and daily precipitation data were provided by the State Meteorological Agency of Spain (AEMET) and the Meteorological Service of Catalonia (SMC). Population data were obtained from the Statistical Institute of Catalonia (IDESCAT). Changes in land use were estimated from the land use maps for Catalonia corresponding to 1956, 1993, 2000, 2005 and 2009. Prevention measures like rainwater tanks and improvements to the drainage system were also been considered. The specific case of Barcelona is presented, a city recognised by United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction as a model city for urban resilience to floods. The evolution of flood events in the MAB does not show any significant trend for this period. We argue that the evolution in floods can be explained, at least in part, by the lack of trend in extreme precipitation indices, and also by the improvements in flood prevention measures.     

近1 000年长江中下游旱涝与气候变化关系

文章利用旱涝灾害历史记载与现代器测降水资料重建长江中下游旱涝灾害等级序列 ,并通过相关分析与波谱分析、交叉谱分析等分别探讨了长江中下游旱涝灾害发生与东太平洋海水表面温度 (SST)以及太阳活动 (太阳黑子数 )的关系。结果表明 ,长江中下游涝灾多发生于气候过渡期 ,即涝灾在气候由一种气候状态向另一种气候状态转变时期多发。谱分析与交叉谱分析结果表明 ,长江中下游旱涝灾害等级序列在 10～ 11年周期上与太阳黑子数存在相关 ,但两者有近 1年的滞后性。长江中下游旱涝灾害与SST的相关关系分析表明 ,SST正距平年份 ,往往对应着长江中下游的涝灾 ;而SST负距平年份往往对应着长江中下游旱灾。因而可以认为 ,SST与太阳活动变化(太阳黑子数量变化 )在不同周期频度上对长江中下游旱涝灾害具有明显影响。     

Space-based monitoring of severe flooding of a southern state in India during south-west monsoon season of 2018

Kerala, a southern state of India, experienced a severe flooding due to multi-day extreme rain events during July and August months of 2018. This disaster was one of the worst floods to hit the state and resulted in heavy losses of lives and property. Natural Disaster Management Authority of India reported that 483 people lost their lives and more than 50 lakhs population were affected severely. This short communication focuses on examining this flood event using satellite remote sensing. It is reported that Kerala received an excess of about 56% rainfall during July and August from multi-day extreme rainfall episodes. Few regions of Kerala received the rainfall in the range of 270–300 mm on August 14 and 15. Hourly rainfall events in the excess of 25 mm have also been reported during heavy rainy days. The present study reports that multi-day heavy rainy events during July and August brought an accumulated rainfall of about 1600 mm, which resulted in extreme flooding over Kerala.

     

Flash flood routing modeling for levee-breaks and overbank flows due to typhoon events in a complicated river system

There has been a yearly increase in precipitation in Taiwan, consistent with trends seen across the world. In the summer and fall, typhoons or tropical cyclones with torrential rainfall frequently occur as a result of Taiwan’s subtropical climate. Flash floods may cause a levee-break and/or the overtopping of banks at narrow neck locations in a river system, which may in turn produce inundation in urban areas. Therefore, a model that predicts flash floods is of vital importance for river management. The present study is based on a flash flood routing model, which incorporates levee-break and overbank functions to calculate the discharge hydrographs in the complicated Danshuei River system of northern Taiwan. The numerical model was calibrated and verified against observed water stages using three typhoon events. The results indicate reasonable agreement between the model simulations and the observed data. The model was then used to calculate the levee-break and overbank flow hydrographs due to Typhoon Talim (2005) and Typhoon Nari (2001), respectively. The simulated results indicate that several parameters significantly affect the flow hydrograph during a levee-break and should be carefully monitored when levee-break events occur in the river system. The simulated water stages at several stations are consistent with observed data from Typhoon Nari. The simulated overbank flow results quantitatively agree with reported information. The data also confirm that most of the overbank events occurred at the upper reaches of the Keelung River, consistent with the low levee height protection.     

Joint pattern of seasonal hydrological droughts and floods alternation in China’s Huai River Basin using the multivariate L-moments

Under the current condition of climate change, droughts and floods occur more frequently, and events in which flooding occurs after a prolonged drought or a drought occurs after an extreme flood may have a more severe impact on natural systems and human lives. This challenges the traditional approach wherein droughts and floods are considered separately, which may largely underestimate the risk of the disasters. In our study, the sudden alternation of droughts and flood events (ADFEs) between adjacent seasons is studied using the multivariate L-moments theory and the bivariate copula functions in the Huai River Basin (HRB) of China with monthly streamflow data at 32 hydrological stations from 1956 to 2012. The dry and wet conditions are characterized by the standardized streamflow index (SSI) at a 3-month time scale. The results show that: (1) The summer streamflow makes the largest contribution to the annual streamflow, followed by the autumn streamflow and spring streamflow. (2) The entire study area can be divided into five homogeneous sub-regions using the multivariate regional homogeneity test. The generalized logistic distribution (GLO) and log-normal distribution (LN3) are acceptable to be the optimal marginal distributions under most conditions, and the Frank copula is more appropriate for spring-summer and summer-autumn SSI series. Continuous flood events dominate at most sites both in spring-summer and summer-autumn (with an average frequency of 13.78% and 17.06%, respectively), while continuous drought events come second (with an average frequency of 11.27% and 13.79%, respectively). Moreover, seasonal ADFEs most probably occurred near the mainstream of HRB, and drought and flood events are more likely to occur in summer-autumn than in spring-summer.     

A comparative analysis of the loss of life during two recent floods in France: the sea surge caused by the storm Xynthia and the flash flood in Var

This paper aims to analyse and compare the loss of life that occurred during two recent floods in France. The first flood was due to a sea surge triggered by the storm called Xynthia that hit the Atlantic coast on 28 February 2010 (41 flood-related deaths). The second was a flash flood that struck the Var Department in the French Mediterranean region on 15 June 2010 (26 fatalities). After detailing the assumptions and expected outcomes of the study of disaster-related fatalities, the paper focuses on the characteristics of the victims and the circumstances of their deaths. In the first case, 71% of the victims were people aged over 60 (mainly women) who were surprised while they were sleeping and who died in or near their homes. In the case of the flash flood, the profiles of the victims were diverse as the flooding occurred in the afternoon and many people were trapped in open. The paper also highlights the factors that explain mortality. Physical factors such as water depth were determined. The relationship between the water depth and the age of victims was found to be relevant. In the case of the storm surge Xynthia, the correlation between age and water depth is positive. For the flash flood, the correlation between age and water depth was negative as male adults died in open. In the first case, the vulnerability of people was closely linked to human features such as type of housing and age that people are not directly responsible for. During flash floods, dangerous behaviour by people highlighted the role of risk-taking in loss of life. We also examined the particular case of the deaths of the children. The paper concludes by discussing the factors of vulnerability on frail population such as elderly people or marginalized. The lack of risk awareness and crisis preparedness were clearly a major factor of vulnerability.     

Restriction function of lithology and its composite structure to deformation and failure of mining coal seam floor

We examined spatial distribution characteristics of extreme hydrological events in Xinjiang, China, using district data from 1901 to 2010. Frequency distribution showed a general symmetry along the Tianshan Mountains, with even distribution in Junggar Basin and Tarim Basin. Frequency was more in the north-west than in the south-east. The maximum incidence was in west Tianshan Mountains and generally decreased south-eastward. There were significant regional variations in type distribution. Rainstorm floods were more common in central Xinjiang. Hailstorms mainly occurred in the central Junggar Basin, the southern slope of the western Tianshan Mountains and north-west of Tarim Basin. Debris flow was mainly distributed in Ili Valley and the central northern Tianshan Mountains. Glacier lake outburst floods were more common in the Karakorum Mountains and southern slopes of the western Tianshan Mountains. Ice floods were mainly distributed in the western Tianshan Mountains. Snow hazards were mainly distributed in the wide northern areas, especially the Altai Mountains and Hamilton Basin. Snowmelt floods were mainly distributed in the Tacheng Basin and Ili Valley. The incidence of extreme hydrological events was greatly affected by weather systems and terrain features.     

The use of press data in the development of a database for rainfall-induced landslides in Tegucigalpa,Honduras, 1980–2005

The capital city of Honduras, Tegucigalpa, suffers from the occurrence of destructive landslides on a yearly basis. During the rainy season, damages to infrastructure as well as injuries, casualties and homeless individuals resulting from landslides are reported in the press. This paper presents the development of a database for rainfall-induced landslides for the period 1980–2005, based on the news reported by two local newspapers. The editions comprehended during the study period have been scrutinized, and articles focusing on landslides, tropical storms, hurricanes, floods and vulnerability of the city have been collected. The interpretation of these archives has allowed the compilation of valuable data of approximately 400 landslides. The analyses of monthly and annual precipitation during the study period show how extreme rainfall events like Hurricane Mitch in October of 1998 have significantly contributed to the initiation of landslides. In addition, the assessment of the slums and neighborhoods affected by landslides during the study period reveals an evident link between the social and physical vulnerability of Tegucigalpa. In order to estimate the reliability of this press-based database, the set of landslides that have been reported as a result of Hurricane Mitch in the press archives has been compared with two inventories based on the interpretation of aerial photographs taken in 1999 and 2001. It is shown that the analysis of the landslide damage left after the hurricane can be enriched with the detailed temporal data provided in the archives and the precise location of these events determined by the aerial photographs. Despite the difficulties faced in the compilation of this database, a good comprehension of the temporal and spatial distribution of landslides in Tegucigalpa has been achieved.