Abstract
AbstractThe spatial and temporal complexities of flooding in karst terrains pose unique challenges in flood risk management. Lowland karst landscapes can be particularly susceptible to groundwater flooding due to a combination of low aquifer storage, high diffusivity and limited or absent surface drainage. Numerous notable groundwater flood events have been recorded in the Republic of Ireland throughout the twentieth century, but flooding during the winters of 2009 and 2015 was the most severe on record, causing widespread and prolonged disruption and damage to property and infrastructure. Effective flood risk management requires an understanding of the recharge, storage and transport mechanisms governing water movement across the landscape during flood conditions. Using information gathered from recent events, the main hydrological and geomorphological factors influencing flooding in these complex lowland karst groundwater systems are elucidated. Observed flood mechanisms included backwater flooding of sinks, high water levels in ephemerally flooded basins (turloughs), overtopping of depressions, and discharges from springs and resurgences. This paper addresses the need to improve our understanding of groundwater flooding in karst terrains to ensure efficient flood prevention and mitigation in the future, and thus helps to achieve the aims of the European Union Floods Directive.
Highlights
Background and geological contextLimestone accounts for >40% (30 000 km2) of the surface or near-surface outcrop in the Republic of Ireland, making it the most prevalent bedrock type and primary regionally important aquifer lithology in the country (Simms 2004; Drew 2008)
This paper presents a detailed example of the phenomenon of groundwater flooding in the lowland karst terrains of western Ireland
Turloughs are usually located along lines of concentrated flow within an aquifer and play a key part in lowland karst hydrology (Sheehy Skeffington et al 2006); they act as temporary storage for local and regional recharge in a role akin to that of temporary bank and floodplain storage in fluvial systems (Naughton et al 2017)
Summary
Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/kip_articles. Recommended Citation Naughton, Owen; McCormack, Ted; Gill, Laurence; and Johnston, Paul, "Groundwater flood hazards and mechanisms in lowland karst terrains" (2017). OWEN NAUGHTON1,2*, TED MCCORMACK2, LAURENCE GILL1 & PAUL JOHNSTON1 1Department of Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering, University of Dublin Trinity
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