Abstract
This paper outlines the hydrological aspects of the 2013/2014 winter flooding in the UK, as well as the impacts. The episode is considered in a long-term historical context and wider issues raised by the flood events are discussed briefly.
Highlights
Introduction in Marsh andDixon (2012).ers in central and eastern England recorded above average flows every day in January, Throughout the winter of 2013/2014, a succession of vigorous low pressure systemsRiver flows and the Trent recorded twice the monthly average flow
This resulted in the wettest At the end of November 2013, flows in most December on record in Scotland, some winter on record for the UK (since records rivers across the UK were declining and run- rivers in the far northwest (e.g. Naver, Ewe began in 1910), by a considerable margin, off rates fell well below the seasonal average and Carron) recorded below average flows and the stormiest for the UK and Ireland by month-end
The winter was exceptional in terms of the total rainfall and runoff response, the fluvial flooding events were generally not outstanding in terms of peak-flow magnitude, and groundwater flooding was widespread but not as severe as in
Summary
A defining characteristic of the winter was the spatial extent and persistence of floodplain inundations, rather than the magnitude of peak river levels This shaped the nature of the flood impacts. 50 000ha of farmland were inundated in a single week in February, most significantly across the Somerset Levels and Moors, extensive tracts of the Thames and Severn floodplains and in the southern counties of England (EFRA Committee, 2014). The wet winter produced an increase in the incidence of sinkholes, such as the one in Ripon (Yorkshire), the first in this area for 7 years, and 21 others reported across England in February These occur where voids (natural solution features in soluble rocks such as carbonate or gypsum or anthropogenic features e.g. due to mining) present at depth are covered by material that is subsequently washed away by the increase in rainfall and infiltration. The intense heavy rainfall caused landslides, on both natural unmodified slopes and anthropogenic structures such as railway embankments, with 138 reported in Great Britain between December 2013 and February 2014 (Figure 6)
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