Impact Of Flood Events Research Articles

Impact of flooding events on buried infrastructures: a review

This review delves into the profound implications of flooding events on buried infrastructures, specifically pipelines, tunnels, and culverts. While these buried infrastructures are vital for community resilience, their susceptibility to damage from flooding, storm surges, and hurricanes poses significant challenges. Unlike the obvious impact on above-ground structures, the effects of flooding on buried infrastructures, being out of sight, are not quickly and easily observable. This review aims to 1) review the state-of-the-art research on the flooding effects on buried structures and summarize causes of failures of buried infrastructures induced by flooding; 2) identify the research gaps on this topic to motivate in-depth investigations; and 3) discuss the future research directions. This review sheds light on how factors contributing to the vulnerability of buried infrastructures are multifaceted and can vary based on the specific characteristics of the infrastructure, the local environment, and the nature of the flood event. Despite the availability of many articles on the topic, this review also highlights a lack of methodologies to assess flooding damage and its impact on the serviceability of buried infrastructures. We suggested three future research directions to bridge this research gap including investigating and distinguishing key factors to quantify flooding damage to buried infrastructures, developing advanced modeling techniques, and exploring the integration of smart technologies in health monitoring of buried infrastructures.

Reconstruction of fluvio‐lacustrine landscapes and settlement history in the Texcoco region, Mexico, using a modern geomorphic analog

AbstractLocated in the Basin of Mexico, the eastern shore of former Lake Texcoco sustained a variety of human occupations throughout the Holocene, including preceramic hunter‐gatherers, incipient agriculturalists, and a variety of settlements in the ceramic periods. Nonetheless, the environmental dynamics of occupations on the lakeshore have not been fully addressed. The Archaic preagricultural Texcoco Man site (>5000 B.C.E.) and the Late Formative TX‐LF‐14 site (c. 550‐200 B.C.E.), among others, occupy this fluvio‐lacustrine transitional environment. Few stratigraphic works in and around the sites have been performed. Consequently, it is difficult to understand the dynamics of the sedimentary system in space and time. This work highlights and describes the fluvio‐lacustrine sedimentary dynamics and the resulting landscape that past societies inhabited on the eastern shore of Texcoco Lake. Because the study area has been altered by historic and modern draining, our work employs Lake Santiaguillo and its main tributary, the Tejamen River in the Durango state, as a modern analog to study their sedimentary dynamics. The analyses of surface geomorphology in the Texcoco study area were employed to corroborate the modern analog interpretation. To achieve these goals, we conducted a GIS‐based morphometric analysis and LANDSAT‐8 imagery to study the variations in landforms through wet and dry events. The results indicate an increase in the lake volume, low bifurcation in the active fluvial channels, few inundated surfaces, and the presence of bird‐foot deltaic channels during high precipitation events. In contrast, low precipitation events are characterized by reduced lake volume, increased fluvial channel bifurcation, and expanded floodplains. This heterogeneous landscape thus provided a rich source of diverse natural resources of saline and freshwater aquatic habitats. Simultaneously, constant or recurring flooding events generated a challenging landscape for prehistoric settlers who implemented diverse technologies, such as the construction of tlateles, on the levees of deltaic channels to reduce the risk and impact of flooding events.

Social vulnerability and climate risk assessment for agricultural communities in the United States

Floods and droughts significantly affect agricultural activities and pose a threat to food security by subsequently reducing agricultural production. The impact of flood events is distributed disproportionately among agricultural communities based on their socio-economic fabric. Understanding climate-related hazards is critical for planning mitigation measures to secure vulnerable communities. This study introduces a holistic approach for evaluating the combined risks associated with drought and flood hazards for agricultural communities in the United States. It accomplishes this by merging social vulnerability indicators with data on drought and flood exposure, enabling the identification of the most susceptible agricultural communities. The research seeks to offer valuable insights into the vulnerability of agricultural communities across the United States. It fills a vital research gap by conducting a comprehensive nationwide assessment of social vulnerability, considering expected annual losses related to both flood and drought hazards, and amalgamating social vulnerability with these expected annual losses. The analyses were conducted by adapting datasets and methodologies that are developed by federal institutions such as FEMA, USACE, and USDA. The study identified the 30 most socially vulnerable counties and assessed their exposure to drought and flooding, finding that Mendocino, Sonoma, Humboldt, El Dorado, Fresno, and Kern counties in California had the highest drought exposure and expected annual losses, with Humboldt (CA) and Montgomery (TX) having the highest combined risk. The study estimated over $1 billion in crop damage, with California experiencing the greatest losses, primarily affecting a diverse range of crops, while the Midwest was primarily impacted in terms of major crop types. The findings of this study can serve as supportive information for policymakers to better understand climate risks in agricultural communities and identify where risk mitigation activities should be allocated.

Urban flood risk assessment using Sentinel-1 on the google earth engine: A case study in Thai Nguyen city, Vietnam

The cloud computing architecture on which Google Earth Engine (GEE) is built efficiently handles satellite photos and keeps tabs on data sources. GEE has potential benefits and is being used more often in disaster management. This research aims to aid in flood risk management by developing a framework to rapidly quantify urban flood risk assessment utilizing Sentinel-1 on the GEE and socio-economic data using spatial analytic techniques in GIS. Specifically, this approach only evaluated the flood risk based on the flood events and their impact on social-economic aspects. The flood risk analysis results show that the impact of flood events in Thai Nguyen city is significant. Specifically, 33 educational institutions, 04 medical facilities, 116.46 ha of traffic road, 1406.42 ha of agricultural land, and 762.7 ha of residential land were affected by flood risk. The impact assessment maps provide detailed information on the quantities and locations of the affected areas. These assessments can assist local managers in preventing and minimizing damages, providing necessary information for implementing planning solutions, and appropriate land use in the future.

Flood Risk Perception in the Housing Market and the Impact of a Major Flood Event

The impact of flood events on flood risk perception has important implications for policy. Applying a novel dataset featuring the flooding extents from a severe event in Colorado, we disentangle inundated properties from “near misses,” defined as structures not directly flooded but located inside the 100-year floodplain. Using a triple-difference hedonic framework, we show that inundated properties inside the floodplain underwent a decrease in price after the flood, while near misses saw a relative price increase. We speculate that inundated properties are perceived as being riskier and near misses relatively less risky, suggesting the possible influence of the availability heuristic or Bayesian learning.

A participatory community case study of periurban coastal flood vulnerability in southern Ecuador.

BackgroundPopulations in coastal cities are exposed to increasing risk of flooding, resulting in rising damages to health and assets. Adaptation measures, such as early warning systems for floods (EWSFs), have the potential to reduce the risk and impact of flood events when tailored to reflect the local social-ecological context and needs. Community perceptions and experiences play a critical role in risk management, since perceptions influence people’s behaviors in response to EWSFs and other interventions.MethodsWe investigated community perceptions and responses in flood-prone periurban areas in the coastal city of Machala, Ecuador. Focus groups (n = 11) were held with community members (n = 65 people) to assess perceptions of flood exposure, sensitivity, adaptive capacity, and current alert systems. Discussions were audio recorded, transcribed, and coded by topic. Participatory maps were field validated, georeferenced, and digitized using GIS software. Qualitative data were triangulated with historical government information on rainfall, flood events, population demographics, and disease outbreaks.ResultsFlooding was associated with seasonal rainfall, El Niño events, high ocean tides, blocked drainage areas, overflowing canals, collapsed sewer systems, and low local elevation. Participatory maps revealed spatial heterogeneity in perceived flood risk across the community. Ten areas of special concern were mapped, including places with strong currents during floods, low elevation areas with schools and homes, and other places that accumulate stagnant water. Sensitive populations included children, the elderly, physically handicapped people, low-income families, and recent migrants. Flood impacts included damages to property and infrastructure, power outages, and the economic cost of rebuilding/repairs. Health impacts included outbreaks of infectious diseases, skin infections, snakebite, and injury/drowning. Adaptive capacity was weakest during the preparation and recovery stages of flooding. Participants perceived that their capacity to take action was limited by a lack of social organization, political engagement, and financial capital. People perceived that flood forecasts were too general, and instead relied on alerts via social media.ConclusionsThis study highlights the challenges and opportunities for climate change adaptation in coastal cities. Areas of special concern provide clear local policy targets. The participatory approach presented here (1) provides important context to shape local policy and interventions in Ecuador, complimenting data gathered through standard flood reports, (2) provides a voice for marginalized communities and a mechanism to raise local awareness, and (3) provides a research framework that can be adapted to other resource-limited coastal communities at risk of flooding.

Linking Water Infrastructure, Public Health, and Sea Level Rise: Integrated Assessment of Flood Resilience in Coastal Cities

Coastal community water infrastructure is increasingly vulnerable to climate-sensitive coastal hazards. Tides, storm surges, rainfall, and salt intrusion affect infrastructure and human health. In case studies of Charleston, South Carolina, and Morehead City, North Carolina, USA, this project sought to advance risk assessment of urban water and wastewater infrastructure and identify linkages to human health impacts as risk evolves with sea level rise. The methodology integrates community infrastructure, health care, emergency resources, geospatial simulation, and a tabletop exercise with planners, emergency managers, public utilities, and health care providers. Resilience is assessed by community participants using interactive online maps, susceptibility indices, and a resilience matrix. Results highlight differential vulnerability, population susceptibility, and elevation uncertainty. We observe similar trends of increasing magnitude, frequency, and impact of flood events on water infrastructure and public health as sea level rises. Implications for tackling challenges across sectors are highlighted for improving coastal resilience.

Tick abundance: a one year study on the impact of flood events along the banks of the river Danube, Austria

The abundance of questing ticks depends on various factors. In this study, the impact of a major flood event on tick abundance and activity was observed. Ticks were collected on a weekly basis in two approximately 2 km2 large floodplain areas on the inner and the outer bank of the river Danube north of Vienna, Austria. In 2013 before a 200 year flood event, an average of 55 ticks per hour was collected in the area on the outer bank and 21 ticks per hour in the area on the inner bank. After the flood event the tick activity was massively reduced, with 12 ticks per hour on the outer bank and 1.1 ticks per hour on the inner bank. The most distinctive factor between the two areas was the level of sediment after the flooding, with almost no sediment in the outer bank, whereas on the inner bank the average height of sediment was 270 mm. Our data indicate the residual sediment has a greater impact on tick abundance and activity than the flooding itself. Besides the direct effect of ticks being buried under the sediment, there may be important indirect effects of the sediment on the habitat of the ticks and/or the host animals. We assume that this is the reason for the generally significantly lower numbers of questing ticks in this area on the inner bank of the Danube in this region, with periodical flood events.

Modelling the socio-economic impact of river floods in Europe

Abstract. River floods generate a large share of the socio-economic impact of weather-driven hazards worldwide. Accurate assessment of their impact is a key priority for governments, international organization, reinsurance companies and emergency responders. Yet, available databases of flood losses over large domains are often affected by gaps and inconsistencies in reported figures. In this work, a framework to reconstruct the economic damage and population affected by river floods at continental scale is applied. Pan-European river flow simulations are coupled with a high-resolution impact assessment framework based on 2-D inundation modelling. Two complementary methods are compared in their ability to estimate the climatological average flood impact and the impact of each flood event in Europe between 1990 and 2013. The event-based method reveals key features, such as the ability to include changes in time of all three components of risk, namely hazard, exposure and vulnerability. Furthermore, it skilfully reproduces the socio-economic impact of major flood events in the past two decades, including the severe flooding hitting central Europe in June 2013. On the other hand, the integral method is capable of reproducing the average flood losses which occurred in Europe between 1998 and 2009. Strengths and limitations of the proposed model are discussed to stress the large potential for filling in the gaps of current datasets of flood impact.

Geomorphic diversity in the braided-wandering Belá River, Slovak Carpathians, as a response to flood variability and environmental changes

Changes in the morphological pattern of the gravel-bed Belá River, Slovak Carpathians, were investigated to infer about the impact of flood events and environmental changes on the evolutionary trend of the river since the mid-twentieth century. The post-flood period serial geomorphic analysis (POPSEGA) approach coupled with GIS analysis was used to identify morphological changes that occurred during particular flood periods. The study focused on assessing how six flood periods (FP) with differing flood characteristics have influenced the evolutionary trend of the river. Several sets of aerial photos (1949, 1961, 1973, 1986, 1992, 2003, 2009) taken after the periods with the occurrence or lack of major floods provided data about channel landform changes in 227 river segments of 100-m length. A decreasing trend of the area of the river's active zone (from 2.5km2 in 1949 to 1.4km2 in 2009) was identified. The first FP (1949–1961), with a very high-magnitude flood in 1958 (RI50), was characterized by increasing total channel length, island number/area, and the number/density of confluence–diffluence pairs (nodes), and by decreasing bar area. During this FP the frequency of cores of channel dynamics as well as the Shannon's index of landforms diversity reached the highest values. The following FP (1962–1973) with four 5- to 10-year floods exhibited the inverse pattern of changes in channel form parameters, although the core frequency of channel dynamics and Shannon's diversity index were still high. The river system seems to have been relatively stable between 1974 and 1986 (third FP) with some decrease in the area of channel forms and in pattern metrics values. During the fourth FP (1987–1992) several 1.5- to 3-year floods occurred and were associated with a decrease in some channel forms and a further decrease of the pattern metrics values. An increase in all analysed channel parameters, especially bar area and pattern metrics values, occurred in the years 1993–2002 (fifth FP) as a consequence of two floods of moderate magnitude in 1997 (RI7) and 2001 (RI3.5). The lowest values of bar area and pattern metrics during the whole study period were recorded during the last FP (2002–2008), whereas island area increased at that time. The study shows that the occurrence of floods during the last six decades has not returned the Belá to its former state because of the overall decrease in flood magnitudes, changes in catchment sediment supply induced by the increasing forest cover in the catchment (from 22.7% in 1957 to 34.8% in 2008), and changes in channel boundary conditions (channelization, channel incision, small hydropower plant constructions).

Impact of flash flood events on the distribution of organic pollutants in surface sediments from a Mediterranean coastal lagoon (Mar Menor, SE Spain).

The influence of flash flood events on the input and distribution of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and organochlorinated pesticides (OCPs) in surface sediments from the Mar Menor lagoon were characterized in this study. These contaminants were analyzed in surface water samples collected during two flash flood events in the main surface watercourse which flow into the Mar Menor lagoon. Surface sediments were sampled semiannually before and after flash flood events. The total input of PAHs, OCPs, and PCBs (sorbed + dissolved) during two flash flood events was estimated at 0.98, 1.32, and 0.34kg, respectively, the main input corresponding to p,p'-DDE (1.00kg). The distribution of organic contaminants in surface sediments was not homogeneous as a consequence of the presence of many simultaneous sources and different meteorological, hydrodynamic, and physicochemical conditions. As a consequence of flash flood events, p,p'-DDE concentrations in surface sediments increased significantly in the central and south zones of the lagoon. However, in the case of PCBs, a dilution effect was observed in the south zone after such events, reducing the environmental risk. These changes in the pollutant distribution persisted at least 1year later (autumn 2010), showing that the impact of flood events in the distribution of persistent organic contaminants in Mediterranean coastal lagoons is of relevance according to the ecological risk assessment carried out. The impact of these events should be also considered in other coastal systems, especially in semiarid and semiconfined areas.

FLOOD MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATION IN SUSTAINABILITY APPRAISAL AND STRATEGIC ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT IN ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND

The impact of flood events in the UK has drawn attention to limitations associated with traditional flood defence regimes. In recognition of this there has been a significant level of advocacy for a systems based approach which assumes a greater role for spatial planning. This paper considers the extent to which strategic assessment contributes toward the consideration of flooding within spatial planning. The paper draws on four cases from England and Scotland. Specific attention is given to the nature of flood management approaches considered in assessment and the recommendations presented. The research indicates that assessment practice is dominated by probabilistic calculations of flood risk and typically replicates national policy and guidance on flood management. It is argued that there exists potential for assessment to foster more nuanced and tailored consideration of flood management by including multiple perspectives, such as management of the whole system, risk and vulnerability, resilience and adaptation.

European water voles in a reconnected lowland river floodplain: habitat preferences and distribution patterns following the restoration of flooding

Water voles have suffered large population declines in the United Kingdom due to habitat degradation and predation by invasive American mink. Habitat restoration of floodplain wetlands could help to reverse this decline, but the detailed habitat preferences of water voles in these environments have not been well studied, and the impacts of restoration practices on water vole populations are not known. This study investigated the habitat preferences of water voles in a reconnected lowland river floodplain. The results show that water voles preferred wider water bodies, and taller and more diverse vegetation. The impact of flooding on water voles was also investigated by comparing their occurrence between two survey periods which were separated by large flood events, and by comparing distribution patterns before and after restoration. Contrary to previous reports, there was no observed negative impact of flood events on water vole distribution, which has slightly expanded since the floodplain was reconnected to the river in 2009. Overall this study demonstrates that restored wetlands can provide suitable habitat for water voles, and provides guidance on some of the factors which should be considered when designing floodplains for water vole conservation.

Impact of flood events on macrobenthic community structure on an intertidal flat developing in the Ohta River Estuary

We investigated the effects of river floods on the macrobenthic community of the intertidal flat in the Ohta River Estuary, Japan, from 2005 to 2010. Sediment erosion by flood events ranged from about 2–3cm to 12cm, and the salinity dropped to 0‰ even during low-intensity flood events. Cluster analysis of the macrobenthic population showed that the community structure was controlled by the physical disturbance, decreased salinity, or both. The opportunistic polychaete Capitella sp. was the most dominant species in all clusters, and populations of the long-lived polychaete Ceratonereis erythraeensis increased in years with stable flow and almost disappeared in years with intense flooding. The bivalve Musculista senhousia was also an important opportunistic species that formed mats in summer of the stable years and influenced the structure of the macrobenthic community. Our results demonstrate the substantial effects of flood events on the macrobenthic community structure.

Clarification of the Properties of Fluctuation of Bottom Sediment Based on Long-Term Monitoring Around the Mouth of the Tama River in Tokyo Bay

With the focus on the characteristics of temporal and spatial fluctuations of the bottomsediment properties and their vertical distributions around the mouth of the Tama River in Tokyo Bay, the properties of surface sediments, such as grain-size distributions and water contents, had been monitored by taking bottom-sediment core samples from several sampling stations around the river mouth with the intervals of 3 month for a period of five years from 2006 through 2010. Based on the monitored data, the impact of flood events which occurred during the survey period on bottom sediment properties and the recovery processes after the flood event were evaluated. This study clarified that seasonal fluctuations of surface bottom sediment qualities clearly appear on river mouth shoals and tidal wetlands and the impact of the river flood was relatively slight and the damages were restored over relatively short period of time after the flood event. On the other hand, the flood event remarkably caused rapid decline of the water content of bottom sediments at offshore of the river mouth, and it took about three years for their bottom sediments to return to its normal as before the flood event. This paper also discusses the recovery process of the sediment properties at the offshore region and shows that the long-term evolution of the sediment properties was caused by the constant settling of new deposition of suspended particles from the water column and accumulation rate was estimated at 2.5 cm per year.

Impact of flood events on dolphin occupancy patterns

AbstractThe aim of this study was to assess potential impacts of water quality changes associated with floods on the occupancy of Indo‐Pacific bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops aduncus) in two subtropical estuaries in Australia. Boat‐based surveys were conducted in the Clarence River estuary (CR) and Richmond River estuaries (RR) over 3 yr. Principal components analysis (PCA) showed that when the dolphins were absent from the estuaries, three water quality components were extracted in the CR and two components in the RR. The PCA1 component included high loadings for salinity, turbidity, and pH for the CR (46%); and salinity, turbidity, pH, and dissolved oxygen (DO) for the RR (51%). Randomization tests showed that dolphins abandoned both estuaries at times of lower salinity, and during periods of higher turbidity and of lower levels of pH and dissolved oxygen in the RR that were associated with floods. The time until dolphins returned to the estuary postflood depended on the length and severity of the flood, but generally dolphins were observed in waters with salinity levels above 29‰. Their delayed return postflood could be for their physiological health, or because their prey returned to the estuaries under these higher salinity conditions, or more likely a combination of both factors.

The Impact of Flooding on the Price of Residential Property: A Transactional Analysis of the UK Market

The increase in frequency and severity of flood events in the UK has highlighted the question of the impact of flooding on the value of property. Previous studies in the UK and internationally have measured a wide variety of impacts from no impact to discounts of more than 40 per cent of property price. Transactional measurements have not previously been attempted in the UK property market due to lack of available data. In order to improve the available evidence base, a variation of the repeat sales methodology has been used to measure the impact of flooding on the price of transacted residential property for 13 locations in the UK. The results reveal the impact of flood events to be highly variable and temporary and no effect of flood designation. The policy implications of these findings with regard to the perceptions and behaviours of property stakeholders are explored.

Climate change adaptation in the Alpine Shire of Australia: a decision process appraisal

This study aims to integrate scientific knowledge from a variety of disciplines with local experience to describe, contextually and in detail, the impact of flood events on the community of the Alpine Shire and current mitigation efforts to alleviate and reduce these impacts. The Myrtleford Floodplain Management Study was the cornerstone of the strategy to address the goal of reducing flood damage in the community. It was found that the most consequential deficiencies in the Myrtleford flood mitigation scheme decision process are related to flaws in four elements of the process: the articulation of goals; the development of appropriate knowledge support; the effectiveness of promotion; and the ability to move from invocation to application. The Alpine Shire can be used as a microcosm that can represent adaptation challenges in other communities to climate change and extreme events. This research contributes to the development of the conceptual and analytical framework of integrated assessments, while making concrete contributions to the development of adaptive policies in Alpine Shire.

Impact of flood events on the transport of terrestrial organic matter to the ocean: A study of the Têt River (SW France) using the BIT index

We analyzed suspended particulate matter (SPM) from waters of the Têt River (SW France) to reconstruct variations in the BIT (branched and isoprenoid tetraether) index, a tracer for soil organic matter (OM) input. The river system is characterized by the occurrence of flood events, which supply substantial amounts of terrestrial OM to the NW Mediterranean. The mean stable carbon isotopic composition of particulate organic carbon (δ 13C POC) and C/N ratio of SPM were −26.1‰ and 6.5, respectively, consistent with an origin predominantly from soil OM. The average BIT value of river water SPM (0.85) was substantially higher than that of the offshore seawater SPM (< 0.01). Such high values for riverine SPM, in combination with δ 13C POC and C/N values, support the conclusion that the increased BIT index values reported for the Têt prodelta surface sediment time series [Kim et al., Geochemistry Geophysics Geosystems, 7, Q11017, doi:10.1029/2006GC001306, 2006.] were indeed due to high input of soil-derived OM from land transported via rivers to the sea. Our results further suggest that the BIT index is an appropriate proxy for soil OM input into coastal oceans such as the Gulf of Lions in the NW Mediterranean, where the mountains are adjacent to the shore and flood events play an important role in delivering terrestrial OM to the sea.

Seasonal variation and origin of Particulate Organic Carbon in the lower Garonne River at La Reole (southwestern France)

Using a databank, grouping results on daily measurements of Total Suspended Matter (TSM) and Particulate Organic Carbon (POC) on the lower Garonne river at La Reole (upstream limit of the dynamic tide) over the last 20 years, we studied seasonal variations in particulate organic carbon concentrations and fluxes, using TSM concentration classes. The results show seasonal variations in POC concentrations and fluxes, and especially a strong impact of flood events. A qualitative and quantitative hypothesis on the differentiation of POC origin is suggested. On every time scale (daily, seasonally or yearly), this hypothesis allows the estimation of POC inputs from the three different pools: soil, litter and autochthonous production. The Garonne River exports 78 000 tons of POC annually, 54% from soil (0.8 t km-2 yr-1), 38% from litter (about 0.55 t km-1 yr-1) (km of permanent stream) and 8% from autochthonous production. Most of this material is probably mineralized in the Gironde estuary.