Reconstructing peak discharges of historic floods of the river Ahr, Germany

Water research and practice

Auteur(s) et Affiliation(s)



Description :
Here, peak discharges of historic floods in urbanized areas of different cities on the River Ahr in western Germany are reconstructed based on documentary sources from pre instrumental and the early instrumental period (1804-1937). Maximum water levels of 5 floods are denoted by flood-marks, with one of these events additionally documented by old photographs. The main challenge is the reconstruction of historic floodplain conditions and modifications influencing the cross-section area and the hydraulic roughness. The applied approach includes a procedure for reconstructing the hydraulic parameters of the river channel and overflooded areas, coupled with an approach for the verification of estimated peak discharge reliability. Five reconstructed discharge maxima are presented. The validation of the technique by comparison with recent gauged floods reveals results of adequate accuracy.


Type de document :
Article de monographie

Source :
Erdkunde, issn : 0014-0015, 2014, vol. 68, n°. 1, p. 49-59, nombre de pages : 11, Références bibliographiques : 35 ref.

Date :
2014

Editeur :
Pays édition : Allemagne, Kleve, Boss