Unit 2-Natural Hazards-Flooding

Natural Hazards Unit 2.2.
Flooding
Definition and causes Consequences Mitigation
Flooding: Submerging of land under water

6 out of the top 10 (in death toll) natural disasters in Spain (1900-2019)
165 out of the 411 (40%) natural disasters reported in Southern Europe (2010-2019)
Main causes and controlling parameters of flooding

Large scale storms (tropical)
Extreme rainfall
Meteorological Localised storms (temperate)
Snowmelt
Causes
Antropic: dam failures
Geology
Drainage basins Topography
Controlling parameters (hydrogeological)
Fluvial dynamics Vegetation
Antropic
Flash flood (upstream)

Types of flooding
High-magnitude regional flood (downstream)
Natural Hazards Unit 2.2. Flooding
What do you know about…
The water cycle
The water balance equation
Drainage basins
Fluvial dynamics
Alluvial morphologies
The water cycle
Q1, Q2
Water balance
equation
Rainfall = Evapotranspiration + Infiltration + Surface Runoff
Ground water Total discharge Flooding

Q3
Parameter Favor Runoff Favor Infiltration
Lithology Competent & Insoluble Soft & Soluble
Weathering Low High
Light fracturing Strong fracturing

Structure
Unfavourable orientation Favourable orientation
Slope Steep Gentle
Precipitation intensity High Low
Abundant (trees)
Vegetation Poor
+ Transpiration
Animals Vegetation destroyers builders and diggers
Antropic influence logging, urban areas Artificial regulation

Q4
Drainage basin: Region drained by a single stream
Interflows
Main stream
Some examples of drainage basins
3,220,000 km2
817,000 km2

57,000 km2
Q5 Drainage basins
Size
Shape
Permeability  Density  Surface discharge  Flooding
Open (exorheic)
Characteristic parameters Drainage
Close (endorheic)
Dendritic
Rectangular
Stream pattern
Parallel
Radial
Streams hierarchy
Why is it important to constrain basin parameters? Q6, Q7

There is a direct (although complex) relationship between the size of a stream
and its drainage basin
How do we measure the magnitude of a stream?  Length

 Width
 Discharge

 Velocity
What is discharge (Q) and how do we measure it?
Volume of water flowing past a given point (through a given cross section)
Q=VxA
V = Average stream velocity (L T-1) Q (L3 T-1)
A = cross-section area (L2)
How do we measure discharge?

Gauge stations
Stage (m)
Discharge (m3/s)
Known width
Section
Stage (height) Discharge
Velocity
The Guadalquivir River at Coria
Width = 200 m
=> Average section =
Average depth = = 7 m
Q=
Average velocity = 1.7 m/s
Q=VxA
Q8 Is discharge constant along river longitudinal profile or along time?
What about time?

Is discharge constant along river longitudinal profile or along time?

Q9
Why do we say average velocity?
Variations accross
Variations in depth
Q9, 10
Why is the discharge equation relevant for flooding?
Parameters controlling average stream velocity

• Gradient
• Roughness  Friction => V ≈ low variability at any point
• Section shape  Friction surface
Parameters controlling average stream velocity

• Gradient
• Roughness  Friction => V ≈ low variability at any point
• Section shape  Friction surface
Manning’s equation (velocity in open channel flow)
K: Transformation coefficient = 1 m1/3/s

K n: Roughness parameter = 0.025 – 0.2 (for natural streams)
V= R2/3 · S1/2
n R: Hydraulic radius = A/Pw
S: slope = Dh/L
V ≈ low variability at any point

Width
Q=VxA What occurs if Q increases? => A increases
Height
Stage (m)
Discharge (m3/s)
If A reach a threshold value (channel shape)  overbank flood

How do we measure floods?
(m3/s)
(m3/s)
How do we measure floods?
Threshold: Maximum discharge value that

can be evacuated by the river channel
before overbank flow
Lag time: time lapse between maximum
(m3/s)
precipitation and maximum river discharge
Amplitude: Maximum discharge value over

threshold
Duration: time lapse between overbank

flow and return to normal channel flow
What data do we need to constructs

flooding hazard maps?
Flood parameters
Assignment 11
Threshold?
Lag time?
Amplitude?
Duration?
Days in March 1951
What data can we use to constructs flooding hazard maps?

Which fluvial morphologies are related to flooding?
Floodplain
Controlling parameters
Permeability (lithology, structure, weathering)

Permanent Basin physiography (topography, size, shape)
Vegetation
A: Basin area
Q=A∙R∙I R: Runoff coefficient
I: Precipitation intensity
Temporal Metereological conditions (precipitation, temperature)

Global warming
Magnitude along the

course of a river
m
7k
25
Urban development
Impervious areas  Infilitration decrease

 Runoff coefficient increase
Sewerage
Q=A∙R∙I
Urban development
Maximum discharge increase

Lag time decreases
Urban development
Apart from maximum discharge increase…
Floodplain urbanisation  Available volume decrease  water height increase

Urban development
Examples from the Guadalquivir at Sevilla or any other case?
San Juan (1963)

Urban development
San Juan (1996)
Urban development
Comercial center
project (2007)
Urban development
Comercial center
project (2007)
Urban development
Residential
Mitigation
Levees and flood walls
Reservoirs and retention ponds

Physical barriers
Channeling (improvement and diversion)
* Problems?
Prevention Storm overflow tanks
Flood risk mapping

Floodplain regulation
Floodplain regulation
What about prediction?

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Natural Hazards Unit 2.2.

Flooding: Submerging of land under water

Main causes and controlling parameters of flooding

Flash flood (upstream)

What do you know about…

The water cycle

The water balance equation

The water cycle

Rainfall = Evapotranspiration + Infiltration + Surface Runoff

Ground water Total discharge Flooding

Lithology Competent & Insoluble Soft & Soluble

Weathering Low High

Light fracturing Strong fracturing

Slope Steep Gentle

Precipitation intensity High Low

Animals Vegetation destroyers builders and diggers

Antropic influence logging, urban areas Artificial regulation

Some examples of drainage basins

Some examples of drainage basins

Some examples of drainage basins

Some examples of drainage basins

Permeability  Density  Surface discharge  Flooding

Why is it important to constrain basin parameters? Q6, Q7

How do we measure the magnitude of a stream?  Length

How do we measure discharge?

The Guadalquivir River at Coria

Q8 Is discharge constant along river longitudinal profile or along time?

What about time?

Is discharge constant along river longitudinal profile or along time?

Parameters controlling average stream velocity

Why is the discharge equation relevant for flooding?

Parameters controlling average stream velocity

Manning’s equation (velocity in open channel flow)

K: Transformation coefficient = 1 m1/3/s

Why is the discharge equation relevant for flooding?

V ≈ low variability at any point

If A reach a threshold value (channel shape)  overbank flood

How do we measure floods?

How do we measure floods?

Threshold: Maximum discharge value that

Lag time: time lapse between maximum

Amplitude: Maximum discharge value over

Duration: time lapse between overbank

What data do we need to constructs

Days in March 1951

What data can we use to constructs flooding hazard maps?

Which fluvial morphologies are related to flooding?

Permeability (lithology, structure, weathering)

Temporal Metereological conditions (precipitation, temperature)

Magnitude along the

Impervious areas  Infilitration decrease

Maximum discharge increase

Floodplain urbanisation  Available volume decrease  water height increase

San Juan (1963)

Levees and flood walls

Reservoirs and retention ponds

Flood risk mapping

What about prediction?

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