NOAA/WDS Paleoclimatology - River Rhine 740 Year Documentary Flood Reconstruction
This archived Paleoclimatology Study is available from the NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), under the World Data Service (WDS) for Paleoclimatology. The associated NCEI study type is Historical. The data include parameters of climate reconstructions|historical with a geographic location of Switzerland, Western Europe. The time period coverage is from 682 to -63 in calendar years before present (BP). See metadata information for parameter and study location details. Please cite this study when using the data.
Dataset Citation
- Cite as: Wetter, O.; Pfister, C.; Weingartner, R.; Luterbacher, J.; Reist, T.; Trösch, J. (2014-12-10): NOAA/WDS Paleoclimatology - River Rhine 740 Year Documentary Flood Reconstruction. [indicate subset used]. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. https://doi.org/10.25921/c6xh-bx59. Accessed [date].
- Please refer to Credit tab for full citation information.
Dataset Identifiers
- doi:10.25921/c6xh-bx59
- noaa-historical-17617
- NCEI DSI 1200_02
- NCEI DSI 1200_01
ISO 19115-2 Metadata
noaa-historical-17617
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Ordering Instructions | Contact NCEI for other distribution options and instructions. |
Distributor |
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information ncei.info@noaa.gov |
Dataset Point of Contact |
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information ncei.info@noaa.gov |
Dataset Point of Contact | Data Center Contact NOAA World Data Service for Paleoclimatology 828-271-4800 paleo@noaa.gov |
Coverage Description | Date Range: 1268 CE to 2013 CE; Date Range: 682 cal yr BP to -63 cal yr BP; |
Time Period | 1268 to 2013 |
Spatial Bounding Box Coordinates |
West: 7.5898
East: 7.5898
South: 47.5601
North: 47.5601
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Data Presentation Form | Digital table - digital representation of facts or figures systematically displayed, especially in columns |
Dataset Progress Status | Complete - production of the data has been completed |
Data Update Frequency | Data update frequency not available |
Supplemental Information | STUDY NOTES: Reconstructed peak discharge for the 78 largest known floods of the River Rhine in Basel since 1268, from instrumental and documentary sources. Source references included in the Excel version of this file. ABSTRACT SUPPLIED BY ORIGINATOR: The magnitudes of the largest known floods of the River Rhine in Basel since 1268 were assessed using a hydraulic model drawing on a set of pre-instrumental evidence and daily hydrological measurements from 1808. The pre-instrumental evidence, consisting of flood marks and documentary data describing extreme events with the customary reference to specific landmarks, was "calibrated" by comparing it with the instrumental series for the overlapping period between the two categories of evidence (1808-1900). Summer (JJA) floods were particularly frequent in the century between 1651-1750, when precipitation was also high. Severe winter (DJF) floods have not occurred since the late 19th century despite a significant increase in winter precipitation. Six catastrophic events involving a runoff greater than 6000 m 3 s-1 are documented prior to 1700. They were initiated by spells of torrential rainfall of up to 72 h (1480 event) and preceded by long periods of substantial precipitation that saturated the soils, and/or by abundant snowmelt. All except two (1999 and 2007) of the 43 identified severe events (SEs: defined as having runoff > 5000 and < 6000 m 3 s -1) occurred prior to 1877. Not a single SE is documented from 1877 to 1998. The intermediate 121-year-long "flood disaster gap" is unique over the period since 1268. The effect of river regulations (1714 for the River Kander; 1877 for the River Aare) and the building of reservoirs in the 20th century upon peak runoff were investigated using a one-dimensional hydraulic flood-routing model. Results show that anthropogenic effects only partially account for the "flood disaster gap" suggesting that variations in climate should also be taken into account in explaining these features. |
Purpose | Records of past climate and environment from historical references and documentary evidence such as church records, harvest dates, and diaries. Parameter keywords describe what was measured in this dataset. Additional summary information can be found in the abstracts of papers listed in the dataset citations. |
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Last Modified: 2024-03-15
For questions about the information on this page, please email: ncei.info@noaa.gov
For questions about the information on this page, please email: ncei.info@noaa.gov