Abstract
Sedimentary evidence of past floods can be preserved in flood plain
sediment sinks during overbank flood events. The potential for using such
flood plain sediments to reconstruct long-term flooding histories was explored
in the lower reaches of the River Tay in Scotland. Granulometric analysis and
radionuclide dating undertaken on cores from an embanked palaeochannel has
shown that the sedimentary record appears insensitive to relatively frequent
overbank spills, but low-frequency, high-magnitude floods which breach the
embankments are preserved. A discharge threshold for such events has been
identified through analysis of the embankment breaches associated with
specific flood discharges in the instrumental record. Where hydroclimatic
records are limited, the method can be used to extend flood histories for the
largest flood events, enabling recent changes in flooding regimes to be
assessed in a longer historical context
sediment sinks during overbank flood events. The potential for using such
flood plain sediments to reconstruct long-term flooding histories was explored
in the lower reaches of the River Tay in Scotland. Granulometric analysis and
radionuclide dating undertaken on cores from an embanked palaeochannel has
shown that the sedimentary record appears insensitive to relatively frequent
overbank spills, but low-frequency, high-magnitude floods which breach the
embankments are preserved. A discharge threshold for such events has been
identified through analysis of the embankment breaches associated with
specific flood discharges in the instrumental record. Where hydroclimatic
records are limited, the method can be used to extend flood histories for the
largest flood events, enabling recent changes in flooding regimes to be
assessed in a longer historical context
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | The structure, function and management implications of fluvial sedimentary systems |
| Editors | Fiona J. Dyer, Martin C. Thoms, Jon M. Olley |
| Place of Publication | Wallingford |
| Publisher | International Association of Hydrological Sciences (IAHS) |
| Pages | 211-218 |
| Number of pages | 8 |
| ISBN (Print) | 978-1-901502-96-1 |
| Publication status | Published - 2002 |
Publication series
| Name | IAHS Publication |
|---|---|
| Number | 276 |