Der Hochwasserschutz an der Gürbe - Eine Herausforderung für Generationen (1855–2010)

Salvisberg, Melanie

doi:10.24894/978-3-7965-3684-7

Cited by 5 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 11 publications

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“…In Switzerland and other regions of the Alps, flood protection principles developed in the 19 th century remained unchanged until the second half of the 20 th century [32]. This was only changed by the emerging environmental debate and the occurrence of new severe flood events, despite massive defence and afforestation measures in the catchment areas [33]. Flood Protection by Forests in Alpine Watersheds: Lessons Learned from Austrian Case Studies DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.99507…”

Section: Meso-catchment Scale (10-100 Km 2 )mentioning

confidence: 99%

Flood Protection by Forests in Alpine Watersheds: Lessons Learned from Austrian Case Studies

Markart¹,

Teich²,

Scheidl³

et al. 2022

Protective Forests as Ecosystem-Based Solution for Disaster Risk Reduction (Eco-Drr)

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This chapter highlights the influence of mountain forests on runoff patterns in alpine catchments. We discuss the forest impact at different spatial scales and bridge to the requirements for an integrated natural hazard risk management, which considers forest as an efficient protection measure against floods and other water-related natural hazards. We present results from a wide range of research studies from Austria, which all reveal the runoff-reducing effect of forest vegetation in small and medium-size catchments (< 100 km2). Forests also contribute to runoff reduction in heavy rainfall events in macro-scale catchments (> 100 km2), e.g., by reducing surface runoff and delaying interflow, but above all by stabilising slopes and therefore reducing bedload transport during major runoff events. To avoid that forests become a hazard due to enhanced driftwood release, managing of steep riparian slopes for a permanent forest cover (“Dauerbestockung”) is a basic prerequisite. Often protective effects of forests are impaired by man-made impacts like dense forest road networks, insensitive use (e.g., false design of skid roads, compacting machinery, forest operations during adverse weather on wet and saturated soils), and delayed or omitted reforestation and regeneration. Flood risk management in mountain regions should include Ecosystem-based Disaster Risk Reduction measures, with particular emphasis on sustainable and climate change-adapted management of protective forests. This will require integral and catchment-based approaches such as comprehensive management concepts coordinated with spatial planning, and verifiable, practicable and correspondingly adapted legal guidelines as well as appropriate funding of protective forest research to close the existing knowledge gaps.

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Section: Meso-catchment Scale (10-100 Km 2 )mentioning

confidence: 99%

Flood Protection by Forests in Alpine Watersheds: Lessons Learned from Austrian Case Studies

Markart¹,

Teich²,

Scheidl³

et al. 2022

Protective Forests as Ecosystem-Based Solution for Disaster Risk Reduction (Eco-Drr)

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Taming the torrent: changes in flood protection at the Gürbe River (Switzerland) from the nineteenth century until today

Salvisberg

2022

Water Hist

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This paper analyses the flood protection history of the Gürbe River (Switzerland), a 29-km-long tributary of the Aare River. The upper reach of the river has the character of a mountain torrent and an exceptionally difficult flooding situation. For centuries, riparian communities were only able to take small protective measures. In the mid-nineteenth century, the flood protection strategy changed: between 1855 and 1881, the Gürbe River was channelised and stabilised by a torrent control system. Although the situation improved, flood damage could not be prevented as intended. Therefore, dozens of consecutive projects were implemented—without interruption until today. This paper examines why small watercourses are useful case studies, which protection measures were taken at the Gürbe River, how they corresponded to the prevailing flood protection philosophy, whether they were linked to floods and how flood protection influenced land use. The Gürbe regulation, its consecutive projects and the connected drainages had far-reaching effects: They allowed an intensive agricultural use of the valley floor, the construction of roads, a railway, and new settlements. Consequently, the social and economic pressure on the hazard area increased steadily over the decades. It created a vicious circle: the more that protective structures were built, the more important and profitable flood prevention became, and the more structures were raised. A reevaluation finally took place in the late twentieth century, based on increasing environmental awareness, and fostered by a catastrophic flood. However, the implementation of new projects proved to be difficult due to conflicting interests.

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Climate indices in historical climate reconstructions: a global state of the art

et al. 2021

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Abstract. Narrative evidence contained within historical documents and inscriptions provides an important record of climate variability for periods prior to the onset of systematic meteorological data collection. A common approach used by historical climatologists to convert such qualitative information into continuous quantitative proxy data is through the generation of ordinal-scale climate indices. There is, however, considerable variability in the types of phenomena reconstructed using an index approach and the practice of index development in different parts of the world. This review, written by members of the PAGES (Past Global Changes) CRIAS working group – a collective of climate historians and historical climatologists researching Climate Reconstructions and Impacts from the Archives of Societies – provides the first global synthesis of the use of the index approach in climate reconstruction. We begin by summarising the range of studies that have used indices for climate reconstruction across six continents (Europe, Asia, Africa, the Americas, and Australia) as well as the world's oceans. We then outline the different methods by which indices are developed in each of these regions, including a discussion of the processes adopted to verify and calibrate index series, and the measures used to express confidence and uncertainty. We conclude with a series of recommendations to guide the development of future index-based climate reconstructions to maximise their effectiveness for use by climate modellers and in multiproxy climate reconstructions.

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Der Hochwasserschutz an der Gürbe - Eine Herausforderung für Generationen (1855–2010)

Cited by 5 publications

References 11 publications

Flood Protection by Forests in Alpine Watersheds: Lessons Learned from Austrian Case Studies

Flood Protection by Forests in Alpine Watersheds: Lessons Learned from Austrian Case Studies

Taming the torrent: changes in flood protection at the Gürbe River (Switzerland) from the nineteenth century until today

Climate indices in historical climate reconstructions: a global state of the art

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