Fragility Analysis Based on Damaged Bridges during the 2021 Flood in Germany

Pucci, Alessandro; Eickmeier, Daniel; Sousa, Hélder S.; Giresini, Linda; Matos, José C.; Holst, Ralph

doi:10.3390/app131810454

Cited by 3 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 60 publications

(84 reference statements)

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“…2019 imagery served as pre-event baseline. Debris jams on infrastructure elements at the Ahr River, mostly consisting of driftwood [18,26,60], were also mapped. Additionally, sand and gravel shoals were digitalized to assess narrowing of the riverbed by those features after the flood event.…”

Section: Digitalization Of River Sections and Resolutionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluation of the high-energy flood of mid-July 2021 as a morphologic driver in the anthropogenically developed Ahr Valley, Germany, in interaction with infrastructures

Wolf,

Stark,

Holste

et al. 2024

Environ Sci Eur

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Background This study explores morphologic changes in the Ahr River, Germany, caused by the high-energy flood in mid-July 2021. This study aims to assess the flood's significance as a morphological driver using the Lateral Mobility Index (LMI), as well as the impact of infrastructure on morphodynamics in terms of the formation of mud deposits and stagnant water pools, considering three focus areas of about 1 to 5 km river length. The three focus areas cover differences in the valley morphology as well as near natural and anthropogenically affected sections. Results The LMI is derived from orthophotos from 1998 to 2022, and based on the surface area of the old and the new channel. It describes the sum of new and abandoned channel area in relation to the previous channel area. For the 2021 high-energy event, an increased LMI suggests an increasing change in river course and morphology. Post-flood, the LMI in focus areas 1 (furthest upstream, LMI of 1.5) and 3 (at the Rhine confluence, LMI of 3.2) surpasses the historic LMI by a factor of about 3. Focus area 3 exhibits the highest activity, while focus area 2 (LMI between 0.25 and 0.70) the lowest. The area of mud deposits and stagnant water pools increased immediately after the flood, especially in focus area 3. Over the following months, initial post-flood mud deposits not only washed away but also rebuilt to some degree later on. Conclusions The LMI enabled to quantitatively identify a rare and significant morphological disruption in the Ahr River’s lateral development in three focus areas, and thus, serves as additional proof that the flood of mid-July 2021 was a high-energy event impacting the local river geomorphology. Infrastructure impacted the formation of mud deposits and stagnant water zones during and after the flood, with additional influence from factors such as driftwood and valley width. The data suggested a phase of resuspension of sediments after the flood, likely due to cleanup and ad hoc river management, highlighting the need for continued river monitoring.

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Section: Digitalization Of River Sections and Resolutionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluation of the high-energy flood of mid-July 2021 as a morphologic driver in the anthropogenically developed Ahr Valley, Germany, in interaction with infrastructures

Wolf,

Stark,

Holste

et al. 2024

Environ Sci Eur

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…2019 imagery served as pre-event baseline. Debris jams on infrastructure elements at the Ahr River, mostly consisting of driftwood [62,25,17], were observed and mapped. Additionally, sand and gravel shoals were digitalized to assess narrowing of the riverbed by those features after the flood event.…”

Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluation of the High-Energy-Flood of mid-July 2021 as a Morphologic Driver in the Ahr Valley

Wolf,

Stark,

Holste

et al. 2023

Preprint

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Background: This study explores morphologic changes in the Ahr River, Germany, caused by the high-energy flood in mid-July 2021. Infrastructure systems influence river morphology, but causal relationships are challenging to establish. The study aims to assess the flood's significance as a morphological driver using the Lateral Mobility Index (LMI), as well as the impact of infrastructure on morphodynamics in terms of formation of mud deposits and stagnant water pools, considering three focus areas of about 1 to 5 km river length. Results: The LMI is derived from orthophotos. For the 2021 high-energy event, an increased LMI suggests an increasing change in river course and morphology. Post-flood, the LMI in focus areas 1 (furthest upstream, LMI of 1.5) and 3 (at the Rhine confluence, LMI of 3.2) surpasses the historic LMI by a factor of about 3. Focus area 3 exhibits the highest activity and focus area 2 (LMI between 0.25 and 0.70) the lowest. The area of mud deposits and stagnant water pools increased immediately after the flood, especially in focus area 3. Over the following months, initial post-flood mud deposits washed away but also rebuilt to some degree later on. Conclusions: The LMI enabled to quantitatively identify a rare and significant morphological disruption in the Ahr River’s lateral development in three focus areas, and thus, serves as additional proof that the flood of mid-July 2021 was a high-energy event impacting local river geomorphology. Infrastructure impacted the formation of mud deposits and stagnant water zones during and after the flood, with additional influence from factors such as driftwood and valley width. The data suggested a phase of resuspension of sediments after the flood, likely due to cleanup and ad-hoc river management, highlighting the need for continued river monitoring.

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