Tropical cyclones and floods in Fiji

Kostaschuk, Ray; Terry, James P.; Raj, Rishi

doi:10.1080/02626660109492837

Cited by 37 publications

(28 citation statements)

References 20 publications

(25 reference statements)

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“…5). Contrary to Kostaschuk et al (2001) and Terry et al (2001), who determined from a 30-year flow record that the peak discharge of TC-induced Rewa River floods was inversely related to the SOI, this study, using a much longer time series, could find no significant relationship between the peak heights of TC-induced Ba River floods and SOI (Fig. 5).…”

Section: El Niño-southern Oscillationmentioning

confidence: 39%

Flooding in Fiji: findings from a 100-year historical series

Yeo¹,

Blong²,

McAneney³

2007

Hydrological Sciences Journal

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Correspondence from a long-established sugar mill provided the opportunity to construct the longest flood series for a river in Fiji-the Ba River in northwest Viti Levu-from 1892 to 2002. Flood waters reached the mill floor every four years on average. Contrary to common lore, this study could detect no increase in the frequency of major floods over the course of the 20th century, despite intensification of land use and siltation of the river channel over that time. Large, slow-moving tropical cyclones situated northwest of the valley have generated large floods, but so too have tropical rainstorms. Major floods have occurred in months when the Southern Oscillation Index (SOI) was both negative and positive, suggesting that the SOI is a poor indicator of flood potential for the Ba River.Key words Fiji; flood frequency; SOI; temporal trends; tropical cyclones Crues aux Fidji: conclusions tirées de 100 ans de données historiquesRésumé La correspondance épistolaire établie depuis une vieille sucrerie a permis de construire la plus longue série de données relatives aux crues d'un fleuve aux Fidji-le Fleuve Ba au nord ouest de Viti Levu-de 1892 à 2002. Les crues atteignaient en moyenne une fois tous les quatre ans le plancher de l'usine. A l'encontre des idées reçues, cette étude n'a décelé aucune augmentation de la fréquence des crues importantes au cours du vingtième siècle, malgré l'intensification de l'utilisation des terres et l'envasement du chenal du fleuve pendant cette période. Des cyclones tropicaux étendus et lents localisés au nord ouest de la vallée ont généré des crues importantes, aussi bien que des orages tropicaux. D'importantes crues ont eu lieu lors de mois pendant lesquels le SOI (Southern Oscillation Index) était indifféremment négatif et positif, suggérant que le SOI est un faible indicateur du potentiel de crue du Fleuve Ba.

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Section: El Niño-southern Oscillationmentioning

confidence: 39%

Flooding in Fiji: findings from a 100-year historical series

Yeo¹,

Blong²,

McAneney³

2007

Hydrological Sciences Journal

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“…The log Pearson type III statistic can be used to provide an "industry standard" of bankfull discharge for a river at a particular gaging station; times when discharge is greater than the bankfull discharge indicate the occurrence of a flood (IACWD, 1982). In the study of tropical cyclone floods in Fiji by Kostaschuk et al (2001), the log Pearson type III statistic was found to represent their partial duration flood series more accurately than the Pareto distribution, even though it tended to underestimate the largest flows slightly.…”

Section: Determining Bankfull Dischargementioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, there is some debate about changes in tropical cyclone frequency. Some research predicts that tropical cyclone frequency will increase (e.g., Greenough et al, 2001;Ouellet et al, 2012), while other research suggests that tropical cyclones are likely to intensify with global climate warming but occur less frequently (e.g., Irish and Resio, 2013;Kostaschuk et al, 2001).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Numerous studies have indicated that global climate warming may intensify tropical cyclones and is very likely to result in sea level rise (Bronstert et al, 2002;Frey et al, 2010;Greenough et al, 2001;Irish and Resio, 2013;Irish et al, 2014;Kostaschuk et al, 2001;Mousavi et al, 2011;Ouellet et al, 2012). Major hurricanes, those that are category 3 or higher on the Saffir-Simpson scale, are the most likely to intensify (Frey et al, 2010;Mousavi et al, 2011).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Kostaschuk et al (2001) investigated tropical-cyclone-induced flooding in the Rewa River system in Viti Levu, Fiji. They observed that rainstorms caused a higher number of floods but that floods caused by tropical cyclones were much larger (Kostaschuk et al, 2001). Waylen (1991) conducted a partial duration series flood analysis for the Santa Fe River in Florida and found similar results.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The influence of an extended Atlantic hurricane season on inland flooding potential in the southeastern United States

Stone

Cohen

2017

Nat. Hazards Earth Syst. Sci.

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Abstract. Recent tropical cyclones, like Hurricane Katrina, have been some of the worst the United States has experienced. Tropical cyclones are expected to intensify, bringing about 20 % more precipitation, in the near future in response to global climate warming. Further, global climate warming may extend the hurricane season. This study focuses on four major river basins (Neches, Pearl, Mobile, and Roanoke) in the southeastern United States that are frequently impacted by tropical cyclones. An analysis of the timing of tropical cyclones that impact these river basins found that most occur during the low-discharge season and thus rarely produce riverine flooding conditions. However, an extension of the current hurricane season of June-November could encroach upon the high-discharge seasons in these basins, increasing the susceptibility for riverine hurricane-induced flooding. Our results indicate that 28-180 % more days would be at risk of flooding from an average tropical cyclone with an extension of the hurricane season to May-December (just 2 months longer). Future research should aim to extend this analysis to all river basins in the United States that are impacted by tropical cyclones in order to provide a bigger picture of which areas are likely to experience the worst increases in flooding risk due to a probable extension of the hurricane season with expected global climate change in the near future.

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Suspended sediment transport during tropical‐cyclone floods in Fiji

Kostaschuk

Terry

Raj³

2002

Hydrological Processes

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Abstract:Flow records, rising-stage sediment samplers, and a sand suspension model are used to examine suspended sediment concentrations during major floods caused by tropical cyclones TC Joni and TC Kina in the Rewa River, Fiji. The highest concentrations of total suspended solids were measured during the early stages of TC Kina. The suspension model predicts higher sand concentrations for TC Kina compared with TC Joni because of the larger slope and higher shear stresses during Kina. Extremely high wash load concentrations early in TC Kina are at least partly due to remobilization of fine sediment deposited during the earlier TC Joni flood. Samples from the TC Kina had volumetric concentrations larger than 5%, indicating hyperconcentrated streamflows. Mass-density shear stresses in the hyperconcentrated flows are up 1Ð6 times larger than clear-water shear stresses, but they occur early during low stages of the flood and probably do not result in severe bed erosion.

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Tropical cyclones and floods in Fiji

Cited by 37 publications

References 20 publications

Flooding in Fiji: findings from a 100-year historical series

Flooding in Fiji: findings from a 100-year historical series

The influence of an extended Atlantic hurricane season on inland flooding potential in the southeastern United States

Suspended sediment transport during tropical‐cyclone floods in Fiji

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