Details
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 317-321 |
| Number of pages | 5 |
| Journal | IAHS-AISH Publication |
| Issue number | 273 |
| Publication status | Published - 2002 |
Abstract
It seems that the frequency of floods along the main rivers in Germany increased during the second half of the past century. A number of causes for this phenomenon have been suggested. We hypothesise that postwar changes in agricultural land use also play a role. For example, the meadowland area in former West Germany decreased between 1951 and 1989 from 15.7 to 10.8%. Simultaneously, the small grain acreage grew from 18.5 to 22.3%. Additionally, nearly 20% of the agricultural land area was drained artificially during this period. We used the US Soil Conservation Service rainfall-runoff model for small drainage basins to estimate the possible increase in surface runoff during heavy rainstorms because of the observed changes in agricultural land use. Our model calculations suggest that increased surface runoff during large-scale heavy rainstorms may contribute substantially to the present flood problem in Germany.
Keywords
- Changes in land use, Climate change, Flood frequency, Floods, Intensified agriculture, Physical soil degradation, Rainfall-runoff model, River Rhine, Surface runoff
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Earth and Planetary Sciences(all)
- Oceanography
- Environmental Science(all)
- Water Science and Technology
Sustainable Development Goals
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In: IAHS-AISH Publication, No. 273, 2002, p. 317-321.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer review
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Changes in land use and the growing number of flash floods in Germany
AU - Van Der Ploeg, Rienk R.
AU - Machulla, Galina
AU - Hermsmeyer, Dirk
AU - Ilsemann, Jan
AU - Gieska, Matthias
AU - Bachmann, Joerg
N1 - Copyright: Copyright 2005 Elsevier Science B.V., Amsterdam. All rights reserved.
PY - 2002
Y1 - 2002
N2 - It seems that the frequency of floods along the main rivers in Germany increased during the second half of the past century. A number of causes for this phenomenon have been suggested. We hypothesise that postwar changes in agricultural land use also play a role. For example, the meadowland area in former West Germany decreased between 1951 and 1989 from 15.7 to 10.8%. Simultaneously, the small grain acreage grew from 18.5 to 22.3%. Additionally, nearly 20% of the agricultural land area was drained artificially during this period. We used the US Soil Conservation Service rainfall-runoff model for small drainage basins to estimate the possible increase in surface runoff during heavy rainstorms because of the observed changes in agricultural land use. Our model calculations suggest that increased surface runoff during large-scale heavy rainstorms may contribute substantially to the present flood problem in Germany.
AB - It seems that the frequency of floods along the main rivers in Germany increased during the second half of the past century. A number of causes for this phenomenon have been suggested. We hypothesise that postwar changes in agricultural land use also play a role. For example, the meadowland area in former West Germany decreased between 1951 and 1989 from 15.7 to 10.8%. Simultaneously, the small grain acreage grew from 18.5 to 22.3%. Additionally, nearly 20% of the agricultural land area was drained artificially during this period. We used the US Soil Conservation Service rainfall-runoff model for small drainage basins to estimate the possible increase in surface runoff during heavy rainstorms because of the observed changes in agricultural land use. Our model calculations suggest that increased surface runoff during large-scale heavy rainstorms may contribute substantially to the present flood problem in Germany.
KW - Changes in land use
KW - Climate change
KW - Flood frequency
KW - Floods
KW - Intensified agriculture
KW - Physical soil degradation
KW - Rainfall-runoff model
KW - River Rhine
KW - Surface runoff
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0036109215&partnerID=8YFLogxK
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:0036109215
SP - 317
EP - 321
JO - IAHS-AISH Publication
JF - IAHS-AISH Publication
SN - 0144-7815
IS - 273
ER -