Borga et al. (2010) Flash floods: Observations and analysis of hydro-meteorological controls

Identification

• Journal: Journal of Hydrology
• Year: 2010
• Date: 2010-08-08
• Authors: Marco Borga, Emmanouil N. Anagnostou, Günter Blöschl, Jean‐Dominique Creutin
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jhydrol.2010.07.048

Research Groups

This paper serves as a preface to a special issue of the Journal of Hydrology. The authors of the preface are not explicitly listed in the provided text, but it is typical for such prefaces to be written by the guest editors of the special issue.

Short Summary

This preface introduces a special issue on flash floods, highlighting their significant societal and scientific importance, the inherent challenges in their observation due to small spatial and temporal scales, and the advancements in monitoring and modeling techniques. It provides an overview of the 21 articles within the issue, categorized into four main research themes.

Objective

• To introduce the special issue "Flash floods: Observations and analysis of hydro-meteorological controls" in the Journal of Hydrology.
• To underscore the scientific and societal urgency of understanding hydro-meteorological processes controlling flash floods.
• To discuss the observational difficulties associated with flash floods due to their rapid, localized nature.
• To outline the four main themes and the contributions of the 21 articles included in the special issue.

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: The preface discusses flash floods generally, which typically occur in small catchments (e.g., a few square kilometers), but also mentions regional analyses. The preface itself does not present a specific spatial study.
• Temporal Scale: The preface discusses flash floods, which are characterized by short, high-intensity rainfall events and rapid catchment responses. The preface itself does not present a specific temporal study.

Methodology and Data

• Models used: Not applicable for this preface. The preface mentions "hydrological modelling" as a tool used in flash flood research and by papers within the special issue.
• Data sources: Not applicable for this preface. The preface refers to data sources used in flash flood research, such as "weather radar observation re-analyses," "post-flood surveys," and "conventional rain and discharge measurement networks."

Main Results

• Flash floods are a major natural disaster with increasing potential for casualties and damage, and offer critical insights into extreme hydrological behavior.
• Observing flash floods is exceptionally challenging due to their small spatial and temporal scales, often leading to inadequate documentation by conventional measurement networks.
• Recent advancements in monitoring methodologies, including post-flood surveys, weather radar re-analyses, and hydrological modeling, have improved flash flood characterization.
• The special issue comprises 21 articles organized into four themes: (i) monitoring of flash flood-related processes; (ii) regional analysis of flash flood regimes; (iii) representation of space-time and process variability in flash flood models; and (iv) hydro-meteorological models for flash flood forecasting and warning.

Contributions

• Provides a comprehensive overview of the state-of-the-art challenges and advancements in flash flood research.
• Synthesizes and categorizes 21 research articles, offering a structured framework for understanding current research directions in flash flood hydrology.
• Emphasizes the critical need for improved observational strategies and process understanding for effective flash flood risk management.

Funding

No funding information is provided in the text for this preface.

Citation

@article{Borga2010Flash,
  author = {Borga, Marco and Anagnostou, Emmanouil N. and Blöschl, Günter and Creutin, Jean‐Dominique},
  title = {Flash floods: Observations and analysis of hydro-meteorological controls},
  journal = {Journal of Hydrology},
  year = {2010},
  doi = {10.1016/j.jhydrol.2010.07.048},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2010.07.048}
}