Author(s): B. Schober; C. Hauer; H. Habersack
Linked Author(s): Bernhard Schober
Keywords: Floodplain morphology; Flood retention; Floodplain hydrology and hydraulics; Austrian Danube; FEM-method
Abstract: Strengthening of non-structural measures for flood protection by enforcing natural retention processes is not only required by the EU-Floods-Directive but also implicates a variety of socioeconomic conflicts related to the multipurpose use of floodplains especially at large river systems. For the presented study the Austrian Danube was investigated on the entire 350 km length, determining reaches with high relevance for flood water retention. This novel analysis based on onedimensional and two-dimensional hydrodynamic-numerical modelling, uses hydrological and hydraulic parameters of the new FEM-method (Floodplain-Evaluation-Matrix) to evaluate retention effectiveness on various spatial scales. The results show strong influence of floodplain morphology on flood retention variability and hydraulics with respect to different flood wave shapes and recurrence intervals. Floodplain morphology and flooding characteristics were identified as main parameters for hydrological and hydraulic effectiveness. The integrative FEM-method highlighted the need for a scale-and morphology-specific floodplain management especially for large rivers like the Danube.
Year: 2011