1. Unravelling past flash flood activity in a forested mountain catchment of the Spanish Central System
- Author
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Clara Rodríguez-Morata, Raúl Sánchez-Salguero, Virginia Garófano-Gómez, J.M. Rubiales, Markus Stoffel, Juan Antonio Ballesteros-Cánovas, Laboratory of Dendrogeomorphology, Institute of Geological Sciences-University of Bern, Climatic Change and Climate Impacts Research Group, Institute for Environmental Sciences [Geneva] (ISE), Université de Genève = University of Geneva (UNIGE)-Université de Genève = University of Geneva (UNIGE), Laboratoire de Géographie Physique et Environnementale (GEOLAB), Université Blaise Pascal - Clermont-Ferrand 2 (UBP)-Institut Sciences de l'Homme et de la Société (IR SHS UNILIM), Université de Limoges (UNILIM)-Université de Limoges (UNILIM)-Université Clermont Auvergne [2017-2020] (UCA [2017-2020])-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université Clermont Auvergne (UCA), Institut d’Investigació per a la Gestió Integrada de Zones Costaneres (IGIC), Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV), Departamento de Silvopascicultura, ETSI de Montes, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM), Departamento de Ingeniería Forestal, Laboratorio de Dendrocronología, Universidad de Córdoba = University of Córdoba [Córdoba]-Universidad de Córdoba = University of Córdoba [Córdoba], Swiss Federal Research Institute (WSL), University of Geneva [Switzerland]-University of Geneva [Switzerland], Université Blaise Pascal - Clermont-Ferrand 2 (UBP)-Université Clermont Auvergne [2017-2020] (UCA [2017-2020])-Université Clermont Auvergne (UCA)-Institut Sciences de l'Homme et de la Société (IR SHS UNILIM), Université de Limoges (UNILIM)-Université de Limoges (UNILIM)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), and Universidad de Córdoba [Cordoba]-Universidad de Córdoba [Cordoba]
- Subjects
Mediterranean climate ,010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences ,Flash flood ,Forest management ,Dendrogeomorphology ,0207 environmental engineering ,02 engineering and technology ,01 natural sciences ,Peninsula ,Natural hazard ,ddc:550 ,medicine ,[SDU.STU.GM]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Earth Sciences/Geomorphology ,[SDU.STU.HY]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Earth Sciences/Hydrology ,020701 environmental engineering ,0105 earth and related environmental sciences ,Water Science and Technology ,ddc:333.7-333.9 ,Hydrology ,Sierra de Guadarrama ,geography ,geography.geographical_feature_category ,National park ,Paleohydrology ,Hydrometeorological triggers ,[SHS.GEO]Humanities and Social Sciences/Geography ,15. Life on land ,Seasonality ,medicine.disease ,Medio Ambiente ,13. Climate action ,North Atlantic oscillation ,[SHS.ENVIR]Humanities and Social Sciences/Environmental studies ,[SDE]Environmental Sciences ,Tree ring ,Geology - Abstract
[EN] Flash floods represent one of the most common natural hazards in mountain catchments, and are frequent in Mediterranean environments. As a result of the widespread lack of reliable data on past events, the understanding of their spatio-temporal occurrence and their climatic triggers remains rather limited. Here, we present a dendrogeomorphic reconstruction of past flash flood activity in the Arroyo de los Puentes stream (Sierra de Guadarrama, Spanish Central System). We analyze a total of 287 increment cores from 178 disturbed Scots pine trees (Pinus sylvestris L.) which yielded indications on 212 growth disturbances related to past flash flood impact. In combination with local archives, meteorological data, annual forest management records and highly-resolved terrestrial data (i.e., LiDAR data and aerial imagery), the dendrogeomorphic time series allowed dating 25 flash floods over the last three centuries, with a major event leaving an intense geomorphic footprint throughout the catchment in 1936. The analysis of meteorological records suggests that the rainfall thresholds of flash floods vary with the seasonality of events. Dated flash floods in the 20th century were primarily related with synoptic troughs owing to the arrival of air masses from north and west on the Iberian Peninsula during negative indices of the North Atlantic Oscillation. The results of this study contribute considerably to a better understanding of hazards related with hydrogeomorphic processes in central Spain in general and in the Sierra de Guadarrama National Park in particular., This study has been partially funded by the projects IDEA-GesPPNN-163/2010 (OAPN - Organismo Autonomo de Parques Nacionales, Ministerio de Agricultura, Alimentacion y Medio Ambiente) and CGL2010-19274 (projects MAS Dendro-Avenidas) of the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness. The authors sincerely acknowledge Marco Borga and other anonymous reviewer. Special recognition must be given to CENEAM, Montes de Valsain, OAPN and JCyL for providing information for this study. Specifically, they want to thank Javier Dones (Director of Montes de Valsain), Ramzi Touchan and Dave Meko for their support during the study, as well as Andres Diez and Gerardo Benito and all participants of the Tree-ring summer school carried out in 2012 in Valsain (Touchan et al., 2013). R. Sanchez-Salguero thanks the financial support from University of Cordoba-Campus de Excelencia Internacional-ceiA3.
- Published
- 2015