The effects of the topographic data source and resolution on the hydraulic modelling of floods were analysed. Seven digital terrain models (DTMs) were generated from three different altimetric sources: a global positioning system (GPS) survey and bathymetry; highresolution laser altimetry data LiDAR (light detection and ranging); and vectorial cartography (1:5000). Hydraulic results were obtained, using the HEC-RAS one-dimensional model, for all seven DTMs. The importance of the DTM's accuracy on the hydraulic modelling results was analysed within three different hydraulic contexts: (1) the discharge and water surface elevation results from the hydraulic model; (2)

Palaeoflood chronologies from seven Spanish river basins and floodplain aggradation chronologies from thirteen rivers are analysed. These fluvial records were divided in to two sub-sets, namely Atlantic (10 ka record) and Mediterranean (3 ka record) river basins, which represent distinct modern hydroclimatic conditions. In Atlantic basins floods result from intense, widespread rainfalls associated with Atlantic frontal systems transported by westerly airflow. Mediterranean river flooding is related to heavy rainfall induced by mesoscale convective systems (MCSs) during autumn months. Evidence from radiocarbon dates in slackwater flood deposits shows six periods of flood clusters at 10,750-10,240; 9550-9130; 4820-4440; 2865-2350; 960-790; and 520-290 cal BP. Despite the different flood-producing weather conditions in Atlantic and Mediterranean rivers, the radiocarbon sample clusters overlap and indicate changes in largescale atmospheric circulation and climatic conditions in the Iberian Peninsula. Comparison with proxy records of mean temperature for the Northern Hemisphere demonstrates a relationship between the period of slackwater flood deposition and cold climatic phases (e.g. the 2650 yr BP climatic event or AD 1590-1650 period of the Little Ice Age). Radiocarbon dates from aggraded floodplain sediments were clustered at 2710-2320, 2000-1830, and 910-500 cal BP. The first cluster period is in phase with the timing of slackwater deposition, whereas the third (910-500 cal BP) occurs in between two periods of increased flood frequency as indicated by the palaeoflood and documentary flood records. It is argued that the 910-500 cal BP floodplain aggradation period reflects the first post-Roman evidence of environmental change related to generalised land-use changes at the catchment scale, which produced high sediment load transported to overbank areas during high flows.

The multi-proxy analysis of sediment cores recovered in karstic Lake Estanya (42°02' N, 0°32' E; 670 m a. s. l., NE Spain), located in the transitional area between the humid Pyrenees and the semi-arid Central Ebro Basin, provides the first high-resolution, continuous sedimentary record in the region, extending back the last 21 000 years. The integration of sedimentary facies, elemental and isotopical geochemistry and biogenic silica, together with a robust age model based on 17 AMS radiocarbon dates, enables precise reconstruction of the main hydrological and environmental changes in the region during the last deglaciation. Arid conditions, represented by shallow lake levels, predominantly saline waters and reduced organic productivity occurred throughout the Last Glacial Maximum (21-18 cal kyrs BP) and the late glacial, reaching their maximum intensity during the period 18-14.5 cal kyrs BP (including Heinrich event 1) and the Younger Dryas (12.9-11.6 cal kyrs BP). Less saline conditions characterized the 14.5-12.6 cal kyrs BP period, suggesting higher effective moisture during the Bölling/Allerød. The onset of more humid conditions started at 9.4 cal kyrs, indicating a delayed hydrological response to the onset of the Holocene which is also documented in several sites of the Mediterranean Basin. Higher, although fluctuating, Holocene lake levels were punctuated by a mid Holocene arid period between 4.8 and 4.0 cal kyrs BP. A major lake-level rise occurred at 1.2 cal kyrs BP, conducive to the establishment of conditions similar to the present and interrupted by a last major water level drop, occurring around 800 cal yrs BP, which coincides with the Medieval Climate Anomaly. The main hydrological stages in Lake Estanya are in phase with most Western Mediterranean and North Atlantic continental and marine records, but our results also show similarities with other Iberian and northern African reconstructions, emphasizing peculiarities of palaeohydrological evolution of the Iberian Peninsula during the last deglaciation.

This paper compiles the available information on historic tailings dam failures with the purpose to establish simple correlations between tailings ponds geometric parameters (e.g., dam height, tailings volume) and the hydraulic characteristics of floods resulting from released tailings. Following the collapse of a mining waste dam, only a part of tailings and polluted water stored at the dam is released, and this outflow volume is difficult to estimate prior the incident. In this study, tailings' volume stored at the time of failure was shown to have a good correlation (r2=0.86) with the tailings outflow volume, and the volume of spilled tailings was correlated with its run-out distance (r2=0.57). An envelope curve was drawn encompassing the majority of data points indicating the potential maximum downstream distance affected by a tailings' spill. The application of the described regression equations for prediction purposes needs to be treated with caution and with support of on-site measurement and observations. However, they may provide a universal baseline approximation on tailing outflow characteristics (even if detailed dam information is unavailable), which is of a great importance for risk analysis purposes.

A sedimentological, geochemical and palynological study of the Taravilla Lake sequence (Central Iberian Range, NE Spain) provides a detailed record of allocthonous terrigenous layers that intercalate within the lacustrine sediments during the last 2000 years. These terrigenous layers are interpreted as the result of extreme hydrological events that resulted in a higher clastic input to the basin. Anthropogenic influence caused by fires or deforestation is discarded as the main factor triggering the generation of these layers since human impact, deduced from the pollen reconstruction, was minimum when the terrigenous layers reach the maximum frequency. The reconstructed occurrence of these events defined from the Taravilla Lake record is coherent with the paleoflood history of the Tagus River, characterized by a notable increase of extreme events at the beginning of the Little Ice Age. The Taravilla record suggests a relationship between the occurrence of extreme hydrological events, solar variability and the North Atlantic Oscillation for the NE Iberian Peninsula.Ice Age (LIA), correspond to periods where sun spot frequency and, then, solar irradiance are minima (Bard and Frank 2006). In fact, during the LIA, four of the more evident minima in solar activity occurred (Wölf, Spörer, Maunder, and Dalton Minima). At a different time scale, periods of solar maxima are believed to be related to low values in the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) index (Kirov and Georgieva 2002), which are associated with high winter precipitation and river flow in the Atlantic basins of the Iberian Peninsula (Trigo et al. 2004). Nevertheless, in order to explore the climate forcing mechanisms to produce extreme flood events during the last millennia, more records from the Iberian Peninsula are needed.