Flash Flood Prediction in Small to Medium-Sized Watersheds. Case Study: Bistra River (Apuseni Mountains, Romania)

Abstract

Romania is among the European countries which are still susceptible to flood disasters. Climate change, the lack of a sustainable land management and floods approach are the most important driving factors of flood risk. Accordingly, additional research to improve or develop various methods for predicting the flash flood events, especially within densely populated watersheds, is required. This paper aims to provide a further assessment of the reliability of a distributed hydrological model developed within a GIS framework The model was developed for use in small river basins and so forth, another objective is to provide insight into whether it is acceptable for use in larger-sized watersheds than the ones it was created for. The methodology is presented by computing the discharges at the entrance of six human settlements located within the Bistra river watershed, a left-bank tributary of Barcău river (Bihor department, Romania). The chosen study area is frequently impacted by flooding, endangering the socio-economic activities, human settlements and infrastructure. A distributed hydrological modeling approach and the SCS-CN method are used in this research. The results revealed a good correlation between the estimated and measured hydrographs at the gauging points of Pădurea Neagră (upstream) and Chiribiș (located at the downstream end of the drainage basin).

Assessing the Invasion Risk of Humulus scandens Using Ensemble Species Distribution Modeling and Habitat Connectivity Analysis

“…The hydrographic network is almost completely tributary to the Danube River, with small exceptions in Steppic region [ 78 ]; thus, the dispersion of the species can theoretically be assured through this network. Regular flooding events are registered within these systems, especially during the spring, with higher intensities in smaller basins, closer to the alpine regions [ 79 ]. Climatic changes have been observed during the last decades, with increased droughts in the southern and eastern regions, but also with overall milder winters [ 80 ], increasing the need for invasive species distribution modeling approaches, which can predict their potential range shifts and help decision makers take appropriate action.…”

Satellite Nighttime Light and Digital Elevation Data to Assess Urban Expansion in Floodplains of Dhaka City

“…This is because compact cities tend to have a higher proportion of impervious surfaces, which can increase the runoff volume and reduce the infiltration. Additionally, compact cities often have a more intricate network of drainage systems, which can be more easily overwhelmed during flood events [8], [15], [16]. Other studies have shown no clear relationship between urban form and flood damage [17]- [19].…”

A GIS-Based Methodology to Combine Rain Gauge and Radar Rainfall Estimates of Precipitation Using the Conditional Merging Technique for High-Resolution Quantitative Precipitation Forecasts in Țibleș and Rodnei Mountains

“…They determined the average amounts of precipitation estimated on small river basins, which are susceptible to floods. In a recent study in the Bistra River basin, Haidu and Strapazan [27] noted the importance of high-resolution precipitation data in modeling flash flood events in small catchments.…”