Interdisciplinary and transboundary work to

rebuild extreme hydrological events in the

Rhine graben (France – Germany –

Switzerland) during the last six centuries

Brice Martin1, Rüdiger Glaser2, Iso Himmelsbach2, Nicolas Holleville1, Charlotte

Edelblutte1, Johannes Schönbein2, Florie Giacona1, Lauriane With1, Carine

Heitz4, Patrick Wassmer3, Marie Claire Vitoux1 1 UHA - CRESAT, France ; 2 IPG – Freiburg, Germany ; 3IPG Paris, France ; 4GESTE – IRSTEA, France

French – german program ANR – DFG

TRANSRISK (2008 – 2010), TRANSRISK² (2014 – 2017)

CFCC 2015

6-10 july 2015 Paris

plan

Study area

Stakes

Method

Analysis

Results

Example : 1910 flood in Rhine graben

Introduction

Topic French – German

flood risk geohistory

in the Rhine Graben

(events, management, risk

culture, trigg. factors)

Teams

French, German

Interdisciplinary

work

TRANSRISK (2008 – 2011), TRANSRISK² (2014 – 2017)

1. Study area

Rhine Graben

Homogeneous…

…with borders (Rhine)

France

Germany

Swiss

. .

1424

1493

1. Study area

Land of wars

1870

1914 – 1918

1939 - 1945

5 Changes (french side)

Administration

Languages (archives)

Elsässer Kurier 20/01/1910

1. Study area

Lack of memories / informations

Destructions

(flood marks)

Losses

Unacessibility

Last big event : 1990, forgotten…

Strasbourg 1870

2. Stakes (crossed – stakes)

Filling the gaps in the knowledge of the floods in France and in Germany,

Building a common geohistory of the floods

Flood reconstruction (historic – progressive method, to modelling, climatic conditions)

Optimizing the prevention and the information about the floods,

Understanding the role of rivers developments responsible for different floods evolution on each side of the Rhine

Implementation of flood risk observatories on a French – German basis

www.orrion.fr

www.facebook.com/orrionalsace

Flood risk culture

3. Methods

Simultaneous actions (FRA – GER)

Archives study

Floods

Landuse

Climate

Connecting the actors

Investigations on memories and perceptions

4. Analysis

Database (events, climatic conditions)

Comparisons

Different scales (time / space)

France – Germany

River systems

Cities on each river system

Districts in each cities

Contextualisation (to transposition)

Maping / GIS

Old events / extrem events

Risks, damages (location, costs)

5. Results

Chronology

15th

16th

17th

18th

19th

20th

21th

overflows 1480 – 2009 Rhine graben

France / Germany (+ Moselle / Sarre)

Floods

3416 events !

5. Results

51,4

23,9

12,6

29,8

>18

12,8

>26

>12

8

27,9

63,2

72,1

47,8

63,0

63,4

62,8 83,0

>21 >13

37,7 68,4

>21 >65

38,0 20,5

>27

121,2

54,0 66,3

>35 >49

>46 66,5

101,6

17,3

13,1

>14

>17

>19

11,4

18

>12

12,4

11,9

>10

>9

95,5

48,8

Precipitations

7 march 1896

Colmar

Mulhouse

Strasbourg

Freiburg

Ill

Ill

Rhin

Colmar

Mulhouse

Strasbourg

Freiburg

Ill

Ill

Rhin

Sept.1852 March 1896

1852

Q1000

Q100 (current risk map)

Directive 2007/60/EC on the assessment

and management of flood risks

MULHOUSE

5. Results

(historic-progressiv method)

Le Républicain 14/01/1920

Example (flood of 1910)

Flood of 1910 (Paris flood)

Known as “the biggest one”...

...Only on the french side...

...not taken into account (risk maps)

• WHY ?

• Not really known ?

• Forgotten ?

• Under/overestimated ?

• Differencies (FRA – GER) ?

no pictures, no postcards !

• 1910 = 4

different floods !

• January

• high water :

both sides

• overflows :

french side !

Much more

archives on

french side

november

(february)

(january)

january

(november)

(february)

january

Breg

Brigach

Donau

Wutach

Murg

Kleine Enz

Nagold

Neckar

WHY ?

Example (flood of 1910)

Elsässer Kurier 20/01/1910

Archives problem ? No : many archives on both sides of the Rhine…

…but mostly in german !

Example (flood of 1910)

17 - 18 januar :

60cm snow cover

18 - 19 januar :

SW flow

Temperature (5° at

1.000m)

heavay rainfall (192mm /

24h)

total snow melt

19 - 20 januar :

NW flow

temperature (-5° at

1.000m)

heavy snowfall (50cm)

Different climatic conditions ? : no, same on both sides

Same on both sides

Fribourg

Bâle

January 1910 :

• Huge damages

only on the

french side

Rivers corrections on german side

Protected by a

diversion channel

since 1901

Conclusion

Interest / advantages

long time analysis (extreme events, trigg. factors)

rebuilding risk culture (floodmarks !)

scenarios for the future (crisis management, risk

management : PPRI, PAPI…)

Thanks a lot for your attention