Articles | Volume 21, issue 3
https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-21-1631-2017
https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-21-1631-2017
Research article
 | 
20 Mar 2017
Research article |  | 20 Mar 2017

High-magnitude flooding across Britain since AD 1750

Neil Macdonald and Heather Sangster

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Cited articles

Acreman, M. C.: Extreme Historical UK floods and maximum flood estimation, Water Environ. J., 3, 404–412, 1989.
Archer, D. R.: Improvement in flood estimates using historical flood information on the River Wear at Durham, British Hydrolo. Soc. Symp, First National symposium, 14–16 September 1987, Hull, 1987.
Archer, D. R.: Land of Singing Waters: Rivers and Great Floods of Northumbria, Spredden Press, Stocksfield, Northumbria, UK, 1992.
Archer, D. R.: Practical application of historical flood information in flood estimation, in: Hydrological Extremes: Understanding, Predicting, Mitigating, IAHS Publ. 255, edited by: Gottschalk, L., Olivry, J.-C., Reed, D., and Rosbjerg, D., IAHS Press, Wallingford, UK, 191–199, 1999.
Archer, D. R.: Tyne and Tide: A celebration of the River Tyne, Daryan Press, Ovingham, 2003.
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Short summary
We use historical records to extend current understanding of flood risk, examining past spatial and temporal variability and ask are the perceived high-magnitude flood events witnessed in recent years really unprecedented? We identify that there are statistically significant relationships between the British flood index and climatic drivers, whereby the largest floods often transcend single catchments affecting regions and that the current flood-rich period is not unprecedented.