Theme-1-1-Paleoflood hydrology of tropical rivers

Abstract

In recent years very accurate and complete catalogs of ancient, extraordinary floods have been developed through scientific study of slackwater deposits and palaeostage indicators (SWD-PSI) in stable-boundary fluvial reaches. SWD-PSI palaeoflood hydrology is particularly suited to studies of tropical bedrock rivers, such as the Narmada River in India. Advances in geochronology, hydraulic flow modeling, and censored-sample maximum likelihood flood-frequency analysis have produced a scientific breakthrough in palaeoflood studies. Palaeoflood information is of immense value for determining the likelihood and frequency of extraordinary floods larger than can be documented with conventional flow data. Applications of palaeoflood hydrology include the design of dam spillways and testing the reasonableness of flood estimates obtained in modeling studies.