Natural and Anthropogenic Flash Flood Generation: Forest Technical Works Impact, Flood Mechanisms and Flood Prevent-Mitigation Measures

Dear Colleagues,

Flash floods are natural phenomena that are an integral part of the hydrological cycle. In addition, flash floods are considered to be by far the most dangerous, frequent, and widespread worldwide phenomenon, especially in ephemeral streams. These phenomena often generate serious negative consequences for humans, such as infrastructure, property, and crop destruction, with significant financial cost for repairs, restoration, and rehabilitation; sometimes human lives are even lost. Most of flash flood events are the result of intense rainfall events, but they are also influenced by other natural factors such as the relief, land uses, geomorphology. Further, anthropogenic factors such as inappropriate technical and forest technical works (culverts, bridges etc.) forest roads, urban sprawl, decrease of stream width, stream diversions etc., can influence the stream peak flow and generate flash floods. The majority of floods are unlikely to be fully predicted, but it is feasible to reduce the intensity and the resulting risks, through appropriate infrastructure management, construction plans, and appropriate forest technical works at watershed scale. The influence of natural and anthropogenic factors on hydrological processes has previously been studied through several hydrological and hydraulic approaches. However, the mechanisms that generate these phenomena are poorly understood, mainly because of difficulties, such as rainfall and discharge data scarcity and quality data issues.

Within this frame, the Special Issue of Sustainability, “Natural and Anthropogenic flash flood generation: The influence of technical and forest technical works. Flood mechanisms, monitoring and flood prevent-mitigation measures.”, calls for research papers, case studies, and applied flood management strategies that will advance and improve the knowledge that concerns the relation among the flash flood mechanisms, natural and anthropogenic factors, watershed and floodplain management. Also, we welcome papers within the topics of flood monitoring and modelling, flood prevent-mitigation measures, improvement of technical and forest technical works that influence the flood generation, study of the impact of forest roads on stream peak flow etc.

Dr. Aristeidis Kastridis
Chief Guest Editor

Prof. Dimitrios Stathis
Assistant Guest Editor

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