Earth Surface Processes Researchers examine the immediate impact of the November 2009 floods, Cumbria, NW England
Dr Andy Large and Dr Andy Russell of the Earth Surface Processes Research Group (ESPG) within Physical Geography at Newcastle have been successful in obtaining Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) Urgency funding (~£70K in total) to investigate the impact of the catastrophic November 2009 floods on the river Derwent Cumbria. The year long project grant, jointly held with the Universities of Durham and Northumbria, has also been supported by the NERC Airborne Research and Survey Facility (ARSF) who have acquired aerial photos and LiDAR data of the flood impacted areas. This research builds on Andy and Andy’s recent NERC-funded work on the 2008 Northumberland floods and NERC-funded research on glacier outburst floods within Arctic and sub-Arctic fluvial systems in Iceland and Greenland.
Between November 18th and 20th 2009, NW England was hit by an unprecedented total of 372 mm of rainfall, equivalent to a month of precipitation, setting a new UK record for extreme precipitation (previously 279 mm). The resulting November 2009 flood was the biggest recorded in this region, and had major consequences for population and infrastructure over a large area, as well as sadly involving loss of life.
Due to its system-wide impact, the November 2009 flooding in Cumbria presents an unparalleled opportunity to gain insight into the controls on, and impact of, an extreme flood within upland, and lowland parts of a large catchment. Much of the evidence to both record and reconstruct the passage of this extreme event is.transient and thus requires urgent field-based investigation. This project aims to examine the whole river corridor of the river Derwent from its headwaters, through Bassenthwaite Lake to the lowland agricultural/urban catchment identifying key impacts and linkages. Greater understanding of flood processes and impacts is crucial if we are to accurately identify flood hazard and mitigate risk within river systems which are increasingly subject to human-induced changes in catchment characteristics and climate. River flooding is a core theme within the Earth Surface Processes Research Group (ESPG) at Newcastle.Links:
Natural Environment Research Council (NERC). http://www.nerc.ac.uk/
NERC Airborne Research Survey Facility (ARSF). http://arsf.nerc.ac.uk/
British Geological Survey Pictures of the November 2009 flooding. http://www.bgs.ac.uk/science/landUseAndDevelopment/shallow_geohazards/flooding_1109.html
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Dr Andy Large
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Professor Andrew Russell
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published on: 19th January 2010