Skip to main content

Lund University Publications

LUND UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

A comparative study of the effects of the 1872 storm and coastal flood risk management in denmark, germany, and sweden

Hallin, Caroline LU ; Hofstede, Jacobus L.A. ; Martinez, Grit ; Jensen, Jürgen ; Baron, Nina ; Heimann, Thorsten ; Kroon, Aart ; Arns, Arne ; Almström, Björn LU and Sørensen, Per , et al. (2021) In Water 13(12).
Abstract

From November 12th to 13th in 1872, an extreme coastal flood event occurred in the south Baltic Sea. An unusual combination of winds created a storm surge reaching up to 3.5 m above mean sea level, which is more than a meter higher than all other observations over the past 200 years. On the Danish, German, and Swedish coasts, about 300 people lost their lives. The consequences of the storm in Denmark and Germany were more severe than in Sweden, with significantly larger destruction and higher numbers of casualties. In Denmark and Germany, the 1872 storm has been more extensively documented and remembered and still influences local and regional risk awareness. A comparative study indicates that the collective memory of the 1872 storm is... (More)

From November 12th to 13th in 1872, an extreme coastal flood event occurred in the south Baltic Sea. An unusual combination of winds created a storm surge reaching up to 3.5 m above mean sea level, which is more than a meter higher than all other observations over the past 200 years. On the Danish, German, and Swedish coasts, about 300 people lost their lives. The consequences of the storm in Denmark and Germany were more severe than in Sweden, with significantly larger destruction and higher numbers of casualties. In Denmark and Germany, the 1872 storm has been more extensively documented and remembered and still influences local and regional risk awareness. A comparative study indicates that the collective memory of the 1872 storm is related to the background knowledge about floods, the damage extent, and the response to the storm. Flood marks and dikes help to remember the events. In general, coastal flood defence is to the largest degree implemented in the affected areas in Germany, followed by Denmark, and is almost absent in Sweden, corresponding to the extent of the collective memory of the 1872 storm. Within the affected countries, there is local variability of flood risk awareness associated with the collective memory of the storm. Also, the economic dependency on flood-prone areas and conflicting interests with the tourism industry have influence on flood protection decisions. The processes of climate change adaptation and implementation of the EU Floods Directive are slowly removing these differences in flood risk management approaches.

(Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; and , et al. (More)
; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; and (Less)
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
1872 storm, Collective memory, Flood risk management, Historical storms
in
Water
volume
13
issue
12
article number
1697
publisher
MDPI AG
external identifiers
  • scopus:85108974617
ISSN
2073-4441
DOI
10.3390/w13121697
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
7ff8fabd-f0a6-409b-89ac-dd2201e036cf
date added to LUP
2021-08-16 14:41:55
date last changed
2022-08-11 23:18:44
@article{7ff8fabd-f0a6-409b-89ac-dd2201e036cf,
  abstract     = {{<p>From November 12th to 13th in 1872, an extreme coastal flood event occurred in the south Baltic Sea. An unusual combination of winds created a storm surge reaching up to 3.5 m above mean sea level, which is more than a meter higher than all other observations over the past 200 years. On the Danish, German, and Swedish coasts, about 300 people lost their lives. The consequences of the storm in Denmark and Germany were more severe than in Sweden, with significantly larger destruction and higher numbers of casualties. In Denmark and Germany, the 1872 storm has been more extensively documented and remembered and still influences local and regional risk awareness. A comparative study indicates that the collective memory of the 1872 storm is related to the background knowledge about floods, the damage extent, and the response to the storm. Flood marks and dikes help to remember the events. In general, coastal flood defence is to the largest degree implemented in the affected areas in Germany, followed by Denmark, and is almost absent in Sweden, corresponding to the extent of the collective memory of the 1872 storm. Within the affected countries, there is local variability of flood risk awareness associated with the collective memory of the storm. Also, the economic dependency on flood-prone areas and conflicting interests with the tourism industry have influence on flood protection decisions. The processes of climate change adaptation and implementation of the EU Floods Directive are slowly removing these differences in flood risk management approaches.</p>}},
  author       = {{Hallin, Caroline and Hofstede, Jacobus L.A. and Martinez, Grit and Jensen, Jürgen and Baron, Nina and Heimann, Thorsten and Kroon, Aart and Arns, Arne and Almström, Björn and Sørensen, Per and Larson, Magnus}},
  issn         = {{2073-4441}},
  keywords     = {{1872 storm; Collective memory; Flood risk management; Historical storms}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{06}},
  number       = {{12}},
  publisher    = {{MDPI AG}},
  series       = {{Water}},
  title        = {{A comparative study of the effects of the 1872 storm and coastal flood risk management in denmark, germany, and sweden}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/w13121697}},
  doi          = {{10.3390/w13121697}},
  volume       = {{13}},
  year         = {{2021}},
}