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

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

Hallin, E.C. (TU Delft Coastal Engineering; Lund University)
Hofstede, Jacobus L.A. (Schleswig-Holstein Ministry of Energy Transition)
Martinez, Grit (Ecologic Institute)
Jensen, Jürgen (University of Siegen)
Baron, Nina (University College Copenhagen)
Heimann, Thorsten (Freie Universität Berlin)
Kroon, Aart (University of Copenhagen)
Arns, Arne (Universität Rostock)
Almström, Björn (Lund University)

2021

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.

1872 storm
Collective memory
Flood risk management
Historical storms

http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:a6a86427-5686-4875-a303-a714f56f8728

https://doi.org/10.3390/w13121697

2073-4441

Water, 13 (12)

Institutional Repository

journal article

© 2021 E.C. Hallin, Jacobus L.A. Hofstede, Grit Martinez, Jürgen Jensen, Nina Baron, Thorsten Heimann, Aart Kroon, Arne Arns, Björn Almström, More Authors