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All excellent points, but I am more concerned with the Thames being a worrying and ever decreasing distance from my front window. Its apparrently worse here than in living memory. Probably worse since 1886.
All the hullabaloo about the government 'refusing to rule out building on flood plains' has missed the fact that most of our historic towns, apart from the coastal ones, are on the flood plains.
Surely that Thames barrier has been closed before?
Otherwise, why would they have built it.
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So m300572 if we all stand outside with a bucket (or something larger like an oil drum, maybe?) we'll help prevent flooding? Nothing wrong with using grey water but I've never seen this argument used in its favour. I thought it was all about conserving treated water for drinking and food use and thus reducing demand at treatment plants by not using a costly (and often limited) resource to wash our cars or water our lawns etc. Brilliant.
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Dr. Pete said 'So has the weather event never actually occurred before or in fact is it say a natural 200 or 1000 year event?
How as a discipline can we help?'
There are numerous examples of where environmental archaeological investigations has shown flodding episodes or even dryer periods within well preserved deposits. It could be useful to study the likelyhood of any well preserved deposits on flood plains and investigate any past weather events. Coupled with dendrochronology and the other climatic records (tree rings, ice cores, lake cores etc) this might show the extent that an area may flood or may not and perhaps also inform the planning process.
'I wanna be a punk rocker but my mammy will ne let me'
Campbell
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Really interesting discussion... I was just wondering if anyone had thought of proposing this to the Enviromnemt Agency?
They say:
"We have a long tradition of supporting research in areas of mutual scientific interest, with well-established links to many UK universities. We remain keen to establish more of these strategic partnerships. We know that collaborative working is of mutual benefit and results in well funded, world-class research. We want to work with academic institutions to pool our expertise, build capacity and enhance the profile and impact of our research.
If you share our interests and are looking for opportunities to work in partnership to apply environmental science, then please get in touch with us by e-mailing
enquiries@environment-agency.gov.uk."
http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/sci...6/?lang=_e
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Excellent Idea .... its a case of ... whats archaeology ever done for... oh.... actually thats pretty useful, and will help to inform the future development of the UK...
Any takers?
"No job worth doing was ever done on time or under budget.."
Khufu
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Yes it is obviously something is worthy of research and hence why I proposed the question. Could be a good PhD for somebody.
Having lived near, and on one occassion in, the Thames for many years I have to say flooding is quite an amazing thing.
The trouble with using flood deposits from flood plains is that all they tell you is that there was a flood on a meadow and not how high the actual flood was. In the case of water meadows they were deliberately flooded in any event. In the case of Goring flooding of meadows is an annual event.
Interestingly The Churches of Goring and Streatley are located just above the 100 year flood zone. Clearly there is an effect of building on the flood plain on the extent and return period of a flood but these will be both increased. Thus comparing the historic data with modern data may given a truer indication of the real effect of these.
In some areas the flood plain has not being built on to any great degree on the scale of things and this can then be used to compare the natural flooding with the modified flooding.
What is interesting at the moment on Thames is the extent to which the old bridges are not being flooded as at Dorchester and Wallingford.
On the other place is a report on how the HER have been affected by the flooding.
Peter
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One of the problems affecting this is our old favourite 'climate change'. It's entirely possible that what scientists and the Environment Agency might refer to as a 1 in 100 year event, could actually become a 1 in 10 event.
D. Vader
Senior Consultant
Vader Maull & Palpatine
Archaeological Consultants
Your powers are weak, Curator
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So m300572 if we all stand outside with a bucket (or something larger like an oil drum, maybe?) we'll help prevent flooding? Nothing wrong with using grey water but I've never seen this argument used in its favour. I thought it was all about conserving treated water for drinking and food use and thus reducing demand at treatment plants by not using a costly (and often limited) resource to wash our cars or water our lawns etc. Brilliant.
The main thing with flooding like the recent stuff is slowing the rate at which water runs off its catchments into the drainage system - every house having a catchwater system wouldn't be enough to prevent flooding but if it held back a few million gallons it would be another part of an overall strategy (as outlined in terms of upland peat regeneration etc). Stanfing outside with the bucket (or indeed oildrum) would have a fairly minor impact on the scale of the floods that we have seeen this time though.
