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Papers by Iso Himmelsbach

Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences, Sep 8, 2022

Flood marks are rarely utilized in hazard assessment, mainly because of a lack of data availabili... more Flood marks are rarely utilized in hazard assessment, mainly because of a lack of data availability and accessibility and mistrust in their reliability. Challenging these common assumptions, we present an approach for evaluation and practical utilization of flood marks by the example of the Kinzig River, a Rhine tributary from the Black Forest with a history of severe floods. We combined written documents describing flood marks with field mapping at three study sites and collected information relating to 89 marks-about 50 % of them still preserved-which refer to ≥ 15 large floods between 1824 and 1991. The inclusion of a detailed historicalmark survey enabled an assessment of changes through time for each flood mark: they extend from small (±15 cm) imprecisions in mark heights to considerable uncertainties in position, height, and displayed date for some modified marks. Plausibility checks with further data nevertheless demonstrated good overall consistency. We then juxtaposed these marks with the current, modeled flood hazard maps. A wide agreement is apparent, in that the large majority of marks are situated at probable heights and within the modeled flooding area associated with extreme floods. For the few exceptions, we see plausible and historically sound reasons in changed local hydraulic conditions by flood protection walls, exceptional processes during a massive ice jam, and possibly also a local underestimation of hazard along Kinzig River tributaries. Overall, this study highlights (1) the broad availability of flood mark data, both on a larger spatial scale and with regard to already vanished marks, and (2) the significance of the marks, verified by further data, and also demonstrates (3) the possibility of a straightforward inclusion in hazard assessment. We thus encourage the systematic collection , maintenance, and integration of flood marks as responsible risk management, not least regarding their value in the wider context of risk awareness and memory.

HAL (Le Centre pour la Communication Scientifique Directe), 2013

Climate of The Past, Nov 21, 2017

This paper contributes to the ongoing debate on the extent to which climate and climatic change c... more This paper contributes to the ongoing debate on the extent to which climate and climatic change can have a negative impact on societies by triggering migration, or even contribute to conflict. It summarizes results from the transdisciplinary project "Climate of migration" (funded 2010-2014), whose innovative title was created by Franz Mauelshagen and Uwe Lübken. The overall goal of this project was to analyze the relation between climatic and socioeconomic parameters and major migration waves from southwest Germany to North America during the 19th century. The article assesses the extent to which climatic conditions triggered these migration waves. The century investigated was in general characterized by the Little Ice Age with three distinct cooling periods, causing major glacier advances in the alpine regions and numerous climatic extremes such as major floods, droughts and severe winter. Societal changes were tremendous, marked by the warfare during the Napoleonic era (until 1815), the abolition of serfdom (1817), the bourgeois revolution (1847/48), economic freedom (1862), the beginning of industrialization accompanied by large-scale rural-urban migration resulting in urban poverty, and finally by the foundation of the German Empire in 1871. The presented study is based on quantitative data and a qualitative, information-based discourse analysis. It considers climatic conditions as well as socioeconomic and political issues, leading to the hypothesis of a chain of effects ranging from unfavorable climatic conditions to a decrease in crop yields to rising cereal prices and finally to emigration. These circumstances were investigated extensively for the peak emigration years identified with each migration wave. Furthermore, the long-term relations between emigration and the prevailing climatic conditions, crop yields and cereal prices were statistically evaluated with a sequence of linear models which were significant with explanatory power between 22 and 38 %.

Le Centre pour la Communication Scientifique Directe - HAL - SHS, 2019

Le Centre pour la Communication Scientifique Directe - HAL - memSIC, 2018

Le Centre pour la Communication Scientifique Directe - HAL - memSIC, Nov 1, 2013

. Flood marks are rarely utilized in hazard assessment, mainly because of a lack in data availabi... more . Flood marks are rarely utilized in hazard assessment, mainly because of a lack in data availability, accessibility, and mistrust in their reliability. Challenging these common assumptions, we present an approach for evaluation and practical utilization of flood marks by the example of the Kinzig river, a Rhine tributary from the Black Forest with a history of severe floods. We combined written documents on flood marks with field mapping at three study sites and collected 89 marks – about 50 % of them still preserved – which refer to ≥ 15 large floods between 1824 and 1991. The inclusion of a detailed historical mark survey allowed to identify and assess changes over time: they extend from small (+/- 15 cm) imprecisions in mark heights to considerable uncertainties in position, height, and displayed date for some modified marks. Plausibility checks with further data nevertheless demonstrated an overall good consistency. We then juxtaposed these marks with the current, modeled flood hazard maps. A wide agreement is apparent, in that the large majority of the marks are situated at probable heights and within the modeled flooding area associated with extreme floods. For the few exceptions, we see plausible and historically sound reasons in changed local hydraulic conditions by flood protection walls, exceptional processes during a massive ice jam, and possibly also a local underestimation of hazard along Kinzig river tributaries. Overall, this study highlights (1) the broad availability of flood mark data, both on a larger spatial scale and with regard to already vanished marks, and (2) the significance of the marks, verified by further data; and (3) it also demonstrates the possibility of a straightforward inclusion in hazard assessment. We thus encourage the systematic collection, maintenance, and integration of flood marks in a responsible risk management, not least regarding their value in the wider context of risk awareness and memory.

This document describes the HDF5 file structure for data used in "Single-molecule view of coordin... more This document describes the HDF5 file structure for data used in "Single-molecule view of coordination in a multi-functional DNA polymerase"

Climate Change and Cultural Transition in Europe, 2018

Hydrology and Earth System Sciences Discussions, 2015

This paper presents the occurrence, cause and frequency changes of floods, their development and ... more This paper presents the occurrence, cause and frequency changes of floods, their development and distribution along the southern part of the upper Rhine River and of 14 of its tributaries in France and Germany covering the period from 1480 BC. Special focus is given on the temporal and spatial variations and underlying meteorological causes which show a significant change over space and time. Examples are presented how long-term information can help to improve transnational risk and risk management analysis while connecting single historical and modern extreme events.

Climatic Change, 2014

The heat waves of 2003 in Western Europe and 2010 in Russia, commonly labelled as rare climatic a... more The heat waves of 2003 in Western Europe and 2010 in Russia, commonly labelled as rare climatic anomalies outside of previous experience, are often taken as harbingers of more frequent extremes in the global warming-influenced future. However, a recent

La Houille Blanche, 2011

ABSTRACT « L'Alsace n'a plus connu de crue exceptionnelle depuis 1910 » affirmaie... more ABSTRACT « L'Alsace n'a plus connu de crue exceptionnelle depuis 1910 » affirmaient en 2000 les services de l'Etat. Toutefois, aucun des Plans de Prévention des Risques d'Inondation n'a pris en compte les événements de janvier 1910. Comment interpréter ce paradoxe ? A – t – on fait preuve d'exagération en transposant dans le contexte local le traumatisme qu'a connu la région parisienne ? En d'autres termes, l'inondation de Paris en 1910 aurait – elle ainsi conduit à surévaluer les événements s'étant produits ailleurs au même moment ? Sinon, il faut s'interroger sur les raisons de la non-prise en compte des inondations de 1910 dans les procédures réglementaires. Dans ce contexte, la reconstitution des crues de janvier 1910 en Alsace et dans le Fossé Rhénan présente donc un intérêt géohistorique évident. D'autant plus que, notamment pour le Rhin, il faut bien préciser de quelle crue de 1910 l'on parle. Il s'agit donc de procéder à la datation puis à l'évaluation et à la classification de cette inondation dans une chronologie à long terme, avant de discuter de sa variabilité spatiale et de la part des facteurs anthropiques entre parties française et allemande du Fossé Rhénan. A condition de trouver des informations significatives. Du fait de difficultés d'accès aux sources, les événements de 1910 restent mal connus des spécialistes.

Climatic Change, 2010

The paper presents a qualitative and quantitative analysis of flood variability and forcing of ma... more The paper presents a qualitative and quantitative analysis of flood variability and forcing of major European rivers since AD 1500. We compile and investigate flood reconstructions which are based on documentary evidence for twelve Central European rivers and for eight Mediterranean rivers. Flood variability and underlying climatological causes are reconstructed by using hermeneutic approaches including

Hydrology and Earth System Sciences, 2015

This paper presents the long-term analysis of flood occurrence along the southern part of the Upp... more This paper presents the long-term analysis of flood occurrence along the southern part of the Upper Rhine River system and of 14 of its tributaries in France and Germany covering the period starting from 1480 BC. Special focus is given on the temporal and spatial variations of flood events and their underlying meteorological causes over time. Examples are presented of how long-term information about flood events and knowledge about the historical aspect of flood protection in a given area can help to improve the understanding of risk analysis and therefor transnational risk management. Within this context, special focus is given to flood vulnerability while comparing selected historical and modern extreme events, establishing a common evaluation scheme. <br><br> The transnational aspect becomes especially evident analyzing the tributaries: on this scale, flood protection developed impressively different on the French and German sides. We argue that comparing high technol...

Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences, Sep 8, 2022

Flood marks are rarely utilized in hazard assessment, mainly because of a lack of data availabili... more Flood marks are rarely utilized in hazard assessment, mainly because of a lack of data availability and accessibility and mistrust in their reliability. Challenging these common assumptions, we present an approach for evaluation and practical utilization of flood marks by the example of the Kinzig River, a Rhine tributary from the Black Forest with a history of severe floods. We combined written documents describing flood marks with field mapping at three study sites and collected information relating to 89 marks-about 50 % of them still preserved-which refer to ≥ 15 large floods between 1824 and 1991. The inclusion of a detailed historicalmark survey enabled an assessment of changes through time for each flood mark: they extend from small (±15 cm) imprecisions in mark heights to considerable uncertainties in position, height, and displayed date for some modified marks. Plausibility checks with further data nevertheless demonstrated good overall consistency. We then juxtaposed these marks with the current, modeled flood hazard maps. A wide agreement is apparent, in that the large majority of marks are situated at probable heights and within the modeled flooding area associated with extreme floods. For the few exceptions, we see plausible and historically sound reasons in changed local hydraulic conditions by flood protection walls, exceptional processes during a massive ice jam, and possibly also a local underestimation of hazard along Kinzig River tributaries. Overall, this study highlights (1) the broad availability of flood mark data, both on a larger spatial scale and with regard to already vanished marks, and (2) the significance of the marks, verified by further data, and also demonstrates (3) the possibility of a straightforward inclusion in hazard assessment. We thus encourage the systematic collection , maintenance, and integration of flood marks as responsible risk management, not least regarding their value in the wider context of risk awareness and memory.

HAL (Le Centre pour la Communication Scientifique Directe), 2013

Climate of The Past, Nov 21, 2017

This paper contributes to the ongoing debate on the extent to which climate and climatic change c... more This paper contributes to the ongoing debate on the extent to which climate and climatic change can have a negative impact on societies by triggering migration, or even contribute to conflict. It summarizes results from the transdisciplinary project "Climate of migration" (funded 2010-2014), whose innovative title was created by Franz Mauelshagen and Uwe Lübken. The overall goal of this project was to analyze the relation between climatic and socioeconomic parameters and major migration waves from southwest Germany to North America during the 19th century. The article assesses the extent to which climatic conditions triggered these migration waves. The century investigated was in general characterized by the Little Ice Age with three distinct cooling periods, causing major glacier advances in the alpine regions and numerous climatic extremes such as major floods, droughts and severe winter. Societal changes were tremendous, marked by the warfare during the Napoleonic era (until 1815), the abolition of serfdom (1817), the bourgeois revolution (1847/48), economic freedom (1862), the beginning of industrialization accompanied by large-scale rural-urban migration resulting in urban poverty, and finally by the foundation of the German Empire in 1871. The presented study is based on quantitative data and a qualitative, information-based discourse analysis. It considers climatic conditions as well as socioeconomic and political issues, leading to the hypothesis of a chain of effects ranging from unfavorable climatic conditions to a decrease in crop yields to rising cereal prices and finally to emigration. These circumstances were investigated extensively for the peak emigration years identified with each migration wave. Furthermore, the long-term relations between emigration and the prevailing climatic conditions, crop yields and cereal prices were statistically evaluated with a sequence of linear models which were significant with explanatory power between 22 and 38 %.

Le Centre pour la Communication Scientifique Directe - HAL - SHS, 2019

Le Centre pour la Communication Scientifique Directe - HAL - memSIC, 2018

Le Centre pour la Communication Scientifique Directe - HAL - memSIC, Nov 1, 2013

. Flood marks are rarely utilized in hazard assessment, mainly because of a lack in data availabi... more . Flood marks are rarely utilized in hazard assessment, mainly because of a lack in data availability, accessibility, and mistrust in their reliability. Challenging these common assumptions, we present an approach for evaluation and practical utilization of flood marks by the example of the Kinzig river, a Rhine tributary from the Black Forest with a history of severe floods. We combined written documents on flood marks with field mapping at three study sites and collected 89 marks – about 50 % of them still preserved – which refer to ≥ 15 large floods between 1824 and 1991. The inclusion of a detailed historical mark survey allowed to identify and assess changes over time: they extend from small (+/- 15 cm) imprecisions in mark heights to considerable uncertainties in position, height, and displayed date for some modified marks. Plausibility checks with further data nevertheless demonstrated an overall good consistency. We then juxtaposed these marks with the current, modeled flood hazard maps. A wide agreement is apparent, in that the large majority of the marks are situated at probable heights and within the modeled flooding area associated with extreme floods. For the few exceptions, we see plausible and historically sound reasons in changed local hydraulic conditions by flood protection walls, exceptional processes during a massive ice jam, and possibly also a local underestimation of hazard along Kinzig river tributaries. Overall, this study highlights (1) the broad availability of flood mark data, both on a larger spatial scale and with regard to already vanished marks, and (2) the significance of the marks, verified by further data; and (3) it also demonstrates the possibility of a straightforward inclusion in hazard assessment. We thus encourage the systematic collection, maintenance, and integration of flood marks in a responsible risk management, not least regarding their value in the wider context of risk awareness and memory.

This document describes the HDF5 file structure for data used in "Single-molecule view of coordin... more This document describes the HDF5 file structure for data used in "Single-molecule view of coordination in a multi-functional DNA polymerase"

Climate Change and Cultural Transition in Europe, 2018

Hydrology and Earth System Sciences Discussions, 2015

This paper presents the occurrence, cause and frequency changes of floods, their development and ... more This paper presents the occurrence, cause and frequency changes of floods, their development and distribution along the southern part of the upper Rhine River and of 14 of its tributaries in France and Germany covering the period from 1480 BC. Special focus is given on the temporal and spatial variations and underlying meteorological causes which show a significant change over space and time. Examples are presented how long-term information can help to improve transnational risk and risk management analysis while connecting single historical and modern extreme events.

Climatic Change, 2014

The heat waves of 2003 in Western Europe and 2010 in Russia, commonly labelled as rare climatic a... more The heat waves of 2003 in Western Europe and 2010 in Russia, commonly labelled as rare climatic anomalies outside of previous experience, are often taken as harbingers of more frequent extremes in the global warming-influenced future. However, a recent

La Houille Blanche, 2011

ABSTRACT « L&#39;Alsace n&#39;a plus connu de crue exceptionnelle depuis 1910 » affirmaie... more ABSTRACT « L&#39;Alsace n&#39;a plus connu de crue exceptionnelle depuis 1910 » affirmaient en 2000 les services de l&#39;Etat. Toutefois, aucun des Plans de Prévention des Risques d&#39;Inondation n&#39;a pris en compte les événements de janvier 1910. Comment interpréter ce paradoxe ? A – t – on fait preuve d&#39;exagération en transposant dans le contexte local le traumatisme qu&#39;a connu la région parisienne ? En d&#39;autres termes, l&#39;inondation de Paris en 1910 aurait – elle ainsi conduit à surévaluer les événements s&#39;étant produits ailleurs au même moment ? Sinon, il faut s&#39;interroger sur les raisons de la non-prise en compte des inondations de 1910 dans les procédures réglementaires. Dans ce contexte, la reconstitution des crues de janvier 1910 en Alsace et dans le Fossé Rhénan présente donc un intérêt géohistorique évident. D&#39;autant plus que, notamment pour le Rhin, il faut bien préciser de quelle crue de 1910 l&#39;on parle. Il s&#39;agit donc de procéder à la datation puis à l&#39;évaluation et à la classification de cette inondation dans une chronologie à long terme, avant de discuter de sa variabilité spatiale et de la part des facteurs anthropiques entre parties française et allemande du Fossé Rhénan. A condition de trouver des informations significatives. Du fait de difficultés d&#39;accès aux sources, les événements de 1910 restent mal connus des spécialistes.

Climatic Change, 2010

The paper presents a qualitative and quantitative analysis of flood variability and forcing of ma... more The paper presents a qualitative and quantitative analysis of flood variability and forcing of major European rivers since AD 1500. We compile and investigate flood reconstructions which are based on documentary evidence for twelve Central European rivers and for eight Mediterranean rivers. Flood variability and underlying climatological causes are reconstructed by using hermeneutic approaches including

Hydrology and Earth System Sciences, 2015

This paper presents the long-term analysis of flood occurrence along the southern part of the Upp... more This paper presents the long-term analysis of flood occurrence along the southern part of the Upper Rhine River system and of 14 of its tributaries in France and Germany covering the period starting from 1480 BC. Special focus is given on the temporal and spatial variations of flood events and their underlying meteorological causes over time. Examples are presented of how long-term information about flood events and knowledge about the historical aspect of flood protection in a given area can help to improve the understanding of risk analysis and therefor transnational risk management. Within this context, special focus is given to flood vulnerability while comparing selected historical and modern extreme events, establishing a common evaluation scheme. <br><br> The transnational aspect becomes especially evident analyzing the tributaries: on this scale, flood protection developed impressively different on the French and German sides. We argue that comparing high technol...