| Author(s) | Andres Diez-Herrero, Juan Antonio Ballesteros-Canovas, Jose Maria Bodoque, Miguel Angel Eguibar, Jose Anastasio Fernandez-Yuste, Celia Garcia-Montanes, Maria Mar Genova, Carolina Guardiola-Albert, Mario Hernandez, Antonio Jimenez, Luis Lain, Miguel Llorente, Carolina Martinez-Santa-Maria, Francisco Olivera, Virginia Ruiz-Villanueva, Markus Stoffel |
| Abstract | Dendrogeomorphology is a relatively young scientific discipline which uses information sources recorded in the roots, trunks and branches of trees and bushes located in the fluvial system to complement (or sometimes even replace) systematic and palaeohydrological records of past floods. The application of dendrogeomorphic data sources and methods to palaeoflood analysis over nearly forty years has allowed improvements to be made in frequency and magnitude estimations of past floods. Nevertheless, research carried out so far has shown that the dendrogeomorphic indicators traditionally used (mainly scar evidence) and their use to infer frequency and magnitude has been restricted to a small, limited character and application set, and that new possibilities with enormous potential remain unexplored. New insights in future reseach of paleoflood frequency and magnitude using dendrogeomorphic data sources should: (i) test the application of isotopic indicators (16O/18O fraction) to discover the meteorological origin of past floods; (ii) use 3D anatomical analysis to understand the anatomical response of plant species and so improve sampling efficacy; (iii) use different dendrogeomorphic indicators to estimate peak flows with 2D (and 3D) hydraulic models and study how they relate to other palaeostate indicators; (iv) investigate improved calibration of two dimensional hydraulic model parameters (roughness); and (v) apply statistic-based cost-benefit analysis to select optimal mitigation measures. The research projects Dendro-Avenidas (www.dendro-avenidas.es), MAS Dendro-Avenidas (Spanish Ministery of Science and Innovation), and IDEA-GesPPNN are exploring these promising directions. This communication presents an overview of their first results and innovate methodologies, focused in their possibilities and limitations for the reconstruction of recent floods and paleofloods over the World. |