Articles | Volume 17, issue 11
https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-17-6199-2025
© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-17-6199-2025
© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Data description paper
| 
18 Nov 2025
Data description paper |
| 18 Nov 2025
| 18 Nov 2025
PaleoRiada: a new integrated spatial database of palaeofloods in Spain
Kelly Patricia Sandoval-Rincón
Department of Geo-Hazards & Climate Change, Geological and Mining Institute of Spain (IGME), Spanish Scientific Research Council (CSIC), Rios Rosas 23, Madrid, Spain
Julio Garrote-Revilla
Department of Geodynamics, Stratigraphy and Palaeontology, Complutense University of Madrid, José Antonio Novais 12, Madrid, Spain
Daniel Vázquez-Tarrío
Department of Geo-Hazards & Climate Change, Geological and Mining Institute of Spain (IGME), Spanish Scientific Research Council (CSIC), Rios Rosas 23, Madrid, Spain
Silvia Cervel
Department of Geo-Hazards & Climate Change, Geological and Mining Institute of Spain (IGME), Spanish Scientific Research Council (CSIC), Rios Rosas 23, Madrid, Spain
Jose Hernández-Manchado
Department of Geo-Hazards & Climate Change, Geological and Mining Institute of Spain (IGME), Spanish Scientific Research Council (CSIC), Rios Rosas 23, Madrid, Spain
Juan López-Vinielles
Department of Geo-Hazards & Climate Change, Geological and Mining Institute of Spain (IGME), Spanish Scientific Research Council (CSIC), Rios Rosas 23, Madrid, Spain
Rosa María Mateos
Department of Geo-Hazards & Climate Change, Geological and Mining Institute of Spain (IGME), Spanish Scientific Research Council (CSIC), Rios Rosas 23, Madrid, Spain
Juan Antonio Ballesteros-Cánovas
Department of Geology, National Museum of Natural Sciences (MNCN), Spanish Scientific Research Council (CSIC), José Gutiérrez Abascal 2, Madrid, Spain
Gerardo Benito
Department of Geology, National Museum of Natural Sciences (MNCN), Spanish Scientific Research Council (CSIC), José Gutiérrez Abascal 2, Madrid, Spain
Department of Geo-Hazards & Climate Change, Geological and Mining Institute of Spain (IGME), Spanish Scientific Research Council (CSIC), Rios Rosas 23, Madrid, Spain
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Protecting urbanized alluvial fan canals and levees from flooding requires effective sediment retention measures, such as check dams, terraces, and trees on steep basins. However, their effectiveness declines over time due to sedimentation and aging, increasing the risk of catastrophic breaching floods. To enhance urban resilience, we propose preserving natural mountain basins and allocating about 35 % of the alluvial fan to channel migration and sediment deposition corridors.
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This study proposes a novel systematic workflow that integrates source area identification, deterministic runout modelling, the classification of runout outputs to derive susceptibility zonation, and robust procedures for validation and comparison. The proposed approach enables the integration and comparison of different modelling, introducing a robust and consistent workflow/methodology that allows us to derive and verify rockfall susceptibility zonation, considering different steps.
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Climate change is expected to increase the intensity of floods, but changes are difficult to project. We compiled historical and modern flood data of the Rio Duero (Spain) to evaluate flood hazards beyond decadal climate cycles. Historical floods were obtained from documentary sources, identifying 69 floods over 1250–1871 CE. Discharges were calculated from reported flood heights. Flood frequency using historical datasets showed the most robust results, guiding climate change adaptation.
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Short summary
Most published palaeoflood databases are outdated, lack hydrological data, and are difficult to access, especially for non-academic users such as flood risk managers. PaleoRiada, the first open palaeoflood database for Spain, addresses these issues by compiling data from 299 palaeoflood records, accessible through an open-access web platform. The database supports the revision of Potential Significant Flood Risk Areas and provides insights for regions not included in current national flood maps.
Most published palaeoflood databases are outdated, lack hydrological data, and are difficult to...
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