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Floods scientific goals

Example of a destructive flood triggered by heavy precipitation, August 22-23, 2005, Sainte-Agnès, France. (Credit: D. Thillet)
Example of a destructive flood triggered by heavy precipitation, August 22-23, 2005, Sainte-Agnès, France. (Credit: D. Thillet)

Phase III (2024 – 2027)

The PAGES Floods Working Group (FWG) aims to coordinate, synthesize and promote data and results on the natural variability of paleofloods.

The scientific goals of the Floods WG for phase III are structured around three topics: metadata collection, data integration, and dissemination.

These topics will be addressed through Work Packages (WP):

> Work Package (WP) Metadata
> Work Package (WP) Anthropo flood integration 
> Work Package (WP) Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR)
> Work Package (WP) Map of Extreme Floods (MEF) (New in phase III)

Among others, the following goals will be tackled:

i) Compiling a global open-source metadatabase of flood series;
ii) Analyzing the historical catchment and floodplain dynamics, the Floods WG will evaluate the concept of Anthropocene, contributing knowledge for sustainable risk management;
iii) Extreme events and risk assessment are key targets of paleoflood research, which provides not only robust data for Flood Frequency Analysis (FFA) but also evidence of low-frequency catastrophic floods. The statistical analysis of these flood series enables the identification of thresholds and tipping points. 


Phase II (2019–2022)

The overarching aim of the second phase of FWG was to follow up on the promotion and strength of the interdisciplinary collaboration started during the group's first phase, and more specifically, to develop the targets identified in each Work Package (see below).

The goals of the second phase were:

i) To intensify efforts to collect, standardize and disseminate the collaborative Flood Database;

ii) To integrate pluri-archive flood time series and to share best practices of methodologies to statistically analyze paleoflood data;

iii) To improve engagement with stakeholders and policymakers.

To achieve these goals, the group was structured into three Work Packages:

> Work Package 1
Collecting, storing and sharing worldwide paleoflood data (and access the Floods Metadatabase)

> Work Package 2
Integrating and analyzing paleoflood data

> Work Package 3
Communicating and disseminating paleoflood science and data at different levels, including stakeholders

For each WP, key actions were identified to enable significant progresses in the field and associated deliverables were expected in the following year(s). WP coordinators were committed to stimulating and organizing activities to fulfil the objectives. In particular, workshops and sessions in conferences were organized to facilitate progress of WP activities.


Phase I (2015–2018)

During Phase 1, FWG worked as an excellent platform to promote collaboration among researchers from different disciplines, to foster scientific progress, and especially to help younger researchers learn from senior researchers.

The goals of the first phase were:

i) Providing regional to global analyses of the natural flood variability with a particular focus on the most extreme events;

ii) Promoting and disseminating historical and paleoflood science data at different levels, i.e. academic, engineers and stakeholders.