scholarly journals Potential of Documentary Evidence to Study Fatalities of Hydrological and Meteorological Events in the Czech Republic

Water ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (10) ◽  
pp. 2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brázdil ◽  
Chromá ◽  
Řehoř ◽  
Zahradníček ◽  
Dolák ◽  
...  

This paper presents the potential of documentary evidence for enhancing the study of fatalities taking place in the course of hydrological and meteorological events (HMEs). Chronicles, “books of memory”, weather diaries, newspapers (media), parliamentary proposals, epigraphic evidence, systematic meteorological/hydrological observations, and professional papers provide a broad base for gathering such information in the Czech Republic, especially since 1901. The spatiotemporal variability of 269 fatalities in the Czech Republic arising out of 103 HMEs (flood, flash flood, windstorm, convective storm, lightning, frost, snow/glaze-ice calamity, heat, and other events) in the 1981–2018 period is presented, with particular attention to closer characterisation of fatalities (gender, age, cause of death, place, type of death, and behaviour). Examples of three outstanding events with the highest numbers of fatalities (severe frosts in the extremely cold winter of 1928/1929, a flash flood on 9 June 1970, and a rain flood in July 1997) are described in detail. Discussion of results includes the problem of data uncertainty, factors influencing the numbers of fatalities, and the broader context. Since floods are responsible for the highest proportion of HME-related deaths, places with fatalities are located mainly around rivers and drowning appears as the main cause of death. In the further classification of fatalities, males and adults clearly prevail, while indirect victims and hazardous behaviour are strongly represented.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kateřina Chromá ◽  
Rudolf Brázdil ◽  
Lukáš Dolák ◽  
Jan Řehoř ◽  
Ladislava Řezníčková

<p>Reports from the newspaper “Rudé právo/Právo”, complemented by chronicles, epigraphic evidence, systematic meteorological/hydrological observations, media (including internet), professional reports and papers were used to create a database of fatalities taking place in the course of hydrological and meteorological events over the territory of the Czech Republic during the 1964–2019 period. The spatiotemporal variability of fatalities arising out of floods, flash floods, windstorms, convective storms, lightning, frosts, snow/glaze-ice calamities, avalanches, heats and other events is shown, with particular attention to closer characterisation of fatalities (gender, age, cause of death, place, type of death and behaviour). In the classification of fatalities, males and adults clearly prevail, while indirect victims and hazardous behaviour are strongly represented. Examples of two outstanding events with the highest numbers of fatalities during a flash flood on 9 June 1970 (34 fatalities) and a rain-induced flood in July 1997 (60 fatalities) are described in detail. Discussion of results includes the problem of data uncertainty, factors influencing the numbers of fatalities, and the broader context. The study emphasises the significance of documentary data and reveals its new utilisation in the study of fatalities in the Czech Republic.</p>


Geografie ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 125 (2) ◽  
pp. 117-137 ◽  
Author(s):  
Olga Halásová ◽  
Rudolf Brázdil

A range of documentary evidence and systematic meteorological/hydrological observations were employed to create a database of flash floods for Moravia and Silesia (the eastern part of Czechia) in the 19th and 20th centuries. The data extracted were used for an analysis of the spatiotemporal variability of flash floods, based on the frequency of days with flash floods and the number of municipalities affected. The dynamic climatology of flash floods was interpreted using the Czech Hydrometeorological Institute classification of synoptic types. Descriptions of flash-flood-related damage enabled their further division into six different types. Examples of three outstanding flash floods are described in more detail. All interpreted results are discussed with respect to spatiotemporal data uncertainty and their national and broader central European context. Flash floods constitute significant extreme natural events in Moravia and Silesia; knowledge of them, and more detailed investigation, are important to risk reduction.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lukáš Dolák ◽  
Rudolf Brázdil ◽  
Petr Dobrovolný ◽  
Hubert Valášek ◽  
Ladislava Řezníčková ◽  
...  

<p>To develop an understanding of recent variability in strong winds, it is necessary to analyse their past behaviour. While relatively short series of wind-speed measurement in the Czech Lands (recent Czech Republic) started mostly in the first half of the 20<sup>th</sup> century, documentary evidence represents a valuable source of information helping extend the knowledge of strong winds to the pre-instrumental period. In this study, we analyse strong winds on the basis of chronicles, weather diaries, early journalism, economic and financial sources, as well as old academic journals, newspapers, professional papers and recent scientific papers. The created dataset presents a chronology of strong winds in the Czech Lands from AD 1510 to present. The dataset contains more than 5000 events, which are classified on duration, location, extent, severity and type of damage on squalls (convective storms), tornadoes, blizzards, gales and windstorms. Gales, often accompanied by loss of human lives, damage to buildings and forests (windthrows), are the most frequently recorded type of strong winds (44%), followed by blizzards (26%), squalls (18%), and tornadoes (7%). Strong winds detected are concentrated 1820s to late-1840s, 1900s to late-1930s and in the 2000s. Seasonal distribution of strong winds is relatively equal throughout the chronology with the highest frequency in July (10.0%), January (8.6%), and December (8.1%). Uncertainties in results emerge from a different spatiotemporal density of documentary data and from the ambiguous nature of some records in determining the classification of strong winds or attribution of damage caused to particular events. Our results highlight the importance of documentary evidence in the analysis of strong winds and contribute to a better understanding of their spatiotemporal variability in the past.</p>


Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 872
Author(s):  
Vesna Đukić ◽  
Ranka Erić

Due to the improvement of computation power, in recent decades considerable progress has been made in the development of complex hydrological models. On the other hand, simple conceptual models have also been advanced. Previous studies on rainfall–runoff models have shown that model performance depends very much on the model structure. The purpose of this study is to determine whether the use of a complex hydrological model leads to more accurate results or not and to analyze whether some model structures are more efficient than others. Different configurations of the two models of different complexity, the Système Hydrologique Européen TRANsport (SHETRAN) and Hydrologic Modeling System (HEC-HMS), were compared and evaluated in simulating flash flood runoff for the small (75.9 km2) Jičinka River catchment in the Czech Republic. The two models were compared with respect to runoff simulations at the catchment outlet and soil moisture simulations within the catchment. The results indicate that the more complex SHETRAN model outperforms the simpler HEC HMS model in case of runoff, but not for soil moisture. It can be concluded that the models with higher complexity do not necessarily provide better model performance, and that the reliability of hydrological model simulations can vary depending on the hydrological variable under consideration.


Author(s):  
Jana Niedobová ◽  
Vladimír Hula ◽  
Pavla Šťastná

Collecting of Carabidae was conducted using pitfall traps at four sites. The first two sites (T1 + T2) were at the slope of Macošská stráň and the other two sites (T3 + T4) at the slope of Vilémovická stráň. The study was done in 2008 and 2009. At Macošská stráň in 2008, 21 species of Carabidae with the total number of 228 individuals were found and in 2009, 18 species of the total number of 116 specimens were collected. At Vilémovická stráň in 2008, 22 species of Carabidae with the total number of 1977 specimens were found and in 2009, 21 species of the total number of 623 specimens were caught. In terms of classification of relictness, Macošská stráň in 2008 was dominated by species of adaptable group A (60%), species of eurytop group (E) were represented by 35% and of relic group (R) by 5%. In 2009, the same representation of species of groups A and E (47%) were found and the species of group R were represented by 6%. Vilémovická stráň in 2008 was dominated by species of group A (52%), species of group E were represented by 43% and of group R by 5%. In 2009 also dominated species of group A (54%), species of group E were represented by 41% and of group R by 5%. In the studied area we reported four endangered species of Carabidae protected by Law (No. 395/1992 Coll.) as amended, these were Calosoma auropunctatum (critically endangered), Brachinus crepitans, Carabus ullrichii and Cicindela campestris (endangered) and two species listed under the Red List of Threatened Species of the Czech Republic (Veselý et al., 2005). One of the species is listed as vulnerable (Calosoma auropunctatum) and one as near endangered (Carabus cancellatus). Another significant species found on the monitored sites was Aptinus bombarda.


Author(s):  
Jarmila Šebestová ◽  
Zuzana Palová

The aim of this chapter is to summarize the theoretical knowledge from the field of social entrepreneurship and the creation of social innovation and highlight the impact EU funds have on the development of social innovation in selected regions of the Czech Republic. The authors assumed that there could be a positive link between the amount of financial support and the number of created social innovations within the chosen EU programmes. Classification of created social innovation according to type, creator, priority axis in relation to beneficiary etc. came under other objectives. Social innovations are created as a positive externality from other social projects. Finally, recommendation for sustainable support evaluation is provided.


2012 ◽  
Vol 51 (No. 10) ◽  
pp. 435-451 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. Střeleček ◽  
J. Lososová

ThearticledescribesthelayoutofplantproductionandlivestockdensityintheCzechRepublicin2003 according to a sample survey of the Czech Statistical Office.Theproductionorientationof agriculturalenterprisesis definedas a small amount of market products that represent the predominant part of revenues. Grain crops, pork meat, milk and non-food crops represent the production orientation of Czech agriculture. Thesecommoditiesrepresentmorethan70%oftotal agricultural production in the Czech Republic. In this article, the authors have attempted to definearegionalclassification according to production orientation of agricultural enterprises and intensity of agricultural production.


2012 ◽  
Vol 58 (No. 4) ◽  
pp. 191-199 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Kment ◽  
L. Kocmánková

An increasing number of works on the rural-environmental connection can be found at present. However, their overview and classification are needed – this is the guiding idea of this paper. We distinguish three approaches to the rural-environmental connection and label them scientific approach, environmentalist approach, and development approach. In the paper, theories of environmental concern (post-materialism, paradigm shift, and ecological modernisation) are discussed at first and then a classification of works is proposed.  


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