Abstract
© 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.In this study, we explore the long-term trends of floodplain population dynamics at different spatial scales in the contiguous United States (U.S.). We exploit different types of datasets from 1790– 2010—i.e., decadal spatial distribution for the population density in the US, global floodplains dataset, large-scale data of flood occurrence and damage, and structural and nonstructural flood protection measures for the US. At the national level, we found that the population initially settled down within the floodplains and then spread across its territory over time. At the state level, we observed that flood damages and national protection measures might have contributed to a learning effect, which in turn, shaped the floodplain population dynamics over time. Finally, at the county level, other socio-economic factors such as local flood insurances, economic activities, and socio-political context may predominantly influence the dynamics. Our study shows that different influencing factors affect floodplain population dynamics at different spatial scales. These facts are crucial for a reliable development and implementation of flood risk management planning.
Original language | English |
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Article number | 141 |
Journal | Water (Switzerland) |
Volume | 13 |
Issue number | 2 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2 Jan 2021 |
Externally published | Yes |
Funding
Funding: Part of this research was also supported by the Swedish Research Council FORMAS and the Centre of Natural Hazards and Disaster Science, CNDS. M.M was supported by the European Research Council (ERC) within the project HydroSocialExtremes: Uncovering the Mutual Shaping of Hydrological Extremes and Society [ERC Consolidator Grant 771678, H2020 Excellent Science].
Funders | Funder number |
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CNDS | |
Centre of Natural Hazards and Disaster Science | |
Horizon 2020 Framework Programme | 771678 |
H2020 Excellent Science | |
European Research Council | |
Svenska Forskningsrådet Formas |