Author(s)

L. М. Korytny & N. V. Kichigina

Abstract

A notable area of research into floods involves geographical analysis of their occurrence and the factors that are responsible for them. We examine the main kinds of floods in East Siberia, their recurrence and distribution in the territory. Using archival, reference and published data, we made an analysis of the floods that occurred on this territory in the 19th–20th centuries. A zoning according to flood hazard is carried out. An analysis is made of the major floods in East Siberia which caused substantial damage during 1991–2006. The damage analysis showed that the most extensive damage in East Siberia is caused by snowmelt floods and ice-dam induced floods. For the Irkutsk region, risk severities and the damage caused by them were calculated, and the possibilities of the floods being linked with other hazards and their effects were explored. Keywords: East Siberia, floods, regional analysis, zoning, risk, flood hazard, synergy effect. 1 Introduction The regions of East Siberia, along with the North-Caucasian and Far-Eastern regions, are exposed the most to flood hazards when compared to the other areas in Russia. Floods in East Siberia are high on the list of natural disasters as regards their distribution and recurrence rate as well as the actual damage caused by them, and they are second only to earthquakes. Ninety percent of all residential centers and as much as 75% of arable lands and hayfields are concentrated here along the river valleys which have long been experiencing flooding events. We have carried out a geographical analysis of the occurrence and causes of floods for the rivers of East Siberia. The analysis involved studying the flood genesis and recurrence rate on the basis of documented records as well as on data of instrumental observations on the rivers, assessing the flood hazard severity,

Keywords

East Siberia, floods, regional analysis, zoning, risk, flood hazard, synergy effect