Frequency of Floodplain Spills in the Tisza River Valley at Vylok (Transcarpathia, Ukraine)

Abstract

Abstract. Record-breaking floods occurred in the autumn of 1998 and the spring of 2001 in the lowlands of Transcarpathia, as well as in the areas of Hungary and Romania bordering Ukraine, which caused severe damage. Our research was to determine the frequency of floods. The fluctuation of precipitation values brings about the increased frequency of the rivers’ inundation as well. The research is based on the data of the Tisza River’s inundation onto the flood plain near Vylok, as well as the precipitation data of the Rakhiv meteorological station. Both data series include the data of the latest 46 years (1970-2015), highlighting the pre-flood period of 1970-2001. To evaluate the data, we used linear trend analysis, which was edited using the Microsoft Excel spreadsheet program. The results of the study showed that no particular changes in precipitation were observed, but the frequency of flood waves and the coverage of the floodplain with water showed a gradually increasing trend. The results of studying the amount of precipitation and the Tisza River’s inundation: in recent decades the frequency of flood wave formation and the coverage of the flood plain with water show a gradually increasing tendency.