High-magnitude flood events over the last decade in Europe and elsewhere across the world have caused extensive damage. Consequently, questions are being raised of potential changes in the frequency, magnitude and seasonality of flood events as a result of climate change and heightened public awareness of flood risk in many communities internationally. This has resulted in a call for longer and better hydrological records (Brazdil et al. 2012), providing time series incorporating sufficient high-magnitude events to improve flood risk estimation. Unfortunately a sufficient sample of high-magnitude low-frequency floods are rarely present in instrumental series, with relatively few series at a European level beginning prior to 1900 and only a handful beginning prior to the 1850s. As such alternative approaches are needed to provide a better indication of the potential frequency and magnitude of such events, this is primarily achieved through examining the pre-instrumental period for evidence of large floods, in the form of historical hydrology and/or palaeohydrology.
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