- Laboratory of Hydrology and Water Resources Management
School of Civil Engineering, NTUA
5, Iroon Polytechneiou Str 15780, Athens, Greece - +302107722878
Maria Mimikou
National Technical University of Athens, Civil Engineering, Faculty Member
- Maria Mimikou is Professor at the School of Civil Engineering and Director of the Laboratory of Hydrology and Water R... moreMaria Mimikou is Professor at the School of Civil Engineering and Director of the Laboratory of Hydrology and Water Resources Management of NTUA. She has founded the Centre for Hydrology and Informatics (CHI). She has vast academic and research experience (over 40 years) in the areas of integrated water resources management, water resources systems planning and operation, urban, rural and coastal hydrology, stochastic hydrology, hydrologic and water quality modelling, soil erosion and sediment transport, climate change and land use change at the catchment scale, flood forecasting, risk assessment and mapping, as well as water scarcity and drought analysis. She has written several books, authored or co- uthored more than 70 papers in peer-reviewed scientific journals and more than 90 peer-reviewed publications in national and international conferences, and she has published several scientific technical reports. She also has a long academic and non-academic administrative experience. She has served as Director of the Hydrology Section of the Greek Public Power Corporation. She has served as Dean of the School of Civil Engineering of NTUA, Director of the Department of Water Resources and Environmental Engineering and Director of the Interdepartmental Postgraduate Program Water resources Science and Technology. She has an extensive experience in the management of research programs, as she has been scientific responsible and administrator of EU competitive research programs of total NTUA funding around 5.300.000€, as well as coordinator and scientific responsible of other EU competitive programs of total funding around 8.900.000€. Selected projects include: MARS, EPI-Water, i-adapt, Nomoteleia, SPI-Water, OpenMI-Life, FLADAR, MEDDMAN, FLOODMED, ENRICH, EUROHARP, CHESS. She is a senior consultant of EEA (European Topic Centre on Inland, Coastal and Marine Waters) on Water quantity data, accounts and indicators and resource efficiency. She has provided support to WFD CIS WG Data and Information Sharing and participated in the EU-WFD WGs. She has also served as a member of External Advisory Groups for DG Research. She is actively involved in the implementation of WFD and FD in Greece and has served as consultant for several Greek Ministries. Furthermore, she participates in European networks of water experts (EurAqua, JPI Water, WssTP, EXCIFF, etc.). She has established the Greek academic network on Hydrology and Water Resources “HYDROMEDON” and she has been scientific responsible for the development of the Greek Meteorological and Hydrological Database.edit
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Research Interests: Geography, Statistical Analysis, Greece, Athens, Extreme Value Theory, and 8 moreFlood, Floods, Storm, Rain, Storms, Return period, Flood Myth, and Flood damage
Research Interests: Environmental Science, Southern Europe, Climate Change, Hydrology, Eurasia, and 15 moreRivers, Risk assessment, Greece, Europe, Evapotranspiration, Mathematical Models, Reservoirs, River Basin, Risk Assessment, Hydroelectricity, Catchments, Regional Hydrological Impacts, Aliakmon River, eastern hemisphere, and hydrological response
A hydrometerological study in a river basin was conducted to demonstrate the use of a weather radar for rainfall and flood-flow forecasting. The study region is a Pinioç river subbasin with a drainage area of 2,763 km 2 located in central... more
A hydrometerological study in a river basin was conducted to demonstrate the use of a weather radar for rainfall and flood-flow forecasting. The study region is a Pinioç river subbasin with a drainage area of 2,763 km 2 located in central Greece. Six storm events that created flash floods were recorded every 10-30 min, and were analyzed and processed in terms of ground clutter supression, anomalous propagation, beam refraction, and the losses and merging procedures of radar and rain-gauge rainfall data. A rainfall-runoff model for ...
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Research Interests: Environmental Engineering, Civil Engineering, Environmental Science, Climate Change, Hydrology, and 15 moreClimate, Alternative Energy, Hydropower, Greece, Hydroelectric power, Evapotranspiration, Potential Evapotranspiration, Mathematical Models, Climate change impact, High Resolution, Energy Production, Hydroelectricity, Energy Potential, Hydroelectric Power Plants, and Climatic condition
The aim of this paper is to assess the impacts of climate change on hydrological indicators such as surface runoff, potential and actual evapotranspiration. Two study areas, one in Central and one in Northern Greece are chosen in order to... more
The aim of this paper is to assess the impacts of climate change on hydrological indicators such as surface runoff, potential and actual evapotranspiration. Two study areas, one in Central and one in Northern Greece are chosen in order to estimate the hydrological effect of climate change.
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The present study examines the impact of an altered rainfall regime on surface and groundwater resources at a gauged mountainous experimental watershed located on the eastern side of Penteli Mountain, in the prefecture of Attica, Greece.... more
The present study examines the impact of an altered rainfall regime on surface and groundwater resources at a gauged mountainous experimental watershed located on the eastern side of Penteli Mountain, in the prefecture of Attica, Greece. The study period concerns the hydrological years from October 2003 to September 2008. A decrease in the annual rainfall depth in the first years and in particular the distinct decrease in winter rainfall has led to a reduction in runoff and groundwater reserves. The authors recommend an ...
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Abstract This paper describes the application of two methods for short‐term rainfall forecasting using radar data. The first method is based on the linear extrapolation of the centroids of features of rainfall cells, whereas the second... more
Abstract This paper describes the application of two methods for short‐term rainfall forecasting using radar data. The first method is based on the linear extrapolation of the centroids of features of rainfall cells, whereas the second method utilizes cross‐correlation techniques applied to the radar rainfall fields. Storm events from a region suffering from frequent and hazardous flash floods within the 120 km umbrella of the WSR‐74 S‐band radar located at the Larissa military airport in central Greece were analysed and ...
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This paper examines the assessment of the impacts of climate change on water resources in the Aliakmon river basin, Northern Greece, and on some critical water management issues, such as reservoir storage and water supply of the city of... more
This paper examines the assessment of the impacts of climate change on water resources in the Aliakmon river basin, Northern Greece, and on some critical water management issues, such as reservoir storage and water supply of the city of Thessaloniki. A monthly conceptual water balance model was calibrated using historical hydrometeorological data. This model was applied to estimate runoffs in the entrance of the Polyfyto reservoir under two different equilibrium scenarios (UKHI, CCC) referring to 2050. Reduction of the mean annual runoff ...
Research Interests: Civil Engineering, Environmental Science, Southern Europe, Climate Change, Water resources, and 15 moreEurasia, Rivers, Risk assessment, Water Management, Greece, Europe, Water resource management, THESSALONIKI, Climate change impact, River Basin, Runoff, Water Resource, Risk Assessment, Central Macedonia, and eastern hemisphere
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Abstract This study describes the implementation of the soil and water assessment tool (SWAT) model for the Greek Kalamas river basin to estimate the contribution of different sources in P losses to surface waters and to identify the main... more
Abstract This study describes the implementation of the soil and water assessment tool (SWAT) model for the Greek Kalamas river basin to estimate the contribution of different sources in P losses to surface waters and to identify the main pathways by which these losses were caused as well as to produce maps highlighting the areas at high risk to diffuse P losses. SWAT was able to estimate the different sources contributing to total P losses in surface waters. Modelling revealed that P from livestock and urban wastes are the main ...
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Summary Floods and forest fires are two of the most devastating natural hazards with severe socioeconomic, environmental as well as aesthetic impacts on the affected areas. Traditionally, these hazards are examined from different... more
Summary Floods and forest fires are two of the most devastating natural hazards with severe socioeconomic, environmental as well as aesthetic impacts on the affected areas. Traditionally, these hazards are examined from different perspectives and are thus investigated through different, independent systems, overlooking the fact that they are tightly interrelated phenomena. In fact, the same flood event is more severe, i.e. associated with increased runoff discharge and peak flow and decreased time to peak, if it occurs over a burnt area than that occurring over a land not affected by fire. Mediterranean periurban areas, where forests covered with flammable vegetation coexist with agricultural land and urban zones, are typical areas particularly prone to the combined impact of floods and forest fires. Hence, the accurate assessment and effective management of post-fire flood risk becomes an issue of priority. The research presented in this paper aims to develop a robust methodological framework, using state of art tools and modern technologies to support the estimation of the change in time of five representative hydrological parameters for post-fire conditions. The proposed methodology considers both longer- and short-term initial conditions in order to assess the dynamic evolution of the selected parameters. The research focuses on typical Mediterranean periurban areas that are subjected to both hazards and concludes with a set of equations that associate post-fire and pre-fire conditions for five Fire Severity (FS) classes and three soil moisture states. The methodology has been tested for several flood events on the Rafina catchment, a periurban catchment in Eastern Attica (Greece). In order to validate the methodology, simulated hydrographs were produced and compared against available observed data. Results indicate a close convergence of observed and simulated flows. The proposed methodology is particularly flexible and thus easily adaptable to catchments with similar hydrometeorological and geomorphological features.
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About ASCE; About Civil Engineering; Donate Now; My ASCE; Shop ASCE. ASCE Join Now. Knowledge & Learning: Books & Journals; CE Body of Knowledge; Certification; Codes & Standards; Conferences;... more
About ASCE; About Civil Engineering; Donate Now; My ASCE; Shop ASCE. ASCE Join Now. Knowledge & Learning: Books & Journals; CE Body of Knowledge; Certification; Codes & Standards; Conferences; Continuing Education; People & Projects; Research Tools; Technical Groups & Institutes. Leadership & Management: Awards; Career Resources; Contract Documents; Diversity; Ethics; Industry Outlook; Leadership Resources; Licensure; Salary Survey. ...
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In the face of growing water stress and increasing concerns over the sustainability of water use, Tanzania has, in common with many other countries in Africa, focused largely on the development of more integrated catchment-wide approaches... more
In the face of growing water stress and increasing concerns over the sustainability of water use, Tanzania has, in common with many other countries in Africa, focused largely on the development of more integrated catchment-wide approaches to water management. In the Great Ruaha River Basin, considerable effort has gone into increasing water productivity and the promotion of mechanisms for more efficient allocation of water resources. Over a period of five years, the RIPARWIN project investigated water management in the basin and evaluated the effectiveness of some of the mechanisms that have been introduced. The study findings are relevant to basins in developing countries where there is competition for water and irrigation is one of the main uses.
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Floods are natural disasters that pose a direct threat to human life and often cause significant economic loss. River floods are caused by heavy and/or prolonged rainfall, causing rivers and streams to overflow and sometimes also burst... more
Floods are natural disasters that pose a direct threat to human life and often cause significant economic loss. River floods are caused by heavy and/or prolonged rainfall, causing rivers and streams to overflow and sometimes also burst dams or levees. Forest fires increase the risk factor to which humans and properties are exposed during flood events, by intensifying and accelerating the peak volume of the overflow water. Wildfires alter significantly the geomorphological characteristics of a river basin, thus affecting both directly and indirectly its hydrological behavior. A forest fire, followed by a rainfall event, may cause a significant flood downstream. This paper presents a hydrological analysis of the eastern Attica region, which is performed both prior to and after forest fire events, in order to assess the change in the consequent flood risk. The study area is the eastern part of the greater Athens area in Attica (Greece). This is a peri-urban area experiencing rapid urba...
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The subject of this article is the estimation of quantitative (hydrological) and qualitative parameters in the catchment of Ronnea (1800 Km2, located in south western Sweden) through the application of the Soil and Water Assessment Tool... more
The subject of this article is the estimation of quantitative (hydrological) and qualitative parameters in the catchment of Ronnea (1800 Km2, located in south western Sweden) through the application of the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT). SWAT is a river basin model that was developed for the U.S.D.A. Agricultural Research Service, by the Blackland Research Center in Texas. The SWAT model is a widely known tool that has been used in several cases world-wide. It has the ability to predict the impact of land management practices on water, sediment and agricultural chemical yield in large complex watersheds. The present work investigates certain capabilities of the SWAT model which have not identified up to now. More in specific, the main targets of the work carried out are the following: • Identification of the existing hydrological and qualitative conditions • Preparation - Processing of data required to be used as input data of the model • Hydrological calibration - validation...
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Irrigation water use is the major pressure limiting the availability of fresh water resources in the Mediterranean. Efficient irrigation scheduling programs (IRSPs) are able to reduce water consumption; however, their selection and... more
Irrigation water use is the major pressure limiting the availability of fresh water resources in the Mediterranean. Efficient irrigation scheduling programs (IRSPs) are able to reduce water consumption; however, their selection and placement in large agricultural landscapes depend on location specific characteristics and economic indicators. Towards this end, a novel and efficient Decision Support Tool (DST) is developed in MATLAB-programming, able to assess the effectiveness of different IRSPs in reducing total agricultural water use at the catchment scale along with their impact on crop yields. The DST integrates a look-up table with data on irrigation water amounts and crop yields at different locations within a catchment, populated by a hydrological and crop growth estimator: the process-based SWAT model, into a multi-objective Genetic Algorithm, which serves as the optimization engine for the allocation of measures across the agricultural land. The optimization scheme leads rap...
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This paper investigates the hydrological effects of specific land use changes in a catchment of the river Pinios in Thessaly (Ali Efenti catchment), through the application of the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) on a monthly time... more
This paper investigates the hydrological effects of specific land use changes in a catchment of the river Pinios in Thessaly (Ali Efenti catchment), through the application of the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) on a monthly time step. The model's calibration efficiency is verified by comparing the simulated and observed discharge time series at the outlet of the watershed, where long series of hydrometrical data exist. The model is used to simulate the main components of the hydrologic cycle, in order to study the effects of land use changes. Three land use change scenarios are examined, namely (A) expansion of agricultural land, (B) complete deforestation of the Trikala sub-basin and (C) expansion of urban areas in the Trikala sub-basin. All three scenarios resulted in an increase in discharge during wet months and a decrease during dry periods. The deforestation scenario was the one that resulted in the greatest modification of total monthly runoff.
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Summary Floods and forest fires are two of the most devastating natural hazards with severe socioeconomic, environmental as well as aesthetic impacts on the affected areas. Traditionally, these hazards are examined from different... more
Summary Floods and forest fires are two of the most devastating natural hazards with severe socioeconomic, environmental as well as aesthetic impacts on the affected areas. Traditionally, these hazards are examined from different perspectives and are thus investigated through different, independent systems, overlooking the fact that they are tightly interrelated phenomena. In fact, the same flood event is more severe, i.e. associated with increased runoff discharge and peak flow and decreased time to peak, if it occurs over a burnt area than that occurring over a land not affected by fire. Mediterranean periurban areas, where forests covered with flammable vegetation coexist with agricultural land and urban zones, are typical areas particularly prone to the combined impact of floods and forest fires. Hence, the accurate assessment and effective management of post-fire flood risk becomes an issue of priority. The research presented in this paper aims to develop a robust methodological framework, using state of art tools and modern technologies to support the estimation of the change in time of five representative hydrological parameters for post-fire conditions. The proposed methodology considers both longer- and short-term initial conditions in order to assess the dynamic evolution of the selected parameters. The research focuses on typical Mediterranean periurban areas that are subjected to both hazards and concludes with a set of equations that associate post-fire and pre-fire conditions for five Fire Severity (FS) classes and three soil moisture states. The methodology has been tested for several flood events on the Rafina catchment, a periurban catchment in Eastern Attica (Greece). In order to validate the methodology, simulated hydrographs were produced and compared against available observed data. Results indicate a close convergence of observed and simulated flows. The proposed methodology is particularly flexible and thus easily adaptable to catchments with similar hydrometeorological and geomorphological features.
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ABSTRACT Assessing the vulnerability and the associated risk to water scarcity and drought is a complex multi-factor problem. The underlying exposure to climatic stresses may be similar even in quite different conditions, yet the... more
ABSTRACT Assessing the vulnerability and the associated risk to water scarcity and drought is a complex multi-factor problem. The underlying exposure to climatic stresses may be similar even in quite different conditions, yet the vulnerability and prevailing risk are a function of the socio-economic state, the current policy and institutional setting, the adaptive capacity of the affected area and population, and the response strategies adopted (Kossida et al., 2012). Although flood risk assessment has been elaborated under the EU Floods Directive, there is currently a lack of analytical frameworks for the definition and assessment of drought and water scarcity related risk at European level. This can partially be attributed to the inherent complexity of such phenomena which lie at the crossroads between physical and anthropogenic drivers and pressures, operating on many scales, and with a variety of impacts on many sectors. The quantification of the various components of drought and water scarcity risk is challenging since data present limitations, relevant indicators that can represent or proxy the various components are still not clearly defined, while their relevant weights need to be determined in view of the prevailing regional conditions. The current study in Pinios River Basin, an area highly impacted by drought and water scarcity, proposes a methodology for drought and water scarcity risk assessment using blended indicators. Using the Standard Precipitation Index (SPI) as a base drought indicator, relevant sub-indicators reflecting the magnitude, severity, duration and recurrence of drought events from 1980-2011 have been produced. These sub-indicators have been assigned relevant scores and have been blended into a Drought Vulnerability Index (DVI) using different weights derived from an analytical hierarchy process (AHP). The resulting map of DVI has been then blended with additional socio-economic indicators of surface and groundwater exploitation, water deficit and land use to provide (following again a scoring and weighting process) a relevant drought and water scarcity risk map of the area. The proposed methodology has proven to be useful, and can provide a robust tool for prioritizing areas which need immediate interventions, facilitating thus decision making and planning. References: Kossida M., Kakava, A., Tekidou, A., Iglesias A., Mimikou, M. 2012. Vulnerability to Water Scarcity and Drought in Europe. Thematic assessment for EEA 2012 Report. ETC/ICM Technical Report 2012/3. ISBN 978-80-85087-13-0.
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Abstract In this paper an integrated system, named HydroGeologist was developed in Delphi 5 and runs under Windows Operating System with minimal requirements in hardware resources, in order to support the storage and analysis requirements... more
Abstract In this paper an integrated system, named HydroGeologist was developed in Delphi 5 and runs under Windows Operating System with minimal requirements in hardware resources, in order to support the storage and analysis requirements for all hydrogeological information belonging to different public sectors. The data are stored in a distributed Oracle 8i database with embedded security and charging policies. The data search in the database is user friendly and facilitates any search queries for any field in any table of the database ...
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... Because the melting of snow coincides with the summer monsoon season, any intensification of the ... can help in controlling the phenomena of global warming and thus its devastating impacts ... forecast the increases in GHGs in the... more
... Because the melting of snow coincides with the summer monsoon season, any intensification of the ... can help in controlling the phenomena of global warming and thus its devastating impacts ... forecast the increases in GHGs in the atmosphere and changes in land use pattern to ...
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An attempt was made to predict the mean annual flood of daily and of instantaneous extremes and flood quantiles for basins in a hydrologically homogeneous region. The variation of the mean annual flood and of the parameters of the Extreme... more
An attempt was made to predict the mean annual flood of daily and of instantaneous extremes and flood quantiles for basins in a hydrologically homogeneous region. The variation of the mean annual flood and of the parameters of the Extreme Value type 1 distribution for basins in northwestern and western Greece are explained in terms of geomorphoclimatic characteristics of the basins. These characteristics are: drainage area, mean annual areal precipitation, stream frequency, main stream slope and length, ...
Regional effects of greenhouse warming on water resources and water management systems are assessed for a mountainous region of central Greece, by using plausible hypothetical scenarios of temperature and precipitation change. The... more
Regional effects of greenhouse warming on water resources and water management systems are assessed for a mountainous region of central Greece, by using plausible hypothetical scenarios of temperature and precipitation change. The operation of a hydropower generation scheme in the area is simulated under the assumed climate change scenarios and new risk levels are estimated with respect to firm water and energy supply. Increase of reservoir storage volume is examined as a means to maintain guaranteed ...
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A complete hydrological analysis has been conducted in the Athens Experimental Basin. This basin is located in the Attica prefecture, north-eastern of the city of Athens. It covers an area of 15.08 km2 and has a mean altitude of 430 m.... more
A complete hydrological analysis has been conducted in the Athens Experimental Basin. This basin is located in the Attica prefecture, north-eastern of the city of Athens. It covers an area of 15.08 km2 and has a mean altitude of 430 m. Since its operation, it has become an important source of data and knowledge, as many measurements of hydrologic interest are being carried out in the area, such as: recording of water level, stream flow, rainfall volume, infiltration capacity and hydraulic conductivity of the soil, groundwater level and chemical ...
Abstract. Several regions in Greece suffer from frequent and hazardous extreme flash floods. In this paper, the basic characteristics of the extreme floods that occurred in October 1994 and caused severe damage and loss of lives in Athens... more
Abstract. Several regions in Greece suffer from frequent and hazardous extreme flash floods. In this paper, the basic characteristics of the extreme floods that occurred in October 1994 and caused severe damage and loss of lives in Athens metropolitan area and in the Thessaly floodplain are presented. In addition, reference is made to possibilities of applying recent research results for mitigating flood impacts in the area.
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Abstract: Major factors influencing water quality along a river are land use practices, seasonal hydro-meteorological conditions, groundwater interactions and wastewater discharges. These complex water quantity and water quality aspects... more
Abstract: Major factors influencing water quality along a river are land use practices, seasonal hydro-meteorological conditions, groundwater interactions and wastewater discharges. These complex water quantity and water quality aspects demand integrated solution approaches. The study links hydrologic, hydraulic and water quality models using the OpenMI standard to evaluate water quality in the Pinios River in Greece.
The paper applies advanced integrated modeling techniques supported by the Open Modeling Interface (OpenMI) standard to optimize water resources allocation for a rapidly growing rural area in Greece. Water uses in a rural basin are... more
The paper applies advanced integrated modeling techniques supported by the Open Modeling Interface (OpenMI) standard to optimize water resources allocation for a rapidly growing rural area in Greece. Water uses in a rural basin are significantly affected by urban growth, changes in agricultural practices and industrial needs. This results in a complex water system, whose optimal configuration requires the combination of structural and non-structural approaches.
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Abstract: This work deals with the linking of the available GIS software (Arc info, Arcview and AVRas) and the hydraulic modelling (HEC-RAS), in order to create flood plain maps. The combination of these models gives the opportunity to... more
Abstract: This work deals with the linking of the available GIS software (Arc info, Arcview and AVRas) and the hydraulic modelling (HEC-RAS), in order to create flood plain maps. The combination of these models gives the opportunity to the user to simulate more accurately the real conditions determining the floodplain extents. The study area is in Thessaly plain and particularly in a zone, between both sides of the Pinios river limited by embankments with width 500 m, length 6588 m and downstream limit the Ali-Efenti position.
Abstract. Fourteen rainfall events have been recorded and analysed by the RD-69 (Joss-type) Disdrometer. The range of drop diameters that can be measured spans from 0.3 mm to 5.0 mm.
Abstract. Flood phenomena in Greece in the last 100 years have caused more life loss than any other natural hazards, ie earthquakes. Urban areas in Greece, such as Athens, often experience heavy rainfall creating flash floods, as... more
Abstract. Flood phenomena in Greece in the last 100 years have caused more life loss than any other natural hazards, ie earthquakes. Urban areas in Greece, such as Athens, often experience heavy rainfall creating flash floods, as urbanisation was seldom combined with the necessary protective works, such as channel improvements and storm drainage works.
The modelling framework comprised two models. SWAT (Soil Water assessment Tool) was used to simulate water and chemical fluxes, primarily nutrients and sediment, generated from diffuse areas and thereby provide sub-catchment inputs to an... more
The modelling framework comprised two models. SWAT (Soil Water assessment Tool) was used to simulate water and chemical fluxes, primarily nutrients and sediment, generated from diffuse areas and thereby provide sub-catchment inputs to an in-stream water quality model, QUESTOR (Quality Evaluation and Simulation Tool for River-systems). QUESTOR integrated the diffuse runoff along the channel network together with point source discharges from industry and sewage treatment works, and water abstractions for public supply, industry and agriculture.