Una revisión de inundaciones fluviales en Chile, período 1574-2012: causas, recurrencia y efectos geográficos

Abstract

A literature review of river floods from 1574 to 2012, allows us to analyze and identify the causes or trigger factors, recurrence periods, spatial distribution and geographical effects of flooding within continental Chile. Five types of flooding are identified, based on the triggering factor: volcanic processes, snow/glacial processes, landslides, anthropic interventions and rainfalls. Rainfall is responsible for 71% of flooding events during the period studied. We were able to spatial patterns at a national level, allowing us to define five homogenous zones. The area with the most frequent events corresponds to the Mediterranean climatic domain, which has been characterized by intense storms and environmental changes over the last three decades. An increase in catastrophic flooding from the second half of the 20th century to the present was observed, primarily associated with nivo-glacial processes and human interventions