Supervisor

Gertrud Haidvogl, https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0784-4057 

Content

This PhD project investigates the material demand for hydraulic structures that mitigate the adverse effects of floods and low flow on the Austrian Danube since the 1830s and develops a socio-ecological framework for the interactions between hydrology/extreme events, technology and society. 

Skills and Qualifications

  • Required: Master or other equivalent university degree in environmental sciences or water management (with specialization in river management), (environmental) history, social ecology or other interdisciplinary environmental sciences
  • Desirable: experience with historical and interdisciplinary methods; knowledge of German, Material and Energy Flow Analysis
 

 

Introduction/background

Extreme events (floods, low flow) induce societal mitigation and prevention measures. In the 19th century, technical interventions became the standard. Such structures require huge amounts of material resources, particularly minerals, metals and synthetic materials. Societal developments such as intensifying land use in floodplains or new requirements of shipping for low-flow channelization challenged existing constructions, calling for maintenance, improvement and adaptation (heightening of dikes, deepening of low-flow channels, etc.). Up to now, resource demand and material flows for hydraulic structures have been rarely studied, neither for the present nor for the development in the last 200 years. Further, the links between the implementation of hydraulic structures, the occurrence of extreme events and societal factors (e.g., floodplain use, shipping) are still poorly understood. 

Main objective/research question/hypothesis

This PhD thesis will investigate (1) the resource demand of hydraulic structures on the Austrian Danube since the 1830s and (2) the interactions between hydrology, technology and society. The main research questions and hypothesis are:

• What and how much material resources have been used for hydraulic structures? When and why did demand increase? We assume that demand has increased at certain times in connection with actual extreme events and technological progress (flood damage, new shipping requirements, etc.).

• How were extreme events, construction of hydraulic structures, technological developments and societal processes interlinked, and how has policy influenced this? We hypothesize that this relationship is more complex than often claimed (e.g., levee effect).

Approach/methods and time frame

The PhD links approaches and methods from environmental history, hydraulic engineering, water management and spatial planning. It is based on a literature review, screening and pre-processing of historical sources (reports on water engineering measures, historical maps, relevant laws, directives, spatial plans, M0-12); processing of data in a geodatabase (M13-30); data analysis (esp. material flow accounting) and conceptualization (M30-48). The PhD combines a large spatial scale study (whole Austrian Danube) with case studies focusing on the development of built-up land in flood plains and policies to regulate this increase.