Tag: 21. Century

Storm surge events on the North Sea

12/26/838
First documented storm surge in the North Sea; Approximately 2,500 deaths in what is now the Netherlands.

2/17/1164
First Julian flood: 20,000 dead; First collapse of the Jade Bay, major damage in the Elbe area.

1/16/1219
First Marcellus flood: 36,000 dead: major floods also in the Elbe area; first conveyed eyewitness report.

12/28/1248
Allerkindslein flood: High loss of human life. The historic Elbe island of Gorieswerder is divided into several parts.

12/14/1287
Lucia Flood: Beginning of the formation of the Dollart, 50,000 dead.

11/23/1334
Clemens Flood: Expansion of the Jade Bay.

1/16/1362
Second Marcellus Flood, Grote Manndranke: 100,000 dead: first collapse of the Dollart, expansion of Leybucht, Hariebucht, Jade Bay and Eider Estuary, sinking of large parts of North Frisia.

10/09/1374
First Dionyslus flood: Largest extent of the Leybucht up to the city of Norden, sinking of the village of Westeel near Norden.

9/10/1377
Second Dionysiusflut: Dikes near Lütetsburg and Bargebur
torn, the waves hit the walls of the Dominican monastery in Nord.

11/21/1412
Cacilien flood: An entire village at the mouth of the Este was destroyed, and the Elbe island of Hahnöfersand was separated from the mainland.

11/1/1436
Allerhelligen flood: Flooding on the entire North Sea coast, especially in Eiderstedt and Nordstrand.

1/6/1470
Epiphany Flood: Flooding in Eiderstedt, no permanent land losses.

09/26/1509
Cosmas and Damian flood: Breakthrough of the Ems
near Emden, largest expansion of the Dollart, last expansion of the Jade Bay to the northwest.

01/16/1511
Antonius flood, ice flood: breakthrough between Jade and Weser.

10/31 and 11/1/1532
Third All Saints Flood: Several thousand dead in North Frisia, first peak value recorded in the church of Klibüll; Sinking of Osterbur and Ostbense in East Frisia.

11/01/1570
Fourth All Saints Flood: Flooding of the marshes from Flanders to Eiderstedt: large dike breaches in the Altes Land as well as in the Vier- und Marschenlanden; Sinking of the villages of Oldendorf and Westbense near Esens: 9,000 to 10,000 dead between Ems and Weser. High tide mark at the Suurhusen church at NN +4.40 m.

2/26/1625
Carnival flood: An ice flood, dike breaches and major damage in East Frisia and Oldenburg, in the Altes Land and Hamburg, many dikes breaches on Jade and Weser.

10/11/1634
Second Grote Manndranke: Strand Island sinks; What remains are the islands of Nordstrand and Pellworm; at least 8,000 dead.

2/22/1651
Petri flood: “Dane chains” broken on Juist and Langeoog, Dornumersiel was destroyed, there were dike breaches on the mainland.

11/12/1686
Martin’s Flood: Severe damage to dikes from the Netherlands to the Elbe.

12/24 to 12/25/1717
Christmas flood: 11,150 dead from Holland to the Danish coast: the largest storm surge known to date with flooding and devastation of enormous proportions.

12/31/1720 to 01/01/1721
New Year’s flood: higher than Christmas flood; Destruction of the dikes that were poorly repaired after 1717; Sinking of the villages Bettewehr II and Itzendorf

2/3 to 2/4/1825
February flood: 800 dead; There were many dike breaches along the coast and severe loss of dunes on the islands. Highest storm surge on the Elbe until 1962.

1/1 to 1/2/1855
January flood: Heavy destruction on the East Frisian Islands, storm surge mark on Norderney at NN +4.26 m.

3/13/1906
March flood: highest storm surge recorded to date on the East Frisian coast.

1/31 to 2/1/1953
Dutch flood: worst natural disaster of the 20th century in the North Sea area. In the Netherlands approx. 1,800 dead, England and Belgium more than 2,000 dead; Total damage more than €500 million: no major damage to the German coast, but an impetus to check the dikes.

2/16 to 2/17/1962
February storm surge, Second Julian flood: 340 dead, 19 of them in Lower Saxony, approx. 28,000 apartments or houses damaged and 1,300 completely destroyed; highest storm surge to date East of the Jade with 61 dike breaches in Lower Saxony; The Elbe area and its tributaries were particularly affected.

1/3/1976
January flood: highest storm surge to date on almost all pegs on the German North Sea coast: numerous dike breaches in Kehdingen and the Haseldorfer Marsch.

11/24/1981
November flood: Highest peak water level in North Frisia with NN +4.72 m at the Dagebüll gauge.

1/28/1994
January flood: Highest peak water levels on the Ems with NN +4.75 m at the Weener gauge and on the Wese with NN +5.33 m at the Vegesack gauge.

12/3/1999
Anatol: short-term increase with very high water levels in the entire North Sea region; The storm subsided before the astronomical flood occurred in Cuxhaven, otherwise the values ​​of 1976 had been exceeded in the Elbe area.

11/01/2006
Fifth All Saints Flood: Very severe storm surge with water levels exceeding the 1994 levels in the Ems area, dike collapses on the East Frisian islands of Juist, Langeoog and Wangerooge…

This list was assembled by Christian von Wissel of Bremer Zentrum für Baukultur. It was part of the exhibition “Deichstadt #1” in spring 2024.

Sturmflutereignisse an der Nordsee

26.12.838
Erste dokumentierte Sturmflut an der Nordsee; ca. 2500 Tote im Gebiet der heutigen Niederlande.

17.02.1164
Erste Julianenflut: 20.000 Tote; erster Einbruch der Jade, große Schäden im Elbegebiet.

16.01.1219
Erste Marcellusflut: 36.000 Tote: große Überflutungen auch im Elbegebiet; erster überieferter Augenzeugenbericht.

28.12.1248
Allerkindsleinflut: Hohe Verluste an Menschenleben Zertrennung der historischen Elbinsel Gorieswerder in mehrere Teile.

14.12.1287
Luciaflut: Beginn der Bildung des Dollarts, 50.000 Tote.

23.11.1334
Clemensflut: Erweiterung des Jadebusens.

16.01.1362
Zweite Marcellus-Flut, Große Manndränke: 100.000 Tote: erster Einbruch des Dollart, Erweiterung von Leybucht, Hariebucht, Jadebusen und Eidermündung, Untergang von großen Teilen Nordfrieslands.

09.10.1374
Erste Dionyslusflut: Größte Ausdehnung der Leybucht bis zur Stadt Norden, Untergang des Dorfes Westeel bei Norden.

09.10.1377
Zweite Dionysiustlut: Deiche bei Lütetsburg und Barge-
bur zerrissen, die Wellen schlugen an die Mauern des Dominikanerklosters zu Norden.

21.11.1412
Cacilienflut: An der Estemündung wurde ein ganzes Dorf vernichtet, die Elbinsel Hahnöfersand wurde vom Festland abgetrennt.

01.11.1436
Allerhelligenflut: Übertflutungen an der gesamten Nordseoküste, insbesondere in Eiderstedt und Nordstrand.

06.01.1470
Dreikönigsflut: Überflutungen in Eiderstedt, keine bleibenden Landverluste.

26.09.1509
Cosmas- und Damianflut: Durchbruch der Ems
bei Emden, größte Ausdehnung des Dollarts, letzte Erweiterung des Jadebusens nach Nordwesten.

16.01.1511
Antoniusflut, Eisflut: Durchbruch zwischen Jade und Weser.

31.10/01.11.1532
Dritte Allerheiligenflut: Mehrere tausend Tote in Nordfriesland, erste Höhenmarke des Scheitelwertes überliefert in der Kirche von Klibüll; Untergang von Osterbur und Ostbense in Ostfriesland.

01.11.1570
Vierte Allerheiligenflut: Überflutung der Marschen von Flandern bis Eiderstedt: große Deichbrüche im Alten Land sowie in den Vier- und Marschenlanden; Untergang der Dörfer Oldendorf und Westbense bei Esens: 9.000 bis 10.000 Tote zwischen Ems und Weser. Flutmarke an der Kirche Suurhusen bei NN +4,40 m.

26.02.1625
Fastnachtsflut: Eine Eisflut, Deichbrüche
und große Schäden in Ostfriesland und Oldenburg, im Alten Land und Hamburg, viele Ausdeichungen an Jade und Weser.

11.10.1634
Zweite Manndränke: Insel Strand geht unter; Reste sind die Inseln Nordstrand und Pellworm; mind. 8.000 Tote.

22.02.1651
Petriflut: Auf Juist und Langeoog wurden Dänenketten durchbrochen, Dornumersiel wurde zorstört, es gab Deichbrüche am Festland.

12.11.1686
Martinsflut: Schwere Deichschäden von den Niederlanden bis zur Elbe.

24./25.12.1717
11.150 Tote von Holland bis zur dänischen Küste: größte bis dahin bekannte Sturmflut mit Überflutungen und Verwüstungen ungeheuren Ausmaßes.

31.12.1720/01.01.1721
Neujahrsflut: höher als Weihnachtsflut; Zerstörung der nach 1717 notdürftig reparierten Deiche; Untergang der Dörfer Bettewehr II und Itzendorf

03./04.02.1825
Februarflut: 800 Tote; entlang der Küste kam es zu vielen Deichbrüchen und schweren Dünenverlusten auf den Inseln. Höchste Sturmflut an der Elbe bis 1962.

01./02.01.1855
Januarflut: Schwere Zerstörungen auf den Ostfriesischen Inseln, Sturmflutmarke auf Norderney bei NN +4,26 m.

13.03.1906
Märzflut: höchste bis dahin festgestellte Sturmflut an der ostfriesischen Küste.

31.01./01.02.1953
Hollandflut: schwerste Naturkatastrophe des 20. Jahrhunderts im Bereich der Nordsee. In den Niedertan den (ca. 1800 Tote), England und Belgien mehr als 2000 Tote; Gesamtschaden mehr als 500 Mio. €: keine größeren Schäden an der deutschen Küste, jedoch Anstoß, die Deiche zu überprüfen.

16./17.02.1962
Februarsturmflut 62, 2. Julianenflut: 340 Tote, davon 19 in Niedersachsen, ca. 28.000 Wohnungen bzw. Häuser beschädigt und . 1.300 vollg zerstört; höchste bisherige Sturmflut Ostlich der Jade mit 61 Deichbrüchen in Niedersachsen; betroffen war vor allem das Elbegebiet mit seinen Nebenflüssen.

03.01.1976
Januarflut: bis heute höchste Sturmflut an nahezu allen Pegein der deutschen Nordseeküste: zahlreiche Deichbrüche in Kehdingen und der Haseldorfer Marsch.

24.11.1981
Novemberflut: Höchste Scheitelwasserstände in Nordfriesland mit NN +4,72 m am Pegel
Dagebüll.

28.01.1994
Januarflut: Höchste Scheitelwasserstände an Ems mit NN +4,75 m am Pegel Weener sowie an der Wese mit NN
+5,33 m am Pegel Vegesack.

03.12.1999
Anatol: kurzfristiger Anstieg mit sehr hohen Wasserständen im gesamten Nordseegebiot; Abflauen des Sturms vor Eintritt des astronomischen Hochwassers in Cuxhaven, andornfalls waren im Elbegebiet die Werte von 1976
überschritten worden.

01.11.2006
Fünfte Allerheiligenflut: Sehr schwere Sturmflut mit Überschreiten der Pegelwerte von 1994 im Bereich der
Ems, Deichabbrüche auf den ostfriesischen Inseln Juist, Langeoog und Wangerooge …

Political flood images

In Germany, the imagery of flood or flooding and of Noah’s Ark is frequently used in the political discourse to refer to undesired migration. Since the 1990s this dehumanizing topos was in high demand and was used by mainstream media and radical political parties alike. The following are covers of Germany’s biggest news magazine from 1991 and from 2006, fifteen years apart. The main headline is identical: “Ansturm der Armen” which translates as “storm (or onrush) of the poor”.

Political extremists picked the imagery up instantly, as illustrated by this add by a right-wing party from 1991 and another recent cover from a right-wing political magazine:

The Wave in Architecture

It’s a rather popular architectural motif, particularly of course in coastal and riverside cities. I wonder if there ever has been a historical study of the wave in architecture. Here are a few random examples from Europe:

Dessauerstraße, Hemshof Ludwigshafen, Germany. I couldn’t find out about the architect nor he date of these buildings.

Built over the course of more than a decade and finished in 2018: The Wave in Vejle, Denemark, designed by Henning Larsen.

Elbphilarmonie in Hamburg, Germany. Opened in 2016, by architectural firm Herzog & de Meuron.

Inside of Multihalle, in Mannheim, Germany, built by Frei Otto in 1975.

The yellow skies of New York

In June 2023 massive wildfires in Canada caused air pollution in New York to a scale not known to New Yorkers. Besides the serious health issues the smoke-filled air causes, it also tinted the whole city in a curious sepia like color. The remarkable images, the New Yorker chose to accompany this article, show that the editors clearly recognized the aesthetic qualities. For a day or more all contemporary images of New York appeared like paintings from the romantic period of the 19. Century. All photographs are by Clark Hodgin for The New Yorker.

Tides (2021)

“Tides” (alternative title “The Colony”) is a sci-fi movie from 2021 about a post-apocalyptic world at the moment the first human communities are about to re-settle again. The only territory suitable is a coastal strip that is covered by tides twice a day. The area is a tidal zone, not quite land and not quite sea, with little to no vegetation and natural shelter for the people to build a more permanent habitat.

The landscape and weather in the story are the same as on the location, the movie was filmed. “Tides” was largely filmed outdoors on the small island Neuwerk in the German Tidelands, situated between the estuaries of the rivers Weser and Elbe.

Neuwerk during low tide

Director Tim Fehlbaum explained in an interview how this landscape inspired the movie plot in the first place:

“For the outdoor scenes we went to the German Tidelands, which was where the idea for the film started. I’m a very visual director and my ideas often have a visual trigger. I had never been to the Tidelands and having grown up in the Swiss mountains being at the low point of Germany was eye-opening. Looking out at this expanse of water was so interesting because in an hour or so, everything you just saw becomes covered in water. The floods in the film are real, and they come in twice a day. Shooting there was exceedingly difficult because we could never shoot much longer than two or three hours, and I always wanted to keep shooting, but it becomes a question of minutes before the water is at your knees and suddenly up to your chest.”

You could say, the movie is really an exploration of this landscape and the living conditions and the atmosphere in tidal zones. That human renewal after the partial retreat and ecological meltdown takes place in such a tidal zone is interesting as it references this landscape as a realm of opportunity, transition and change – a liminal space full of potential rather than decay.

I find this inspirational in regard to our current situation of ecological and social transformation. Author Kim Stanley Robbinson made a similar reference to the “intertidal” as a space of opportunity and renewal when sketching his “Super Venice” in the post-apocalyptic novel “New York 2140” four years earlier. It is striking how both works are set in tidal zones, how both interpret them as spaces of renewal, and yet how radically different they paint this landscape. You can read my post on Robbinson’s book here.

Street Scene on the Rhine

A street in the city of Bonn with the Rhine river in the background, January 2024.

The “Lost River”

Ryan Goslings 2014 movie “Lost River” is most of all a portrait of urban decay and our fascination with decay in a broader sense. The film juxtaposes the stylized display of bodily mutilation and destruction in a Grand Guignol style cabaret on the one side and the at once slow and dramatic decay of urban environments in the US rust belt on the other.

While buildings on fire – an image particularly indicative of the Detroit situation in the 1980s and 1990s – or urban structures overgrown by vegetation are the two main visual ciphers for urban decay in the movie, a flooded town also plays a central role.

As one protagonist explains, the town is called Lost River, because a section of it was once purposefully submerged when a water reservoir was built. Beneath the river lie the remains of that city and also a prehistoric theme park. Pre-historic monsters are said to live in the deep water. The idea of a prehistoric past lurking underneath the water’s surface is reminiscent of J.G Ballard’s 1962 novel “Drowned World“, where global climate change and flooding causes nature to regress into an early state of evolution.

The movie pays little attention to this submerged town. Instead it effectively uses one rather simple image in several scenes: the street lights that stick out of the water and create an eerie sense of displacement and confusing proportions.

Children of the Sea

2019 Japanese anime movie “Children of the Sea” (original title: 海獣の子供, which translates roughly as “Children of Sea Monsters”) is set in a fictitious island in the Okinawa region of Japan. The movie directed by Ayumu Watanabe puts a lot of effort into creating the image of a culture and a way of life, that is aquatic or located in a fluid continuum between dry land and water, the city and the sea. Here are screen shots from two scenes of intense tropical rainstorm that blur the distinction between land and sea.

Another noteworthy scene is the following, set on a pier that is aligned with concrete tetrapopds. These tetrapods have been used since the 1950s all over the world to protect coasts against erosion and flooding. They are particularly prominent across Okinawa and have come to define the look of the coasts there. (See the wiki article here)

Since the movie’s plot is about the meeting and friendship between two brothers born in the sea and a city girl and the girl’s eventual emergence into the underwater world, the tripods here seem to symbolize the community’s effort to maintain the separation between land and sea and protect it’s people from the forces bur also the allure of the ocean.

Kota Ezawa: Flood (2011)

Kota Ezawa (*1969)Flood, 2011
© Courtesy the artist and Galerie Anita Beckers, Frankfurt a.M.