Baltic Storm Surge 1872 – 150th memorial conference

The interdisciplinary conference will be held at the University of Rostock on November 14th, 2022 from 10 AM to 5 PM.

In November 2022 it will have been 150 years since the catastrophic storm surge from the 12th to 14th November in 1872 struck the Baltic Sea coasts of Denmark, Germany, and south of Sweden resulting in the death of about 300 people and a loss of homes for more than 15,000 people in Schleswig Holstein.

As there are ongoing discussions in the affected countries about the 1872 storm being a design storm or a unique event, possible reasons will be presented and discussed. This is a great opportunity for engineers, social scientists, geologists, meteorologists, historians and many more to come together and share knowledge about the1872 storm surge, and how our coasts can be managed in a sustainable way to meet future challenges.

Pre-Tour from Copenhagen to Rostock by bus

Prior to the conference from November 12th until November 13th there will be a pre-tour starting in Copenhagen and ending in Rostock (the number of participants is limited to approx. 50). During these two days we will travel by bus along the coast and visit historical flood sites and actual coastal engineering measures in Denmark and Germany (Tentative Programme). On the evening of November 13th there will be a memorial dinner in Rostock. The number of participants is limited to approx. 50, 15th August 2022 deadline for pre-tour registration.

Registration and fees

For both events, either for the pre-tour or for the conference only please register here.
Participants are responsible for organizing their own travel to Copenhagen and to/from Rostock.
Hotel reservations are to be made the participant. Hotels will be recommended soon by the organizer.

Participation in the conference and pre-tour are free of charge except for overnight stays and possibly meals.    

The conference and pre-tour will be held under the current hygiene standards. Depending on Covid 19 legal requirements cancellations are possible.

Background to the conference

In November 2022 it will have been 150 years since the catastrophic storm surge from the 12th to 14th November in 1872 struck the Baltic Sea coasts of Denmark, Germany, and south of Sweden.

An extreme storm surge in combination with high waves resulted in the death of about 300 people and even in Schleswig-Holstein more than 15,000 people lost their homes. Locally, the water level rose to about 3.4 m above Mean Sea Level (MSL), which is extra-ordinary for this region with no astronomical tide.

Since 1872 there has been no storm event of the same magnitude. In fact, the water level record from Travemünde dating back to the 1820s states that the maximum water level during the 1872 storm was approximately one meter higher than all observations thereafter:
What made this storm so extreme?
What is the probability of recurrence?

It is an ongoing discussion in the affected countries whether the 1872 storm should be considered as a design storm event, or whether it was a unique event. Historical records from Germany and Denmark suggest that there have been extreme storm surges during the 14th and 17th centuries. Although the storm surge heavily struck all three coastlines, the memories about the catastrophe as well as modern coastal flood risk management approaches vary substantially among the countries and regions. Possible reasons for this and their implications will be presented and discussed during the conference. Finally, a podium discussion will address the question what lessons are or perhaps should be learned from the catastrophe. And what can we learn about societies resilience today through studies of historical storm events?

When the need for climate change adaptation is increasing, there is also an increased need to determine relevant design events applicable for the timescale of interest.

In Germany and Denmark, the 1872 storm sometimes has been used as design criteria or at least considered in risk assessments. In Sweden, however, the 1872 storm has been almost forgotten until recent years. Since then, thousands of houses have been built in flood prone areas without protection. The collective memory of storm events commonly ensures proper flood risk management. Why was the storm remembered in Germany and Denmark, but forgotten in Sweden and other countries? Absence of memory may instead lead to unsustainable development of flood-prone areas and thereby increased risks.

There is a lot to be learned from the storm surges of the past (e.g. 1044, 1304, 1320, 1625, 1694, 1784, 1872) and the150th memorial conference is a great opportunity for engineers, social scientists, geologists, meteorologists, historians and many more to come together and share knowledge about the1872 storm surge, and how our coasts can be managed in a sustainable way to meet future challenges.

A special volume of „Die Küste“ with publications concerning the Baltic storm surge 1872 will be published for the conference.

Further information: https://conference-service.com/KFKI_1122/xpage.html?xpage=245&lang=en

Organization

  • Universität Rostock

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