Volume 5, No. 1, 2011
Received: 2010/12/12, Accepted:
Authors:
Khaldoon A. Al-Qudah;
Abstract:
Floods in arid and semiarid regions are considered the only hydrologic process that generates large volumes
of water for surface storage and groundwater recharge. Floods in southern Jordan are associated with certain
synoptic climatic conditions that are mainly influenced by the effect of the Red Sea trough. Geologic and
geomorphologic factors significantly influence flood generation. The slack-water deposit and paleostage
indicators' technique incorporated with gradually varied flow model HEC-RAS 4. 0 were used to estimate the
large flood of February 2006 in the Wadi Ouhadah subcatchment in southern Jordan. Flood discharge was
estimated to be 320 m3/s, and this flood event is suspected to be the flood event of February 2006. Fast
recharge to shallow groundwater aquifers occurred through channel bed transmission loss during the flood
event. Floods pose a large threat to Ma'an city which is located downstream in flat topography.
Keywords:
Southern Jordan, Floods, Paleohydrology, Groundwater recharge, Climate