Endangerment of the village Čunovo (Slovakia) by lateral erosion of the Danube River in the 18th Century.

Pišút, P., 2008. Endangerment of the village Čunovo (Slovakia) by lateral erosion of the Danube River in the 18th Century. Moravian Geographical Reports, 16 (4): 33-44. 9 Figs., 39 refs., 18 historical map references.

Analysis of old maps enabled reconstruction of extremely dynamic channel changes of the Danube River along the part of its Slovak reach at the end of the 18th century. Prior to 1790, rapid development of a new Danube meander led to partial destruction of the small village Čunovo near Bratislava. Stone groynes were constructed to protect the undercut banks and to divert the flow into the new channel. Retreat of eroded banks at Čunovo over the periods 1783-1790 and 1790-1794 reached up to 432 and 229 m, respectively. Corresponding maximum rates of lateral erosion 57-72 m per year and/or 31-76 m during a single event are comparatively high in Central European conditions. Initiation and rapid development of the new meander were related to 1) increased river activity during the last onset of the Little Ice Age period, 2) serious channel changes after 1760 on the immediately upstream reach from Bratislava to Rusovce, 3) siltation of the Lesser Danube, but also to 4) local predisposition of the floodplain topography.

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Deštrukcia Petržalky v druhej polovici 18. storočia laterálnou eróziou Dunaja.

Pišút, P., 1993. Deštrukcia Petržalky v 2. polovici 18. storočia laterálnou eróziou Dunaja. Geografický časopis, 45 (1): 41-52. In Slovak, English abstract and summary, 6 Figs., 7 refs.

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Evolution of meandering lower Morava River (W Slovakia) during the first half of 20th Century.

Pišút, P.: Evolution of meandering lower Morava River (W Slovakia) during the first half of 20th Century. Geomorphologia Slovaca, 2006, 1, 3 figs., 4 tabs., 36 refs., 9 map. refs.

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This paper examines a development of the lower Morava river (Slovak – Austrian stretch) in the time period from 1896 until the river regulation (1951-1962), using historic cadastral maps. Study reach is located between Vysoká p. Morave and Marchegg (river kilometres 16-21). Morphometrical analysis, reconstruction of morphogenesis and morphochronology based on map superposition were aimed to describe channel forms and river planform development over time. Meandering Morava was a dynamic river system here with a continuous bend development at least since 1807. Retreat of outer banks after 1896 averaged 88 m (11-184 m), thus representing mean annual rate of lateral erosion 1.68 m.yr-1 (between 0.6 – 3.2 m dependent on a bend). Despite local channel shortening after a natural meander cutoff around 1906, there was a steady increase in sinuosity of model reach during the studied period, from 2.04 in 1896 to 2.27 in 1950s (present-day channelized Morava is only slightly sinuous river with s2000 = 1.183). The mainchannel development was significantly more dynamic (= narrower channel, minor radii of bends, almost twofold rates of lateral erosion) as of the synchronous evolution of a reference reach at Moravský Sv. Ján (rkm. 62 - 67). Correspondingly, a 100 m wide riverine belt with a soft floodplain woodland site had been forming at Moravský Sv. Ján almost twice as slowly as near Vysoká p. Morave (100 years in comparision to 60 yr). Research findings are of a key importance for predicting future channel changes in the case of Morava restoration by mainflow diversion back into selected cutoff sections.