Study Area - Response of Flood Events to Land Use and Climate Change - page 103

Fig. 4.3 The location of measurement station in the area

Barcelonnette city at an elevation of 1155 m. The station was created on January
1923. Service access is under the Meteo France Organization: ( http://
climatheque.meteo.fr ). Figure 4.3 shows the location of the meteorological sta-
tion in the case study.
The Barcelonnette area forms an elongated shape and villages are usually found
along channels, rivers, or road sites that promote attenuated settlement forms [ 7 ].
This elongated structure makes it highly dependent on structural measures, such as
dykes and levees, to protect against flooding. The Ubaye Valley is representative
of climatic, lithological, geomorphologic, and land use conditions observed in the
south French Alps, and is highly affected by flood hazards [ 1 ]. The Barcelonnette
area is a tourist center, hosting many ski lodges. The whole Barcelonnette basin is
known for its numerous slope (the slope gradients range from 10 to 20) insta-
bilities and other geomorphological hazards [ 6 , 8 ] as well as highly active flood
hazards which directly and indirectly affect land use and people's lives in the area.

4.4.1 Precipitation

Observed precipitation data in the Barcelonnette station from 1961 to 2009 show
that the highest cumulative annual precipitation of 1027.6, 1191.8, and 1781.6 mm
was recorded in 1963, 1976, and 1977, respectively (Fig. 4.4 ). Conversely, the
lowest amount of precipitation occurred in 2007 with an amount of 384 mm.