The last millennium largest floods in the hyperarid Kuiseb River basin, Namib Desert

The largest floods in the hyperarid Kuiseb River basin, Namib Sand Sea, reached peak discharges of approximately 1475 cubic meters per second over the late Holocene. These extreme events, which occurred more than ten times in the last 1300 years, are critical for recharging shallow alluvial aquifers that sustain both human activity and natural ecology in this otherwise water-scarce region. The study, conducted through palaeohydrological analyses of 35 flood deposit sites along a 120 km stretch of the river's canyon, revealed distinct periods of increased flood frequency—particularly between 1250–1335 AD, 1355–1565 AD, and from 1715 AD to the present—with one large flood occurring every 30–40 years. Shorter episodes of heightened activity, such as those between 1185–1205 AD and 1335–1355 AD, also coincided with broader proxy records indicating higher water availability in the Namib Desert.

GRODEK, T., BENITO, G., BOTERO, B. A., JACOBY, Y., PORAT, N., HAVIV, I., CLOETE, G., & ENZEL, Y. (2013). The last millennium largest floods in the hyperarid Kuiseb River basin, Namib Desert. Journal of Quaternary Science, 28(3), 258–270. Portico. https://doi.org/10.1002/jqs.2618