Floods in the Karst region of Slovenia in 2014

The Slovenian Karst region has exceptional characteristics and special karst phenomena that are known throughout Europe. What is more, the similar occurrences discovered in other European countries have also been named karst phenomena. A regular occurrence in the Karst region is flooding. The annual flooding of karst fields is connected to precipitation and the increased water inflow; this greater amount of water then leads to the saturation of the karst underground with water, which then rises to the surface and floods the field. In the theoretical part of my thesis I have described the formation of the karst topography, the karst phenomena, and the characteristics of the streaming of groundwater, as well as the streaming of water on the surface. I have focused on the field Planinsko polje, which was flooded in February 2014 due to extreme weather events such as heavy rains, sleet, and slightly higher temperatures, which caused additional rain instead of snow. Experts claim that a flood this extensive was a 100-year-interval flood. In the second part of my thesis I have presented my work, which is the inspection of the flooded field Planinsko polje and the measurements taken. I have also followed further developments of the flooding and drawn up a summary of the events, as well as provided some possible solutions that would prevent or limit such extensive floods in the future