The palaeoflood record of a hyperarid catchment, Nahal Zin, Negev Desert, Israel

The palaeohydrology of Nahal Zin, a 1400 km(2) catchment in the hyperarid N egev Desert, is inferred from slackwater deposits and palaeostage indicator s in a canyon near its lower end. The palaeoflood record, augmented by the instrumental and historical records of the last decade, includes 28 floods ranging from 200 to 1500 m(3) s(-1) over the last 2000 years. This helps to reanalyse the frequency of floods in this drainage system. The clusters of floods around 1000 years sp and again during the last 60 years are charact erized by high flow magnitudes. Periods with many floods correspond well to periods with high Dead Sea leve ls and are probably relatively wet periods, while periods with few floods c orrespond well to low Dead Sea levels indicating a drier climate. Fluctuati ons in the frequency of floods are typical of periods of transition from on e climate regime to another. Copyright (C) 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.