MERLIN: a flood hazard forecasting system for coastal river reaches

Natural Hazards - This study presents MERLIN, an innovative flood hazard forecasting system for predicting discharges and water levels at flood prone areas of coastal catchments. Discharge...     

An integrated flood inundation model for coastal urban watershed of Navi Mumbai,India

Most urban agglomerations located in the Mumbai coastal region in India are vulnerable to flooding due to increasing frequency of the short-duration heavy rainfall, by virtue of their location at foothills on one side and tidal variations on the other side. Steep slopes in the catchment ensure fast runoff and tidal variation adds to backwater effect in the drainage system, which together are favorable for flooding. The present study simulates the flood inundation due to heavy rainfall and high-tide conditions in a coastal urban catchment within Mumbai region with detention pond. Overland flow is modeled using a mass balance approach, which can adapt to hilly slopes and smoothly accommodate detention pond hydraulics. Dynamic wave channel routing based on finite element method captures the backwater effects due to tidal variation, and raster-based flood inundation model enables direct use of digital elevation model. The integrated model is capable of simulating detention pond hydraulics within the raster flood model for heavy rainfall events. The database required for the model is obtained from the geographical information system (GIS) and remote sensing techniques. Application of the integrated model to literature problems and the catchment of the study area for two non-flooding events gave satisfactory results. Further, the model is applied to an extreme rainfall event of July 26, 2005, coinciding with high-tide conditions, which revealed vulnerability of the area to flooding despite of an existing detention pond. A sensitivity analysis on the location of detention pond indicated that catchment response can be better governed by relocating the detention pond to upstream of existing detention pond especially when heavy rainfall events are becoming frequent.     

Storm extreme levels and coastal flood hazards: A parametric approach on the French coast of Languedoc (district of Leucate)

Coastal flooding is a significant risk on the shores of Languedoc-Roussillon. The storms that periodically hit the coast can generate strong swells and storm surges. Most beach resorts, built on a low elevation dune ridge, are periodically flooded during major storms. Although risks zoning regulations take into consideration coastal flood hazards, the delineation of vulnerable areas is still insufficient and the commonly accepted threshold is regularly exceeded during most severe storms. This paper presents a method to improve the assessment of extreme storm-related water levels. It relies on fieldwork carried out in the Leucate commune (Aude), which is particularly exposed to the risk of sea level rise. It considers both storm surges and wave phenomena that occur within the surf zone (set-up and swash), calculated from the Simulating WAves Nearshore (SWAN^®) numerical wave model and the Stockdon formula. Water levels reached during several recent storm events have been reconstructed and simulations of submerged areas were carried out by numerical modelling.     

A multicriteria approach for flood risk mapping exemplified at the Mulde river,Germany

In this paper we develop a GIS-based multicriteria flood risk assessment and mapping approach. This approach includes flood risks which are not measured in monetary terms; it shows the spatial distribution of multiple risks, and it is able to deal with uncertainties in criteria values and to show their influence on the overall flood risk assessment. Additionally, the approach can be used to show the spatial allocation of the flood effects if risk reduction measures are implemented. The approach is applied to a pilot study for the River Mulde in Saxony, Germany, heavily affected by the hazardous flood in 2002. Therefore, a GIS database of economic, social and environmental risk criteria was created. Two different multicriteria decision rules, a disjunctive and an additive weighting approach, are utilised for an overall flood risk assessment in the area. For implementation, a software tool (FloodCalc) was developed supporting both, the risk calculation of the single criteria as well as the multicriteria analysis.

Evaluation of coastal inundation hazard for present and future climates

Coastal inundation from hurricane storm surges causes catastrophic damage to lives and property, as evidenced by recent hurricanes including Katrina and Wilma in 2005 and Ike in 2008. Changes in hurricane activity and sea level due to a warming climate, together with growing coastal population, are expected to increase the potential for loss of property and lives. Current inundation hazard maps: Base Flood Elevation maps and Maximum of Maximums are computationally expensive to create in order to fully represent the hurricane climatology, and do not account for climate change. This paper evaluates the coastal inundation hazard in Southwest Florida for present and future climates, using a high resolution storm surge modeling system, CH3D-SSMS, and an optimal storm ensemble with multivariate interpolation, while accounting for climate change. Storm surges associated with the optimal storms are simulated with CH3D-SSMS and the results are used to obtain the response to any storm via interpolation, allowing accurate representation of the hurricane climatology and efficient generation of hazard maps. Incorporating the impact of anticipated climate change on hurricane and sea level, the inundation maps for future climate scenarios are made and affected people and property estimated. The future climate scenarios produce little change to coastal inundation, due likely to the reduction in hurricane frequency, except when extreme sea level rise is included. Calculated coastal inundation due to sea level rise without using a coastal surge model is also determined and shown to significantly overestimate the inundation due to neglect of land dissipation.     

太湖流域应对特大洪水防洪工程效益模拟

防洪效益评估对防洪工程投资决策与减灾对策制定具有重要意义。建立集成了与太湖流域防洪效益评估相关的系列模型和方法,包括含降雨产流与平原净雨计算的水文分析方法、由河网水动力学模型和平原区域洪水分析模型组成的大尺度水力学模型、综合流域社会经济和淹没因素的洪灾损失评估模型。模拟了太湖流域遇特大洪水的灾害损失,开展了不同防洪工程应对流域性特大洪水减灾效益的预测分析。结果表明：1999年型200年一遇降雨将会给太湖流域造成高达568.29亿元的直接经济损失,外排动力增强30%至100%的防洪效益介于26.69亿元到45.70亿元之间,新建圩区、太浦河拓宽的防洪效益依次减小,而圩区泵排能力增加30%的防洪效益仅为0.65亿元。基于研究成果提出了增设外排泵站、加强圩区科学调度、通过保险分担风险等应对特大洪水的对策措施建议,为太湖流域特大洪水的防治提供支撑和参考。     

太湖流域应对特大洪水防洪工程效益模拟

防洪效益评估对防洪工程投资决策与减灾对策制定具有重要意义。建立集成了与太湖流域防洪效益评估相关的系列模型和方法,包括含降雨产流与平原净雨计算的水文分析方法、由河网水动力学模型和平原区域洪水分析模型组成的大尺度水力学模型、综合流域社会经济和淹没因素的洪灾损失评估模型。模拟了太湖流域遇特大洪水的灾害损失,开展了不同防洪工程应对流域性特大洪水减灾效益的预测分析。结果表明:1999年型200年一遇降雨将会给太湖流域造成高达568.29亿元的直接经济损失,外排动力增强30%至100%的防洪效益介于26.69亿元到45.70亿元之间,新建圩区、太浦河拓宽的防洪效益依次减小,而圩区泵排能力增加30%的防洪效益仅为0.65亿元。基于研究成果提出了增设外排泵站、加强圩区科学调度、通过保险分担风险等应对特大洪水的对策措施建议,为太湖流域特大洪水的防治提供支撑和参考。     

非线性时变增益模型在新疆喀什中小河流洪水模拟中的适用性研究

近年来受人类活动和气候变化影响,新疆喀什地区水文非线性特征凸显,使得传统考虑单一线性的模型精度不高,以新疆喀什地区中小流域为研究对象,应用非线性时变增益模型,结合该流域1999-2017年实测洪水数据分析该模型在新疆喀什地区中小河流洪水模拟的适用性。研究结果表明:采用新的模型洪水模拟精度可到乙级以上精度,明显好于传统模型。研究成果对于新疆喀什地区中小河流防洪预警具有重要参考价值。     

Regularized joint inverse estimation of extreme rainfall amounts in ungauged coastal basins of El Salvador

A regularized joint inverse procedure is presented and used to estimate the magnitude of extreme rainfall events in ungauged coastal river basins of El Salvador: Paz, Jiboa, Grande de San Miguel, and Goascoran. Since streamflow measurements reflect temporal and spatial rainfall information, peak-flow discharge is hypothesized to represent a similarity measure suitable for regionalization. To test this hypothesis, peak-flow discharge values determined from streamflow recurrence information (10-year, 25-year, and 100-year) collected outside the study basins are used to develop regional (country-wide) regression equations. Peak-flow discharge derived from these equations together with preferred spatial parameter relations as soft prior information are used to constrain the simultaneous calibration of 20 tributary basin models. The nonlinear range of uncertainty in estimated parameter values (1 curve number and 3 recurrent rainfall amounts for each model) is determined using an inverse calibration-constrained Monte Carlo approach. Cumulative probability distributions for rainfall amounts indicate differences among basins for a given return period and an increase in magnitude and range among basins with increasing return interval. Comparison of the estimated median rainfall amounts for all return periods were reasonable but larger (3.2–26%) than rainfall estimates computed using the frequency-duration (traditional) approach and individual rain gauge data. The observed 25-year recurrence rainfall amount at La Hachadura in the Paz River basin during Hurricane Mitch (1998) is similar in value to, but outside and slightly less than, the estimated rainfall confidence limits. The similarity in joint inverse and traditionally computed rainfall events, however, suggests that the rainfall observation may likely be due to under-catch and not model bias.     

岛屿海岸工程作用下的水沙动力过程研究

岛屿海岸所处的水动力泥沙环境以及工程实施后引起的相关变化都具有自身的独特性和复杂性。根据历史资料,在对嵊泗中心渔港海区已建工程影响下的水沙动力过程变化深入分析的基础上,利用波浪和潮流共同作用下的二维泥沙数学模型,对拟建工程引起的潮流场、含沙量场以及海床冲淤变化进行了分析和预测。研究表明,已建与拟建防波堤工程会引起港区水动力减弱,海床演变以淤积作用为主,年淤积强度0.1~0.3 m;已围与拟围海造地工程则会束窄潮流通道,导致水动力增强,海床以轻微冲刷为主。拟建工程与已建工程作用下的水沙动力过程具有良好的类比性。     

A modeling study of coastal inundation induced by storm surge,sea-level rise,and subsidence in the Gulf of Mexico

The northern coasts of the Gulf of Mexico (GoM) are highly vulnerable to the direct threats of climate change, such as hurricane-induced storm surge, and such risks are exacerbated by land subsidence and global sea-level rise. This paper presents an application of a coastal storm surge model to study the coastal inundation process induced by tide and storm surge, and its response to the effects of land subsidence and sea-level rise in the northern Gulf coast. The unstructured-grid finite-volume coastal ocean model was used to simulate tides and hurricane-induced storm surges in the GoM. Simulated distributions of co-amplitude and co-phase lines for semi-diurnal and diurnal tides are in good agreement with previous modeling studies. The storm surges induced by four historical hurricanes (Rita, Katrina, Ivan, and Dolly) were simulated and compared to observed water levels at National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration tide stations. Effects of coastal subsidence and future global sea-level rise on coastal inundation in the Louisiana coast were evaluated using a “change of inundation depth” parameter through sensitivity simulations that were based on a projected future subsidence scenario and 1-m global sea-level rise by the end of the century. Model results suggested that hurricane-induced storm surge height and coastal inundation could be exacerbated by future global sea-level rise and subsidence, and that responses of storm surge and coastal inundation to the effects of sea-level rise and subsidence are highly nonlinear and vary on temporal and spatial scales.     

新疆河道特征及洪水灾害治理研究

新疆河流洪水具有陡涨陡落、泥砂含量高、突发性强等特点。冲积扇河道纵坡大,上、中游河道表现为冲刷或冲淤基本平衡,河道防护工程洪水期冲刷问题突出。河流中下游纵坡明显减缓,河道加宽变浅,频繁摆动游荡。河流纵向、横向输沙不平衡引起河势改变,引起河道冲刷崩岸及洪水灾害。通过对新疆河流、河道特征,水力学要素及河床演变、河道冲淤规律分析,根据新疆河道特点及防洪实践,提出了河道治理思路及防护工程布置方法,对不同河段防护工程设计参数的选取、河道整治建筑物的结构型式等问题进行了探讨。     

A methodology for urban micro-scale coastal flood vulnerability and risk assessment and mapping

Natural Hazards - Wind gusts are a major cause of damage to property and the natural environment and a source of noise in seismic networks such as the USArray Transportable Array. Wind gusts cause...     

Application of Monte Carlo simulation technique for flood estimation for two catchments in New South Wales,Australia

The currently adopted rainfall-based design flood estimation method in Australia, known as design event approach (DEA), has a flaw that is widely criticized by the hydrologists. The DEA is based on the assumption that a rainfall depth of a certain frequency can be transformed to a flood peak of the same frequency by adopting the ‘representative values’ of other model input variables, such as temporal patterns and losses. To overcome the limitation associated with the DEA, this paper develops stochastic model inputs to apply Monte Carlo simulation technique (MCST) for design flood estimation. This uses data from 86 pluviograph stations and six catchments from eastern New South Wales (NSW), Australia, to regionalize the distributions of various input variables (e.g., rainfall duration, inter-event duration, intensity and temporal patterns and loss and routing characteristics) to simulate thousands of flood hydrographs using a nonlinear runoff routing model. The regionalized stochastic inputs are then applied with the MCST to two catchments in eastern NSW. The results indicate that the developed MCST provide more accurate flood quantile estimates than the DEA for the two test catchments. The particular advantage of the new MCST and stochastic design input variables is that it reduces the subjectivity in the selection of model input values in flood modeling. The developed MCST can be adapted to other parts of Australia and other countries.     

长江中下游实时洪水预报模拟

以长江中下游防洪系统为对象,概述了在大型复杂防洪系统水沙运动数值模拟基础上,成功地将面向长江中下游防洪规划论证需求的水沙数学模型转化为面向长江防洪系统防汛方案评估需求的长江中下游实时洪水预报数学模型.为适应实时预报调度快速、准确评估的要求,提出了基于水动力学的循环滚动计算模式和实时校正模式.实现了水文学实时校正方法与水动力学数学模型的耦合,建立了基于水动力学的实时校正模式和分洪溃口洪水预报模式.通过长江中下游防汛期间的试运行,较好地解决了洪水预报误差校正和分洪溃口后洪水预报等关键难题,为防汛方案的制定和实时洪水调度方案优化提供了技术支撑,主要成果已应用于长江中下游防汛调度方案中.     

A flood vulnerability index for coastal cities and its use in assessing climate change impacts

Worldwide, there is a need to enhance our understanding of vulnerability and to develop methodologies and tools to assess vulnerability. One of the most important goals of assessing coastal flood vulnerability, in particular, is to create a readily understandable link between the theoretical concepts of flood vulnerability and the day-to-day decision-making process and to encapsulate this link in an easily accessible tool. This article focuses on developing a Coastal City Flood Vulnerability Index (CCFVI) based on exposure, susceptibility and resilience to coastal flooding. It is applied to nine cities around the world, each with different kinds of exposure. With the aid of this index, it is demonstrated which cities are most vulnerable to coastal flooding with regard to the system??s components, that is, hydro-geological, socio-economic and politico-administrative. The index gives a number from 0 to 1, indicating comparatively low or high coastal flood vulnerability, which shows which cities are most in need of further, more detailed investigation for decision-makers. Once its use to compare the vulnerability of a range of cities under current conditions has been demonstrated, it is used to study the impact of climate change on the vulnerability of these cities over a longer timescale. The results show that CCFVI provides a means of obtaining a broad overview of flood vulnerability and the effect of possible adaptation options. This, in turn, will allow for the direction of resources to more in-depth investigation of the most promising strategies.     

Real-time flood forecasting of the Tiber river in Rome

An adaptive, conceptual model for real-time flood forecasting of the Tiber river in Rome is proposed. This model simulates both rainfall-runoff transformations, to reproduce the contributions of 37 ungauged sub-basins that covered about 30% of the catchment area, and flood routing processes in the hydrographic network. The adaptive component of the model concerns the rainfall-runoff analysis: at any time step the whole set of the model parameters is recalibrated by minimizing the objective function constituted by the sum of the squares of the differences between observed and computed water surface elevations (or discharges). The proposed model was tested through application under real-time forecasting conditions for three historical flood events. To assess the forecasting accuracy, to support the decision maker and to reduce the possibility of false or missed warnings, confidence intervals of the forecasted water surface elevations (or discharges), computed according to a Monte Carlo procedure, are provided. The evaluation of errors in the prediction of peak values, of coefficients of persistence and of the amplitude of confidence intervals of prediction shows the possibility to develop a flood forecast model with a lead time of 12 h, which is useful for civil protection actions.     

淮河中游水量水质联合调度模型研究

针对淮河中游的特点,建立了一个能适应水系密布、河网交错、水库闸坝众多、相互制约等复杂水流条件和防污调度要求的一、二维水量水质耦合的非恒定流模型。采用1999年和2004年淮河中游的联防调度实测资料对模型进行率定和检验的结果表明,所建模型能够准确客观地描述淮河中游洪水、污染物的运动规律,预测和评价各种调度方案的改善水质效果。