Accounting for the uncertain effects of hydraulic interactions in optimising embankments heights: Proof of principle for the IJssel River

Most alluvial plains in the world are protected by flood defences, for example, embankments, whose primary aim is to reduce the probability of flooding of the protected areas. At the same time, however, the presence of embankments at one area influences hydraulic conditions of downstream areas located on the same river. These hydraulic...

Real time floodrisk management

The central issue for authorities (as well as the public) is how and when to respond to forecasted extreme water levels on rivers, lakes and along the coast and large-scale flooding is an actual risk. The decision-making process is influenced by contradicting information, overloads and gaps in information, rumours, uncertainties in forecasts,...

Flood Hazard Mapping: Uncertainty and its Value in the Decision-making Process

Computers are increasingly used in the simulation of natural phenomena such as floods. However, these simulations are based on numerical approximations of equations formalizing our conceptual understanding of flood flows. Thus, model results are intrinsically subject to uncertainty and the use of probabilistic approaches seems more appropriate....

Operational flood forecasting, warning and response for multi-scale flood risks in developing cities

Flood early warning systems are recognized as one of the most effective flood risk management instruments when correctly embedded in comprehensive flood risk management strategies and policies. Many efforts around the world are being put in place to advance the components that determine the effectiveness of a flood early warning system. The aim...

Upscaling coastal flood risk assessment - Insight into the uncertainty of a continental-scale model

During the last years, flood risk assessments at continental and global scales are emerging as useful tools for risk hotspot identification, support for international policy-making and harmonization of strategies for climate change adaptation. The emergence of these models comes to cover the growing demand for integrated, large-scale risk...

Low-cost Space-borne Data for Inundation Modelling: Topography, Flood Extent and Water Level

Floods are among the most damaging natural hazards and their impacts have been dramatically increasing worldwide over the past decades. As most basins of the world are ungauged or poorly gauged and some measurement networks are continuously under decline, the spatial distribution of flood hazard is often difficult to estimate because the input...

Climate Change Impacts on River Floods: Uncertainty and Adaptation

The modelling frameworks, which include greenhouse gas emission scenarios, climate models, downscaling methods and hydrological models, are generally used to assess climate change impacts on river floods. In this research, the uncertainty associated with each component of the modelling framework is analysed with particular reference to climate...

The resilience approach to climate adaptation applied for flood risk

This dissertation presents a potential way forward for adaptation to climate change, termed the resilience approach. This approach takes a dynamic perspective on adaptive processes and the effects of these processes at/across different spatio-temporal scales. Experience is provided with four methods that can be used to apply the resilience...

“SimDelta”: Inquiry into an internet-based interactive model for water infrastructure development in The Netherlands

The Dutch Delta Program is currently developing new government policies for flood protection and fresh water supply. Decision support instruments have to address the program’s technical and political complexity. The water system functions are highly interwoven and would benefit from an integrated approach on a national level, with decisions...

Fault tree analysis for urban flooding

Traditional methods to evaluate flood risk mostly focus on storm events as the main cause of flooding. Fault tree analysis is a technique that is able to model all potential causes of flooding and to quantify both the overall probability of flooding and the contributions of all causes of flooding to the overall flood probability. This paper...

Spatial flood extent modelling. A performance based comparison

The rapid development of Geographical Information Systems (GIS) has together with the inherent spatial nature of hydrological modelling led to an equally rapid development in the integration between GIS and hydrological models. The advantages of integration are particularly apparent in flood extent modelling. In this thesis, the integration of...