4. Surface water and Flooding#
Flooding and impact of climate change
In this series of lectures we will develop a series of models for the dynamics of surface water and its drainage. We will explore a series of simple models to eludicate the controls on the capacity of the drainage system ; in cases where this is exceeded floods develop. There are a series of different types of flooding, ranging from fluvial flooding from rivers, pluvial flooding over the land, and then coastal flooding associated with sea level rise and storm surge. A different form of flooding arises from dam failure and release of fluids from a reservoir. The simplified models we will develop are based on models of fluid flow in channels, over and through the ground, and in river systems; we also develop models for flooding through urban areas, where there may be very large resistance to the flow, and rapidly evolving flow paths as debris is carried downstream.