Open AccessAssessment of at‐site design flood estimation methods using an improved event‐based design flood estimation tool
Author(s) -
Gericke Ockert Jacobus
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
journal of flood risk management
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.049
H-Index - 36
ISSN - 1753-318X
DOI - 10.1111/jfr3.12710
Subject(s) - flood myth , estimation , computer science , probabilistic logic , event (particle physics) , key (lock) , ranking (information retrieval) , range (aeronautics) , environmental science , data mining , hydrology (agriculture) , machine learning , engineering , geography , artificial intelligence , systems engineering , physics , computer security , geotechnical engineering , archaeology , quantum mechanics , aerospace engineering
Internationally, the occurrence and frequency of floods, along with the uncertainty involved in the estimation thereof, contribute to the practitioners' dilemma to make a single, justifiable decision when various design flood estimation methods are used. This article presents the further development of a Design Flood Estimation Tool (DFET) using Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications to assess the performance of event‐based design flood estimation methods in 48 gauged catchments in South Africa. The improved DFET proved to be an easy‐to‐use software tool for the rapid estimation and assessment of at‐site design floods in both gauged and ungauged catchments. In using a ranking‐based selection procedure, the Soil Conservation Service, Alternative Rational and Catchment Parameter methods provided the best estimates of the at‐site probabilistic flood peaks, while the Standard Design Flood method proved to be the least appropriate. Since the accuracy and uncertainty associated with each design flood method's key input parameters are unknown when applied in ungauged catchments, the incorporation of an ensemble event approach as part of the DFET calculation routines, is recommended. This will ensure that the key input parameters from an expected range of values are used to achieve probability neutrality between input rainfall and estimated runoff.